Power Outages Put Food At Risk

For those without power, the Tulsa City-County Health Department cautions residents to keep freezers and refrigerators closed. Without electricity, food can spoil within 4 to 6 hours.

Power outages present problems with food safety. If people at home or those in food establishments have had a loss of power for more than four hours, The Tulsa City-County Health Department advises the following precautions:

• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible

• Discard any potentially hazardous foods such as meats, eggs, dairy products and leftovers that may have exceeded 41 degrees Fahrenheit

• When in doubt, throw it out

• Frozen foods in a freezer can normally be kept up to 48 hours without power

Again, the 41 degrees Fahrenheit rule applies. A frozen product that has thawed should not be refrozen. It should be used immediately or disposed of. Thawed foods that have not reached 41 degrees Fahrenheit can be cooked and consumed.