FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, Jan. 5, 2007

CONTACT

Andrew Koehn, Food Inspector
Southeast Land and Environment
        719-336-8988

        Lori Maldonado, Public Information Specialist
Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment
303-692-2028

Food Safety for Winter Blizzard Aftermath

DENVER--As Coloradans deal with the aftermath of the recent winter blizzard, including power outages, food safety may not be uppermost in their minds. However, officials at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment urge caution.

Barbara Hruska, director of the Department of Public Health and Environment’s Consumer Protection Division, said, “The loss of electricity may cause perishable and frozen foods to become spoiled and cause illness if eaten, even if the food is thoroughly cooked.  Do not trust your eyes or sense of smell.  Food may be unsafe to eat, even if it doesn’t look or smell bad.”

Hruska provided these food safety tips to follow whenever the power goes out:

• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.  The refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours if it is unopened.  A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.

• f the food stored in the refrigerator has been held above 41 F for more than four hours, throw it away.

• If food stored in the freezer has thawed but is still below 41 F, it can be refrozen.  Although the quality of the food may be compromised, it still should be safe to eat.

Hruska also offered the following general food safety tips for all citizens to follow at home or at a place of business: 

• Always keep a thermometer in the upper one-third of a refrigerator or freezer to help monitor the air temperature and to aid in the determination of whether the unit may have held the food at unsafe temperatures for more than four hours.  If there isn’t a thermometer in the unit, each package of food should be checked with a probe thermometer to determine its safety.

• Perishable foods such as meat, poultry, seafood, milk and eggs should be held below 41 F at all times to avoid illness when consumed.

If a refrigerator or freezer has been cleared of all spoiled and questionable foods but a spoiled food odor persists, the following steps are suggested:

• Clean the shelves and interior with hot soapy water, then rinse with clean water.

• Sanitize the surfaces with a bleach solution of one tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water.  If odors are still present after cleaning, try placing a container of baking soda, activated charcoal or dry coffee grounds inside the unit.  Close the door and wait 24 hours or until the odor is no longer present.

Once the power is restored, all unsafe or questionable perishable food should be discarded.

Hruska said, “When in doubt, throw it out!  It is better to err on the safe side and throw out any food for which proper refrigeration is in question.”

For additional information, members of the public may call their local public health agency at 719-336-8988 or the department’s Consumer Protection Division at 303-692-3620.

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