The power went out at my place for eight hours yesterday afternoon and then for another two hours this morning. Although we are fortunate that we could make meals without electricity by using the gas cooktop, it occurred to me that in that situation, there are many that would have had a poor and cold meal for dinner and breakfast.
I have enough in the cupboard that we do not have to open the fridge or freezer for a meal or two, but many need to open these important pieces of equipment to have meals. Fridges will keep food cold for quite a few hours in a blackout if they are not opened but this time is dramtically reduced each time it is opened.
Once the power comes back on check the temperature of the food and if less than 5C, there should be no problems . Remember the basic rule, the longer and higher the temperature is above this key temperature the shorter the life of the product. If a food is above 5C and can be cooked then it should be eaten hot (above 75C), or used immediately. If it cannot be cooked or used immediately, throw it out, as it is likely to make people sick with food p0isoning if consumed.
As freezers store frozen food, there is a larger temperature range before decisions need to be made. If the door has been kept closed, a good freezer will keep the product safely for around a day, after that you need to check the temperature and if above 5C do the same as you would with product from a fridge. If the product is not fully thawed, it can be refrozen as long as none of it has exceeded 5C. If it is thawed but less than 5C, keep it cold and use within a day if possible. Make sure that product that needs to be cooked is well cooked.
The same applies in a food business. There needs to be clearly written procedures for what to do and staff must be trained in these, and remember to keep a record of the training.
The golden rule in terms of food safety is this – “if in any doubt, chuck it out!!!!”
