USA.gov Blog

Keep Food Safe in Summer Power Outages

The summer months are fraught with risk for power outages, with air conditioning gorging on electricity and hurricanes brewing in the Atlantic. So how do you keep it from spoiling when the power dies, know what foods you can safely eat, and which you must throw out?

Hard cheeses, such as Cheddar and Swiss, can be eaten well after the refrigerator loses its cold; but low-fat and shredded cheeses, as well as eggs, meat, poultry and fish, should be thrown out if the interior rises above 40°F for more than two hours.

To get ready for when the power goes out, stock up on some non-perishables that can be eaten straight from the can or box, and print out this detailed reference of which refrigerated foods are safe.

We welcome your comments if you are 13 or older, and hope that our conversations here will be polite. You are responsible for the content of your comments.

We do not discriminate against any views, but may delete any of the following:

  • violent, obscene, profane, hateful, or racist comments
  • comments that threaten or harm the reputation of any person or organization
  • advertisements or solicitations of any kind
  • comments that suggest or encourage illegal activity
  • multiple off-topic posts or repetitive posts that are copied and pasted
  • personal information including, but not limited to, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, mailing addresses, or identification numbers

In short: be nice and add to the discussion. If you continually violate this policy, we may limit your ability to comment in the future. If you have any questions or comments about this policy, please e-mail us.