Here’s when food is no longer safe after a power outage
Posted Apr 6, 2023 02:19:56 PM.
Last Updated Apr 7, 2023 12:09:03 PM.
Local health units are warning about food safety, after the freezing rain storm knocked out power to thousands of homes across Ottawa and the Valley.
The Leeds Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit says you should keep your freezer door closed as much as possible, to preserve its contents. Frozen foods in a fully-stocked freezer will stay frozen up to two days; in a half-filled freezer about one day.
The health unit has issued a detailed chart explaining when food items are still safe. It says if a frozen item still contains ice crystals and feels as cold as if refrigerated, then it can be refrozen. However, the health unit says most items should be thrown out if it has thawed and been above 4° Celsius for more than two hours.
