June 13, 2004
By: Antonio Castelan

Everyone likes good food, but when the power goes out that food in your refrigerator could go bad.

Bad storms and construction accidents are some of the ways power outages happen. When they do you have to be ready, especially when it comes to protecting the food in your fridge.

Ann Williams has seen her share of power outages. She's lived through hurricanes.

"The power was out for about a week," she said.

Williams said she learned a good lesson on taking care of her food.

"Don't open your refrigerator," she said.

Claudia McWhorter with the American Red Cross said it only takes about two hours for food to spoil.

"After the food has gone over 40 degrees for over two hours that's when probably a lot of those things in the refrigerator will have to be thrown away," she said.

Health experts said non-refrigerated food can cause sickness ranging from an upset stomach to food poisoning. So you have to look out for the signs of chilled food.

"You can see the condensation within bread. Bread packages or even soda cans where you can see that condensation is there," McWhorter said.

McWhorter adds keeping a handy flashlight around to find your fridge helps. She also said having a cooler is important.

"If you think the power outage is going to last more than two hours, then go ahead and fill a cooler, fill it with ice, and put your perishables in there, like your milk, eggs or cheeses," McWhorter said.

Making sure everything you plan to eat is cold while power is out will save you a trip to the doctor and keep your groceries safe.

American Red Cross officials say people should also have a disaster kit in case of a power outage. The kit should have a flashlight, bandages and other emergency tools.

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