How to store food during the rainy season to avoid food poisoning

Storm No. 4 is forecast to make landfall in the Central provinces on the night of September 19. The Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) recommends that people should buy food to stock up on for the days when they cannot leave their homes. In addition, families should choose foods that are easy to prepare and convenient to eat during the prolonged storm.

In rainy and windy conditions, power outages, it is important to use food in the refrigerator safely to avoid poisoning.

Check the refrigerator temperature

Refrigerators help keep food fresh for a short time, but the temperature needs to be adjusted to the right level. Research shows that refrigerators that are too “warm” create an environment for harmful bacteria to grow.

The ideal refrigerator temperature is below 40 degrees F, or 4.4 degrees C. At this temperature, food is safe to eat.

During a power outage

In the event of a power outage, refrigerator and freezer doors must be completely closed to maintain cold temperatures. A freezer fully loaded with food will retain cold temperatures for about 48 hours if the door is closed. A freezer half-filled will retain cold temperatures for 24 hours. A refrigerator will only retain cold temperatures for about 4 hours after a power outage.

Four hours after a power outage, spoiled food in the refrigerator must be thrown away. Even if spoiled food does not smell bad, it still contains bacteria that can easily cause illness in people with weak immune systems such as children, pregnant women and the elderly.

Foods in the refrigerator that can easily spoil after a power outage include cooked or raw meat, fish, eggs, milk and dairy products. At the same time, leftovers from the previous day such as tuna, rice, pasta, salad, sauces… should also be discarded.

When the power comes back on

At this point, you must check to see if the food in the refrigerator is still fresh and safe to continue using. If the refrigerator temperature is still below 4-5 degrees Celsius when the power is restored, the food is still usable.

To be even more careful, check each food package. If it is still covered with ice or below 4-5 degrees Celsius, you can continue to keep it cold or process it.

Next, remove any spoiled food from the refrigerator and freezer and clean the refrigerator. When restarting the refrigerator after a power outage, wait until the temperature in the refrigerator drops below 4-5 degrees Celsius before putting new food in the refrigerator.

When the house is flooded

Hurricanes are often accompanied by flooding and can contaminate drinking water. Therefore, it is advisable to boil water and let it cool before drinking or drink bottled water during this time.

Do not use food or water that has been exposed to flood water or food taken from containers that have been flooded.