Safe food storage during power outages: key rules

In conditions of stabilizing and emergency power outages, it is important to store food properly to avoid food poisoning and reduce food waste. The Center for Public Health reminds of the rules for organizing meals and storing food in conditions of power outages, writes UNN.

In the refrigerator, food remains safe for up to 4 hours, in a full freezer - 48 hours, in a half-empty freezer - 24 hours

To keep food longer than 4 hours: 

• place cold accumulators, bottles of frozen water, prepared in advance, in the refrigerator - do not forget to refreeze them when the power supply is restored; 

• do not open the refrigerator unnecessarily - for quality food storage, the temperature in the refrigerator should be +4℃ or lower, in the freezer - no higher than -4℃. 

How to check if food has gone bad 

If you have doubts about the freshness of food, just throw it away. Never taste questionable dishes to check their safety. Also, follow these tips: 

• throw away any food with an unusual smell, color or texture; 

• if there are still ice crystals on the food in the freezer, it can continue to be stored frozen when the power supply is restored; 

• if the food in the refrigerator has a temperature of +4℃ or lower, it can be consumed. 

Storage without a refrigerator 

Stock up on food products that do not require special storage conditions (bakery products, canned goods, seasonal fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, etc.). Give preference to products with a low salt and sugar content: salt should be less than 1 g, and sugar less than 10 g per 100 g of product. 

In addition: 

• cook in portions for one or two meals so as not to store dishes for a long time; 

• when buying food, give preference to those that lose quality the least without a refrigerator (eggs, long-life milk in tetra-packs, etc.); 

• in frosty weather, chilled products can also be stored on the balcony or veranda; 

• regularly check whether the shelf life of food products has expired, especially those with a short shelf life. It is better not to consume expired products, even if they smell and look normal, as dangerous microorganisms may already be invisibly multiplying in such products. 

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