Food Safety and Natural Disasters

1. Food Safety and Natural Disasters Add your contact information here

2. The ABCD’s of Food Safety(in an Emergency) Always keep meat, poultry, fish and eggs refrigerated at or below 40°F and frozen food at or below 0°. Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.

3. Be prepared for an emergency by having items on hand that don’t require refrigeration and can be eaten cold or at room temperature. Shelf-stable food, boxed or canned milk, water, and canned goods should be part of a planned emergency food supply.

4. Consider what you can do ahead of time to store your food safely in an emergency. When planning, consider the type of disaster that you are planning for: flood, tornado, weather-related.

5. Digital, dial or instant-read thermometers and appliance thermometers will help you know if the food is at safe temperatures. Keep appliance thermometers in the refrigerator and freezer at all times.

6. Power Outage: Foods of Concern • Greatest concern:meat; fish; poultry; dairy products; eggs and egg products; cooked items: beans, rice, potatoes, pasta; potato/pasta/macaroni salads; and custards and puddings • Foods that may loose quality:salad dressings, mayonnaise, butter and margarine, produce, hard cheeses • Foods that will be safe:carbonated beverages, unopened bottled juices, ketchup, mustard, relishes, jams, peanut butter, barbecue sauce

7. Power Outage: Save or Discard? • Potentially hazardous food may be kept as long as it doesn’t warm up above 40° F. • Frozen foods which are still frozen or are thawed but are still cold, or have ice crystals, may be used or refrozen. • If potentially hazardous foods are thawed and warmer than 40° F you should discard them. Do not refreeze! When in doubt, throw it out.

8. Safe Drinking Water • Power outages may affect water purification systems so have bottled water on hand. • Water can be purified by boiling (3 minutes) or by adding bleach. • Water purification tablets can be purchased from local pharmacies.

9. Food Safety and Floods • Discard all food that comes in contact with flood waters. • Discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils and storage containers. • Thoroughly wash and sanitize metal pans, ceramic dishes, and utensils.

10. Food Safety and Fires • Discard food that has been near a fire, including food in cans and jars. • Discard any raw (uncooked) food and food in permeable packaging- cardboard, plastic wrap, plastic bottles. • Discard food exposed to fire-fighting chemicals. • Wash and sanitize all cookware exposed to fire-fighting chemicals.

11. Food Safety and Tornadoes • Discard food packages that have been damaged by debris. • Discard any food that may be unsafe due to a power outage. • Wash and sanitize all food packages and cookware exposed to the environment because of structural damage.

12. Food Safety and Winter Storms • Power outages are often a concern. • Don’t store refrigerated/frozen food outside. • Take advantage of the cold by making ice.

13. How Can You Tell? You can’t necessarily tell…that’s the problem. • Don’t rely on appearance or odor. • Never taste food to determine its safety. • Use a thermometer to check the temperature of food if the power has been out.

14. When the Power Returns… or the Disaster is Past • Evaluate all food products. • Clean surfaces if necessary. • Discard all items that may be unsafe.

15. Thank you!!