Power outage food safety: what to keep and what to throw out
The fridge keeps food safe for about 4 hours with the door shut. A full freezer holds for about 48 hours, a half-full one for about 24. Here's what that means item by item, and how to set up before the lights go out.
Most food lost in an outage isn't lost to the outage itself. It's lost to guessing: opening the fridge every hour to check, or throwing everything out because nobody knows how long the power was off. A few numbers and a thermometer take the guessing out.
The three numbers to remember
- 40°F (4°C). Perishable food that sits above this for more than 2 hours should be thrown out. Bacteria grow fast between 40°F and 140°F.
- 4 hours. A closed refrigerator keeps food safe for up to about 4 hours without power.
- 48 / 24 hours. A full freezer holds a safe temperature for about 48 hours, a half-full one for about 24, as long as the door stays closed.
Every rule below comes back to these. Never taste food to decide if it's safe.
Before the outage: four cheap things that save food
- Put an appliance thermometer in the fridge and the freezer. When power comes back, the thermometer answers the question instead of your nose.
- Keep the freezer full. A full freezer holds cold about twice as long as a half-full one. Containers of water fill the gaps and become ice packs.
- Know where to get dry ice. Ready.gov notes that 25 pounds of dry ice keeps a 10 cubic foot freezer below freezing for 3 to 4 days. Don't let it touch food, and handle it with heavy gloves.
- Keep a shelf of food that needs no fridge. Canned meat, fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, dry cereal, protein bars and shelf-stable milk, plus a manual can opener. That shelf is what you eat while the fridge stays closed.
During the outage
- Keep both doors closed. Every opening costs you cold time.
- Eat from the pantry shelf first, then from the fridge, and leave the freezer for last.
- Write down when the power went off. It's the one fact you'll need later and the easiest to forget.
After the outage: refrigerated food
If the power was off 4 hours or less and the door stayed shut, refrigerated food is generally fine. If it was longer, check the thermometer. Items that have been above 40°F for more than 2 hours sort like this (from the FoodSafety.gov chart):
| Food | Above 40°F for 2+ hours |
|---|---|
| Raw or cooked meat, poultry, fish, seafood; lunchmeat, hot dogs, bacon | Discard |
| Milk, cream, yogurt, sour cream, soy milk | Discard |
| Fresh eggs and egg dishes, custards, puddings | Discard |
| Soft cheeses (brie, mozzarella, cottage, cream cheese), shredded cheese | Discard |
| Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes; casseroles, soups, stews; pizza | Discard |
| Cut fresh fruit and vegetables, bagged pre-washed greens | Discard |
| Opened creamy dressings, opened spaghetti sauce | Discard |
| Hard cheeses (cheddar, Swiss, Parmesan), processed cheese | Keep |
| Butter, margarine | Keep |
| Whole uncut fresh fruit and vegetables | Keep |
| Peanut butter, jelly, mustard, ketchup, pickles, soy and BBQ sauce | Keep |
| Bread, rolls, tortillas, muffins, fruit pies | Keep |
Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce and horseradish are a special case: discard them if they were above 50°F for more than 8 hours. The full chart on FoodSafety.gov covers more items.
After the outage: frozen food
The test is simple. If food still has ice crystals or is at 40°F or below, it can be refrozen, though texture and flavor may suffer. If it has been above 40°F for more than 2 hours, most of it goes: meat, poultry, seafood, soups, milk and egg products. Ice cream and frozen yogurt should be thrown out either way. Bread, rolls and plain cakes can be refrozen even after thawing.
The bottom line
Thermometer in, doors shut, freezer full, and a shelf of food that doesn't need power. When the lights come back, check the temperature, sort by the chart, and when in doubt, throw it out. If you're building that shelf now, start with how many days of food and water to store.
Sources
- FoodSafety.gov: Food Safety During Power Outage
- Ready.gov: Food (managing food without power, dry ice)
FAQ
How long is food safe in the fridge without power?+
About 4 hours if the door stays closed. After that, perishable food that has been above 40°F for more than 2 hours should be thrown out.
How long does a freezer stay cold without power?+
A full freezer holds a safe temperature for about 48 hours, a half-full freezer for about 24 hours, as long as the door stays closed.
Can I refreeze food that thawed during an outage?+
Yes, if it still contains ice crystals or is at 40°F or below. Quality may suffer. Food that was above 40°F for more than 2 hours should mostly be discarded.
Can I taste food to check if it's still good?+
No. Food can look and smell normal and still make you sick. Use a thermometer and the time the power was off, and when in doubt, throw it out.