Without power, refrigerators keep food cool for four to six hours. Place block ice in a container in the refrigerator to keep food cooler. Do NOT open the refrigerator. If you anticipate a long power outage, use insulated containers to transport food to a working cooler or refrigerator.

If power is interrupted or the freezer fails to operate properly, do NOT open the freezer unnecessarily. If the freezer is filled with food and you keep the door closed, the food will stay frozen about two days. If the freezer is not full, group packages together so they stay cold longer.

If you know the power may go off, turn the freezer control to the lowest temperature. If you might have several days without power, act quickly. Get dry ice and put it in the freezer before food starts to thaw. Dry ice is listed in the yellow pages of phone directories. HINT: Locate a source for dry ice BEFORE the power goes out to reduce your stress!

For a 20-cubic-feet, full freezer, 50 pounds of dry ice keeps food frozen about four days. If the freezer is only half-full, food may not stay frozen more than a day. With dry ice it may stay frozen for three days.

To use dry ice, place cardboard on top of the food. Put the dry ice on top of the cardboard. Handle it with gloves and have the room well ventilated. Caution: be certain of good ventilation in the room. Carbon dioxide gas can accumulate and cause loss of consciousness/asphyxiation.

If power will be out more than a few days, transfer foods as quickly as possible to another freezer or a commercial locker.

Analyze your food at the end of the emergency period or when the power comes on. In general:

• Never taste foods to determine their safety!
• If food is still frozen in the center, leave it in the freezer; refreeze when power returns. You will lose flavor and quality, but it will be safe to eat.
• When foods thaw slowly and their temperature rises above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, discard.
• If the food is cold (below 40 degrees), cook, package and then freeze it.

Do not eat or refreeze defrosted foods if they have gone through slow temperature changes and have reached a temperature above refrigerator temperature (40 degrees) for more than two hours.

For more information, call your local utility company . Or call AnswerLine at 800-854-1678. Or call the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at 888-723-3366.

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