How long will food last in the fridge and freezer during a power outage?

It's important to know how long you have after a power outage starts before food is no longer safe to eat.

According to FoodSafety.gov, "your refrigerator will keep food safe for up to 4 hours during a power outage. Keep the door closed as much as possible. Discard refrigerated perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers after 4 hours without power."

Fortunately, food in the freezer lasts longer than items in the refrigerator. "A full freezer will hold a safe temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full and the door remains closed). Food may be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or is at 40°F or below, however, its quality may suffer," the FoodSafety article also indicates.

Keep frozen bottles of water in the freezer to fill it up. As you can see in the photo below, used tea bottles were filled with water and frozen to help fill this freezer and keep it cool during outages.

Here are some tips from the Food and Drug Administration:

• Air temperature in your refrigerator should be set to 40 degrees or below and in the freezer it should be zero or below.
• Place appliance thermometers in your refrigerator and freezer so you can check the temperature once the power comes back on and determine if the food is still safe to consume.
• The key to making your food last as long as possible is keeping the doors closed. An unopened fridge will keep food cold for only about four hours. A fully stocked freezer with foods grouped together should stay cold for about 48 hours and only 24 hours if it isn't full.
• When the power return, if the freezer temperature is 40 degrees or below or if the foods still have ice crystals, you can safely refreeze or cook the food.
• When it goes to the fridge, if the power was off for more than four hours, the FDA says to throw out all perishable foods, including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy (including milk and yogurt), soft cheeses, creamy condiments, cut fruits, pre-washed greens, cooked veggies and any leftovers.
• You can keep butter, margarine, hard cheeses, jellies, ketchup, mustard, pickles, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, vinegar-based dressings, breads including tortillas and bagels and raw veggies.
• Do not depend on smell or taste to determine if the food is safe, cooking it won't help. If there's any doubt, throw it out!

Before a tropical storm or hurricane where power could go out, you can do a few things in advance to help keep foods colder longer like freezing containers of ice to use in coolers or thaw out to use as drinking water. Also freezing refrigerated items that you don't need immediately, including extra milk.

After the power has come back on, "if the freezer thermometer reads 40° F or below, the food is safe and may be refrozen. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, seafood, milk, eggs, or leftovers) that has been at refrigerator temperatures above 40°F for 4 hours or more. Perishable foods with temperatures that are 45°F or below (measured with a food thermometer) should be safe, but should be cooked and consumed as soon as possible", according to the FDA.

See the FDA website for additional information on preparing for power outages and for determining food safety once power is restored.

For a list of specific foods, and when they need to be discarded after an outage, head to FoodSafety.gov.