Keeping Food Safe In a Storm

On a weekend recently as I cruised the grocery store aisles, my cell phone rang. It was my husband urging me to leave the grocery store empty-handed, as we had no power at home. After a few moments of debate, I reluctantly sought out an employee, explained my dilemma, surrendered my cart, and headed home.

Uncertain of how long we'd be without power, I gave my family the familiar instruction not to open the refrigerator or freezer doors unless absolutely necessary - or else we would have to throw away all the perishables inside. Fortunately for us, we spent only four hours without power. Some of you may have been less fortunate.

Because losing power because of storms is a relatively common occurrence, I decided some food safety tips might be useful:

• If refrigerator and freezer doors remain closed, food temperatures will remain within "safe" ranges for four hours in the refrigerator and 48 hours in the freezer.

• Discard any perishable foods that cannot be kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.

• If an item requires washing before eating, make sure that the water you use has not been contaminated.

• Use bottled water to prepare infant formula unless you are certain the water supply is not contaminated. Your safest bet is to use prepared, ready-to-use formula.

• If flooding has occurred, discard foods that are not in waterproof containers. Undamaged, commercially canned foods can be salvaged. Remove labels and carefully disinfect cans before using them. Remember to re-label cans with a description of the contents and expiration dates.

• Immediately discard any containers with twist tops or snap-on lids (even bottled or canned sodas) that have been exposed to contaminated water. Also discard porous items, like wooden cutting boards and plastic utensils that have been exposed to flood waters. There's no assurance that these items can be disinfected to allow their safe use.