WA families restock on food after storm cuts power to fridges, freezers
SNOHOMISH, Wash. - After hundreds of thousands of people lost power for several days due to the bomb cyclone, experts say you may want to think twice before eating the food in your fridge.
As of Friday night, over 100,000 families are still without power, according to Puget Sound Energy and Snohomish PUD outage maps.
Experts with the FDA tell FOX 13 Seattle it only takes a few hours for some food to go bad:
- If an appliance thermometer was kept in the freezer, check the temperature when the power comes back on. If the freezer thermometer reads 40°F or below, the food is safe and may be refrozen.
- If a thermometer has not been kept in the freezer, check each package of food to determine its safety. You can't rely on appearance or odor. If the food still contains ice crystals or is 40 °F or below, it is safe to refreeze or cook.
- Refrigerated food should be safe as long as the power was not out for more than four hours and the refrigerator door was kept shut. Discard any refrigerated perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs or leftovers) that has been at refrigerator temperatures above 40°F for four 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.
How long is too long to keep food in a fridge when the power goes out?
Here is what you need to know about keeping food safe to eat in your fridge and freezer during a power outage.
It’s a hard pill to swallow for some people who stocked their fridges right before the bomb cyclone hit.
"We actually had gone grocery shopping a day prior to the storm," said Jasmine Harry. "So, $80 to $100 down the drain."
If you are now scrambling to stock up on Thanksgiving turkeys and food, it might be best to do some research before heading to the market.
FOX 13 Seattle called and checked inside a few grocery stores throughout King and Snohomish County. Some shops were completely out of turkeys, some were low in stock, and other markets had full shelves.
If you are looking for a turkey, consider calling your grocery store beforehand; some shops are taking orders and reservations that you can pick up when supplies increase.
Bomb cyclone forces Mercer Island grocery store to toss food
Grocery stores have been forced to discard perishable items after days without power caused by a bomb cyclone that hit Tuesday night.
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