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
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
