MIAMI VALLEY — Thousands are still without power in the Miami Valley, and some food in your refrigerator could be dangerous if eaten.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
TRENDING STORIES:
- Police asking for public’s help after man seriously injured in shooting near Springfield bar
- Man accused of biting officer during arrest in Dayton
- Storm damage forces Ohio Renaissance Festival to close Saturday
Before you throw out everything in your fridge, the Center for Disease Control and our news partners at WCPO offer these tips:
- Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors shut, if you limit the number of times that cold air escapes the fridge, you’ll probably be able to keep it longer
- Your food in the refrigerator is more at risk of spoiling than freezer food
- Perishable food in the fridge like milk, eggs, uncooked meats, and cooked vegetables will be safe for 4-6 hours, according to the CDC
- Never taste food to determine its safety
- The Cincinnati Health Department says that you should worry once perishable foods have been kept at 41 degrees or warmer; 41 to 140 degrees is the “danger zone” for thawed, perishable foods
- Frozen foods, however, can stay safe for up to 48 hours in a closed, full freezer (a half-full freezer will keep food safe for 24 hours), according to the CDC, if the foods contain ice crystals, they can be refrozen or cooked
- The health department suggests adding “bags of ice or dry ice to the freezer if it appears the power will be off for an extended time”
- If the color, odor or texture of a food is suspect, throw it out or as the CDC states “When in doubt, throw it out”
- Some foods may be sub-par after being stored at room temperature, but they will not be dangerous to eat — butter or margarine, cheeses, condiments (excluding mayonnaise), vinegar-based salad dressings, fresh, uncut fruits, raw vegetables, pastries and fruit juices all fall into this category
If you are still without power, you can contact AES Ohio at 877-468-8243, Duke Energy to report your outage at 800-543-5599 or Ohio Edison 888-544-4877.
©2022 Cox Media Group
