Keep Food Safe During a Power Outage

The danger window

When power fails, your fridge and freezer begin to warm up. Time is critical:

• Unopened fridge: Food stays safe for about 4 hours
• Full freezer: Food stays safe for about 48 hours if unopened
• Half-full freezer: Food stays safe for about 24 hours if unopened

Once the time limit passes, bacteria can multiply rapidly and make food unsafe, even if it still looks or smells fine.

Do NOT open the door

This is the most important rule:

• Every time you open the fridge or freezer, warm air enters
• Your food warms up faster
• The safe window gets shorter
• Resist the temptation to check "just once"

Keep the fridge and freezer tightly closed until power returns.

During the outage

Fridge (cold food)

• Unopened fridge: Food stays safe for 4 hours
• Partially opened fridge: Reduce this time significantly
• If it's been more than 4 hours since power failed:
  • Discard perishable items: Meat, fish, dairy, cooked leftovers, cut fruits/vegetables
  • Keep: Butter, hard cheese, condiments (mustard, ketchup, mayo), fresh vegetables
• When in doubt, throw it out

Freezer (frozen food)

• Unopened full freezer: Food safe for 48 hours
• Unopened half-full freezer: Food safe for 24 hours
• If still fully frozen: Safe to keep
• If partially thawed but still cold: Safe to refreeze or cook immediately
• If room-temperature thawed: Discard

After power returns

Check your freezer

1. Look for ice crystals on foods
2. Foods retaining ice crystals are safe to refreeze if they remained cold (not at room temperature)
3. Partially thawed items: Cook immediately and use within a day, or refreeze if still cold
4. Fully thawed items: Discard unless they've been cold the entire time

The 2-hour rule

Discard anything that:

• Has been at room temperature for 2 hours or more
• Shows signs of spoilage (discoloration, odd smell, slimy texture)
• Feels warm to the touch
• You're unsure about

Preparation BEFORE an outage

Minimize risk

• Keep your freezer as full as possible (full freezers stay cold longer)
• Stock shelf-stable food for 72 hours (canned goods, crackers, energy bars, peanut butter)
• Keep coolers and ice packs on hand—fill them with freezer items immediately if power fails
• Know which foods are safe to eat cold (canned goods, peanut butter, dried foods, nuts)

Know what you have

• Keep an inventory of fridge and freezer contents
• Use older items first (first in, first out)
• Rotate stock regularly so nothing expires

Extreme outage (days or weeks)

• Stop opening the fridge after the time limit (4 hours)
• Move to shelf-stable and refrigerated non-perishable foods (canned goods, etc.)
• If a generator is available: Run it to power the fridge at least 2 hours daily to keep food safe
• Use dry ice or large blocks of ice in coolers to preserve critical food if available

Important

• Never taste food to check if it's safe —you can't taste dangerous bacteria
• Never refreeze partially thawed food that's been at room temperature
• When in doubt, throw it out —replacing spoiled food is cheaper than a foodborne illness

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See also: First hours of a power outage, no-cook meals, and what to eat in a 72-hour emergency.