As Moore County is experiencing wide spread power outages across the county due to Hurricane Florence, FoodSafety.gov offers tips and guidance on what to keep and throw out when there is a lost of electricity.
FoodSafety.gov said refrigerated food should be safe to consume as long as power is out no more than four hours. They suggest keeping the door closed as much as possible, and discard perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers that have been above 40 degrees for over two hours.
Never rely on appearance, odor, or taste to determine the safety of food. Throw away any food that has come into contact with raw meat juices.
FoodSafety.gov offers the following list:
Food Categories
Specific Foods held above 40 °F for over 2 hours
MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD:
Raw or leftover cooked meat, poultry, fish, or seafood; soy meat substitutes,Discard
Thawing meat or poultry, discard
Salads: Meat, tuna, shrimp, chicken, or egg salad, discard
Gravy, stuffing, broth, discard
Lunchmeats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, dried beef, discard
Pizza – with any topping, discard
Canned hams labeled “Keep Refrigerated”, discard
Canned meats and fish, opened, discard
Casseroles, soups, stews, discard
CHEESE:
Soft Cheeses: blue/bleu, Roquefort, Brie, Camembert, cottage, cream, Edam, Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, Muenster, Neufchatel, queso blanco, queso fresco, Discard
Hard Cheeses: Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, provolone, Romano, safe
Processed Cheeses, safe
Shredded Cheeses, discard
Low-fat Cheeses, discard
Grated Parmesan, Romano, or combination (in can or jar), safe
DAIRY:
Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt, eggnog, soy milk, discard
Butter, margarine, safe
Baby formula, opened, discard
EGGS:
Fresh eggs, hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products, discard
Custards and puddings, quiche, discard
FRUITS:
Fresh fruits, cut, discard
Fruit juices, opened, safe
Canned fruits, opened, safe
Fresh fruits, coconut, raisins, dried fruits, candied fruits, dates, safe
SAUCES, SPREADS, JAMS:
Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish, discard if above 50 °F for over 8 hrs.
Peanut butter, safe
Jelly, relish, taco sauce, mustard, catsup, olives, pickles, safe
Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, hoisin sauces, safe
Fish sauces, oyster sauce, discard
Opened vinegar-based dressings, safe
Opened creamy-based dressings, discard
Spaghetti sauce, opened jar, discard
BREAD, CAKES, COOKIES, PASTA, GRAINS:
Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas, safe
Refrigerator biscuits, rolls, cookie dough, discard
Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes, discard
Pasta salads with mayonnaise or vinaigrette, discard
Fresh pasta, discard
Cheesecake, discard
Breakfast foods –waffles, pancakes, bagels, safe
PIES, PASTRY:
Pastries, cream filled, discard
Pies – custard, cheese filled, or chiffon; quiche, discard
Pies, fruit, safe
VEGETABLES:
Fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices, safe
Greens, pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged, discard
Vegetables, raw, safe
Vegetables, cooked; tofu, discard
Vegetable juice, opened, discard
Baked potatoes, discard
Commercial garlic in oil, discard
Potato salad, discard
Casseroles, soups, stews, discard