Food Safety During Power Outages

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The recent storms in the area left many residents without electricity, and it’s important to know how to keep food safe during these situations.

Food safety helps minimize your risk of food borne illnesses and reduce food loss. During a power outage, you must keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed at all times in order to maintain the cold temperature.

“We would advise you folks to check the temperatures of your food. Check the integrity of your food. And make the appropriate actions from there,” said Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department’s Registered Sanitarian, Jason Tilton.

The safe temperature for foods are always to be kept below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. But another tip to remember is “when it doubt, throw it out.” If the food is discolored, has an odor, or textured differently, it’s advised to discard of those foods. But never taste food to determine its safety.

“There’s kind of this classic slogan of food safety, ‘when in doubt, throw it out.’ Protein foods are foods that have a higher potential risk of becoming compromised. So your beef, chicken, fish would be foods we would be more concerned with,” Tilton added.

For more information on food safety you can visit the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department’s website, www.zmchd.org.