Power outages and food: When to save and when to throw out

Is food in the refrigerator safe during a power outage? As long as the power is out no more than 4 hours, it should be safe. Make sure you keep the refrigerator door closed as much as possible.

• Never taste food to determine its safety! You can’t rely on appearance or odor to determine whether food is safe.
• Use a digital thermometer to check internal temperature
• Throw away items exposed to temperatures greater than 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 2 hours
• Frozen food in freezer may be safe for 24 hours
• If there's doubt, throw it out

Note: Always discard any items in the refrigerator that have come into contact with raw meat juices.

Use this chart as a guide from FoodSafety.gov .

MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours

• DISCARD: 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

CHEESE - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours

• DISCARD: Soft Cheeses: blue/bleu, Roquefort, Brie, Camembert, cottage, cream, Edam, Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel, queso blanco, queso fresco
• SAFE: Hard Cheeses: Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, provolone, Romano
• SAFE: Processed Cheeses
• DISCARD: Shredded Cheeses
• DISCARD: Low-fat Cheeses
• SAFE: Grated Parmesan, Romano, or combination (in can or jar)

DAIRY - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours

• DISCARD: Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt, eggnog, soy milk
• SAFE: Butter, margarine
• DISCARD: Baby formula, opened

EGGS - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours

• DISCARD: Fresh eggs, hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products
• DISCARD: Custards and puddings, quiche

FRUITS - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours

• DISCARD: Fresh fruits, cut
• SAFE: Fruit juices, opened
• SAFE: Canned fruits, opened
• SAFE: Fresh fruits, coconut, raisins, dried fruits, candied fruits, dates

SAUCES, SPREADS, JAMS - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours

• Discard if above 50 °F for over 8 hrs: Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish
• SAFE: Peanut butter
• SAFE: Jelly, relish, taco sauce, mustard, catsup, olives, pickles
• SAFE: Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, hoisin sauces
• DISCARD: Fish sauces, oyster sauce
• SAFE: Opened vinegar-based dressings
• DISCARD: Opened creamy-based dressings
• DISCARD: Spaghetti sauce, opened jar

BREAD, CAKES, COOKIES, PASTA, GRAINS - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours

• SAFE: Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas
• DISCARD: Refrigerator biscuits, rolls, cookie dough
• DISCARD: Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes
• DISCARD: Pasta salads with mayonnaise or vinaigrette
• DISCARD: Fresh pasta
• DISCARD: Cheesecake
• SAFE: Breakfast foods –waffles, pancakes, bagels

PIES, PASTRY - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours

• DISCARD: Pastries, cream filled
• DISCARD: Pies – custard, cheese filled, or chiffon; quiche
• SAFE: Pies, fruit

VEGETABLES - Held above 40 °F for over 2 hours

• SAFE: Fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices
• DISCARD: Greens, pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged
• SAFE: Vegetables, raw
• DISCARD: Vegetables, cooked; tofu
• DISCARD: Baked potatoes
• DISCARD: Commercial garlic in oil
• DISCARD: Potato salad
• DISCARD: Casseroles, soups, stews

Multiple rescued in NW Lakeland after historic flooding from Hurricane Milton.