Australia Storm Book

After The Storm - 5

Play it Safe with Food

General

Storm-damaged foods may not be safe to eat. If you have a question about the safety of any item, dispose of it. Otherwise keep the following points in mind.

Tips

Destroy the following foods if they have been covered by flood waters:

  • fresh fruits and vegetables;

  • foods in cardboard or paper cartons;

  • foods in bags, such as rice and flour;

  • foods, liquids or beverages in crown-capped bottles or containers with pull-tops, corks or screw caps.

This includes canned foods in glass jars, whether you bought them or canned them yourself.

Destroy all foods that were covered by water which may have been contaminated with industrial waste. This includes those foods sealed in unopened cans.

Foods in sealed cans not fouled by industrial waste may be safe to eat if the cans don't have bulges or leaks, but you must disinfect the cans before you open them.

To disinfect cans, remove the labels and wash the containers with soap or detergent. Rinse in a chlorine bleach solution using two tablespoons of household laundry bleach to each gallon of water. Dry and relabel. Cans may also be sterilized by covering with water and boiling for at least 10 minutes.

Frozen Foods

In the event of a power failure, frozen or refrigerated foods warmed to above refrigeration temperatures of 40 degrees F. for two to three hours may not be safe to eat.

If foods have been above 40 degrees for less than two hours, cook immediately and eat or freeze.

Partially thawed frozen foods with ice crystals may be safely refrozen.

Breads can be refrozen as can fruits and vegetables that are still at or below 40 degrees.

Discard all stuffed poultry.

Do not refreeze frozen dinners that have thawed.

Discard any meat that has a questionable odor or that has been exposed to temperatures above 40 degrees F. for two hours or longer.

Foods in a freezer without power may stay frozen from one to three days, depending on these conditions:

  1. The door must remain closed.

  2. The freezer must be full or almost full.

  3. The temperature outside must be moderate.

  4. The freezer must be large and well-insulated.

Dry ice can be put on boards or heavy paper and placed in the freezer on top of packages to keep temperatures below freezing. Allow two-and-a-half to three pounds of dry ice per cubic foot of space. More will be needed in an upright freezer, because dry ice should be placed on each shelf. Dry ice can cause burns; so don't handle it with bare hands.

 

 

 

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