With the increased likelihood of power outages due to unsettled weather, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is urging residents to take extra precautions as frozen and refrigerated foods are safe to eat after a power outage.
For refrigerated foods, any potentially hazardous food that is above 4°C (40°F) for more than two hours must be discarded.
Frozen foods should be stored at -18°C (0°F), but frozen foods, partially thawed foods, or thawed foods below 4°C (40°F) can be cooked and eaten. Thawed vegetables, fish, shellfish, ice cream, and frozen foods should be discarded as bacteria will grow rapidly in them. Partially thawed foods that contain ice crystals can be safely refrozen. Keep in mind that partially thawing and refrozen processes will reduce the quality of most foods. Also discard foods that have an unusual color or odor. Contaminated or unsafe foods may not look or smell bad, so other precautions should be followed.
If you have any doubts about contaminated food, the SHA urges you to throw it away if in doubt, and if you have had to throw food away because of the power outage, to keep a record of how much food you threw away and why, and provide the information to your insurer.
If food is contaminated or spoiled, you should clean your refrigerator or freezer after discarding the food to prevent cross-contamination with new food. When cleaning the unit, wash the inside of the unit and the racks with warm water and detergent. Then disinfect the inside of the unit and the racks with a solution of household bleach and water (mix 1 tablespoon of bleach in 6 cups of water; the solution can be sprayed with a spray bottle). Leave the disinfectant solution for 45 seconds and then wipe dry with a clean cloth. Once the temperature has returned to normal levels (4°C (40°F) for refrigerators and -18°C (0°F) for freezers), you can refill the unit with food.
Another tip: never mix bleach with other cleaning products, and always pour any leftover bleach down the drain.
