Refrigerated Food and Power Outages: When to Save and When to Throw Out
Adapted from Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency (USDA).
Is food in the refrigerator safe during a power outage? It should be safe as long as power is out no more than 4 hours. Keep the door closed as much as possible. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers) that have been above 40 °F for over 2 hours.
Never taste food to determine its safety! You can’t rely on appearance or odor to determine whether food is safe.
Note: Always discard any items in the refrigerator that have come into contact with raw meat juices.
You will have to evaluate each item separately. Use this chart as a guide.
|
Food Categories |
Specific Foods |
Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours |
|
MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD |
Raw or leftover cooked meat, poultry, fish, or seafood; soy meat substitutes |
Discard |
|
Thawing meat or poultry |
Discard |
|
|
Salads: Meat, tuna, shrimp, chicken, or egg salad |
Discard |
|
|
Gravy, stuffing, broth |
Discard |
|
|
Lunchmeats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, dried beef |
Discard |
|
|
Pizza – with any topping |
Discard |
|
|
Canned hams labeled "Keep Refrigerated" |
Discard |
|
|
Canned meats and fish, opened |
Discard |
|
|
Casseroles, soups, stews |
Discard |
|
|
CHEESE |
Soft Cheeses: blue/bleu, Roquefort, Brie, Camembert, cottage, cream, Edam, Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel, queso blanco, queso fresco |
Discard |
|
Hard Cheeses: Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, provolone, Romano |
Safe |
|
|
Processed Cheeses |
Safe |
|
|
Shredded Cheeses |
Discard |
|
|
Low-fat Cheeses |
Discard |
|
|
Grated Parmesan, Romano, or combination (in can or jar) |
Safe |
|
|
DAIRY |
Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt, eggnog, soy milk |
Discard |
|
Butter, margarine |
Safe |
|
|
Baby formula, opened |
Discard |
|
|
EGGS |
Fresh eggs, hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products |
Discard |
|
Custards and puddings, quiche |
Discard |
|
|
FRUITS |
Fresh fruits, cut |
Discard |
|
Fruit juices, opened |
Safe |
|
|
Canned fruits, opened |
Safe |
|
|
Fresh fruits, coconut, raisins, dried fruits, candied fruits, dates |
Safe |
|
|
SAUCES, SPREADS, JAMS |
Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish |
Discard if above 50 °F for over 8 hrs. |
|
Peanut butter |
Safe |
|
|
Jelly, relish, taco sauce, mustard, catsup, olives, pickles |
Safe |
|
|
Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, hoisin sauces |
Safe |
|
|
Fish sauces, oyster sauce |
Discard |
|
|
Opened vinegar-based dressings |
Safe |
|
|
Opened creamy-based dressings |
Discard |
|
|
Spaghetti sauce, opened jar |
Discard |
|
|
BREAD, CAKES, COOKIES, PASTA, GRAINS |
Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas |
Safe |
|
Refrigerator biscuits, rolls, cookie dough |
Discard |
|
|
Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes |
Discard |
|
|
Pasta salads with mayonnaise or vinaigrette |
Discard |
|
|
Fresh pasta |
Discard |
|
|
Cheesecake |
Discard |
|
|
Breakfast foods –waffles, pancakes, bagels |
Safe |
|
|
PIES, PASTRY |
Pastries, cream filled |
Discard |
|
Pies – custard, cheese filled, or chiffon; quiche |
Discard |
|
|
Pies, fruit |
Safe |
|
|
VEGETABLES |
Fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices |
Safe |
|
Greens, pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged |
Discard |
|
|
Vegetables, raw |
Safe |
|
|
Vegetables, cooked; tofu |
Discard |
|
|
Vegetable juice, opened |
Discard |
|
|
Baked potatoes |
Discard |
|
|
Commercial garlic in oil |
Discard |
|
|
Potato salad |
Discard |
|
|
Casseroles, soups, stews |
Discard |
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