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USDA Issues Food Safety Tips to Residents in Flooded Southeastern Texas |
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Congressional and Public Affairs
Catherine Cochran
(202) 690-0428
WASHINGTON, July 13, 2012—The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection
Service (FSIS) is issuing food safety recommendations to residents of southeastern Texas whose homes have been
flooded or have lost power as a result of recent heavy rainfall.
"Refrigerated and frozen foods may reach unsafe storage temperatures when homes lose electricity, and food is
also unsafe to eat if it has come into contact with flood waters," USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr.
Elisabeth Hagen said. "As residents of southeastern Texas cope with the flooding in their area, we want
them to know about the health risks associated with weather emergencies, what they can do to prevent foodborne
illness, and that USDA has resources available for them to use if they have any food safety concerns."
FSIS has resources available that consumers can access using mobile internet connection in the event of a power loss.
The agency's virtual food safety representative, "Ask Karen," has a database of over 1,300 food safety
questions and answers available 24/7 at m.AskKaren.gov via smartphone or
m.PregunteleaKaren.gov in Spanish. Additionally, the toll-free USDA
Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), is available in English and Spanish from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT
Monday through Friday. Texans are encouraged to follow the Twitter feed @TX_FSISAlert
for tips on food safety during weather emergencies and food recalls affecting their state.
Steps to follow to prepare for a possible weather emergency:
- Keep an appliance thermometer in the refrigerator and freezer to help determine if food is safe during power outages. The refrigerator temperature should be 40° F or lower and the freezer should be 0° F or lower.
- Store food on shelves that will be safely out of the way of contaminated water in case of flooding.
- Group food together in the freezer—this helps the food stay cold longer.
- Freeze refrigerated items such as leftovers, milk and fresh meat and poultry that you may not need immediately — this helps keep them at a safe temperature longer.
- Have coolers on hand to keep refrigerator food cold if the power will be out for more than 4 hours.
- Purchase or make ice and store in the freezer for use in the refrigerator or in a cooler. Freeze gel packs ahead of time for use in coolers.
- Plan ahead and know where dry ice and block ice can be purchased.
Steps to follow if the power goes out:
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
- A refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4 hours if you keep the door closed.
- A full freezer will keep its temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if half-full).
- If the power is out for an extended period of time, buy dry or block ice to keep the refrigerator as cold as possible. Fifty pounds of dry
ice should keep a fully-stocked 18-cubic-feet freezer cold for two days.
Steps to follow after a weather emergency:
- Discard any food that is not in a waterproof container if there is any chance that it has come into contact
with flood water. Containers that are not waterproof include those with screw-caps, snap lids, pull tops, and
crimped caps. Discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples and pacifiers.
- Thoroughly wash all metal pans, ceramic dishes and utensils that came in contact with flood water with hot
soapy water and sanitize by boiling them in clean water or by immersing them for 15 minutes in a solution of 1
tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water.
- Undamaged, commercially prepared foods in all-metal cans and retort pouches (for example, flexible, shelf-stable juice or seafood pouches) can be saved.
Follow the Steps to Salvage All-Metal Cans and Retort Pouches in the publication "Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency" at:
www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/
Keeping_Food_Safe_During_an_Emergency/index.asp
- Use bottled water that has not been exposed to flood waters. If bottled water is not available, tap water can be boiled for safety.
- Check the temperature in the refrigerator and freezer. If the thermometer reads 40° F or below, the food is safe.
- If no thermometer was used in the freezer, check each package. If food still contains ice crystals or is at 40° F or below when checked
with a food thermometer, it may be safely refrozen.
- Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, soft cheeses, milk, eggs, leftovers and deli items)
that have been kept in a refrigerator or freezer above 40° F for more than two hours.
- Never taste food to determine its safety!
- When in Doubt, throw it out!
An FSIS Public Service Announcement (PSA) illustrating practical food safety recommendations for handling and
consuming foods stored in refrigerators and freezers during and after a power outage is available in 30- and 60-second
versions at
www.fsis.usda.gov/news/Food_Safety_PSA. News organizations and power companies
can obtain hard copy (Beta and DVD) versions of the PSA by contacting FSIS' Food Safety Education Staff at (301) 344-4757.
Videos about food safety during weather emergencies are available in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language on FSIS' YouTube channel,
www.youtube.com/USDAFoodSafety. Podcasts regarding
food safety during severe weather, power outages, and flooding are available English and Spanish on FSIS' website at
www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
Food_Safety_at_Home_Podcasts.
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Additional Information on Emergency Preparedness
Follow FSIS on Twitter at twitter.com/usdafoodsafety
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Last Modified: July 2, 2012 |
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