Beware of food poisoning after power outages

The occasional power outage is an inconvenient fact of life in the South, particularly during spring and summer and in cities like New Albany where there are many trees that can fall on utility lines.

Part of New Albany experienced an extended power outage this past weekend when a tree caused widespread damage during a clearing operation.

There is the obvious inconvenience for residents when power goes out and often a serious interruption of work as well.

What people often overlook, unless the power is off for a long time, is food safety.

It is generally agreed that if the power is off only two or three hours, food in the refrigerator will probably be all right, assuming the original temperature was below 40 degrees in the cooler and zero in the freezer.

Beyond that, opinions differ slightly. The USDA says throw anything perishable out after four hours.

“If the temperature gets above 40 degrees for a couple of hours I would definitely throw out all meat and dairy products,” Karen Caviness, who is with Food Services in the Union County School District said. She also worked for the MSU Extension Service. She added that any leftovers would go first, too.

“It’s not worth getting sick over what you paid for what you dispose of,” she said.

If you are not certain whether food has been too warm for too long, Caviness repeated the phrase often used on foodsafety.gov: “When in doubt, throw it out.”

Foodborne illness can be extremely dangerous, she said, but bad food does not always taste bad. “Never taste questionable food to see if it is bad,” she emphasized.

Some authorities offer the opinion that there is no such thing as “stomach flu,” that such illness is almost always a result of eating contaminated food rather than any “flu.”

According to the CDC, one in six Americans gets sick from foodborne diseases each year. About 128,000 require hospitalization and 3,000 die.

“Food poisoning can make you very sick,” she said. “Salmonella, for instance, can be deadly.”

There are two different kinds of bacteria to be aware of: pathogenic and spoilage.

Spoilage occurs naturally, causing food to deteriorate with age, looking bad, smelling bad and tasting bad. Eating this food is not likely to make one ill but it is unpleasant enough that a person is unlikely to consider it.

The more dangerous pathogenic bacteria grow rapidly above 40 degrees but do not affect appearance, smell or taste of food. It gives no indication that it is dangerous.

The CDC lists eight most dangerous food pathogens, all with potentially severe intestinal and other problems: Campylobacter, Clostridium perfringens, E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Norovirus, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and Toxoplasma.

The incubation time from when you are exposed to bad food can be as short as several hours or take as long as a week before you fall ill. The more common symptoms of foodborne illness include diarrhea or vomiting, which may last a day or up to one week. Other possible symptoms are abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, joint or backaches, and fatigue.

“Germs start growing at certain temperatures,” she said. “Not too cold, not too hot.” The danger range is considered to be from 40 to 140 degrees – which is why it is recommended that most meats be cooked to an internal temperature of 160.

Bacteria are everywhere; refrigeration simply slows their growth, but at warmer temperatures bacteria can double in number every 20 minutes according to the USDA.

Caviness offered some hints concerning food safety and power outages in particular:

• If the power goes off, do not open the refrigerator door unless absolutely necessary.
• Keep food that needs to be colder near the bottom of the refrigerator.
• A full freezer will maintain cold twice as long as a half-full freezer and frozen food will usually be good with power off up to a day even if the freezer is half full.
• Don’t leave food out on the table at receptions or other events for more than two hours. For some foods the time is even less.
• Place thermometers in the freezer and refrigerator to monitor temperature. Although they are more expensive, remote-reading thermometers are even better.
• It is safe to refreeze thawed foods that still contain ice crystals.
• If you have a supply of ice and room for it, placing that in a refrigerator will help extend the life of food when the power is off.
• Consider purchasing a backup inverter generator for use when the power is off.

Some foods that need to be discarded if kept above 40 degrees for more than two hours:

• Raw or cooked meat, poultry or seafood
• Milk/cream, yogurt, soft cheese
• Cooked pasta, pasta salads
• Fresh eggs, egg substitutes
• Meat or cheese-topped pizza, luncheon meats
• Casseroles, stew or soups
• Mayonnaise, tartar sauce, and creamy dressings
• Refrigerated cookie dough
• Cream-filled pastries

Some foods that are safe without refrigeration for a day or more:

• Butter, margarine
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Dried fruits
• Opened jars or peanut butter, jelly, relish, taco sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup, mustard, olives, oil-based salad dressings
• Fruit juices
• Hard or processed cheeses

For more information and more extensive lists of which foods can be kept or discarded, go to foodsafety.gov