What should I do with my food in the event of a power failure?

1. If the electricity goes out, your fridge and freezer will no longer be able to keep the food cool. The temperature rises, which can cause food to spoil more quickly. Whether it is better to throw food away after a power failure depends on the temperature. The longer a power outage lasts, the more likely the bacteria present will have grown into numbers that can make you sick. Half an hour is usually not such a problem, a few hours or a whole day is. Opened packages pose a greater risk of food infection than closed packages. Also be especially careful with perishable products such as meat and fish.

Refrigerator

1. When the refrigerator stops working, the temperature rises slowly but surely. Whether you should throw away products in the refrigerator depends on the temperature in the refrigerator. You can measure this with an outdoor thermometer or a special refrigerator thermometer. Our tip: buy one, it doesn't cost much. After all, you never know. If you know the temperature, keep the following: When the temperature of the refrigerator is warmer than 10 ° C, throw away your sensitive products such as cold cuts, raw meat or fish, soft cheese, smoked fish or sliced ​​vegetables. There is a good chance that these products have become warmer than the upper limit of 7 ° C. The chance of a food infection is greater at a temperature above 7 ° C. The ideal temperature is 4 ° C. At a temperature above 15 ° C it is also better to throw away other products such as yogurt and milk. This also applies to opened packages, such as sauce and soup. For fruit and vegetables the following applies: look, smell and taste. Still looks good and if it still smells good, you can often still eat it. To be sure it is better not to use eggs raw in a dish, but to cook or fry them.

Freezer

1. Measuring the temperature in the freezer is difficult. Most thermometers are not suitable. Our tips: In general, it takes a few hours for the food to thaw. If the food is still hard, you can put it back in the freezer. If the outside of the food becomes soft, it is best not to freeze it anymore. Put the food in the refrigerator and eat it within 2 days. If food is really soft and thawed, throw away your sensitive products such as meat and fish. For other products: eat them as soon as possible, preferably the same day.