Food Safety

If the power goes out, it is important to open the refrigerator and freezer as little as possible.

Eat the most perishable items first, such as leftovers, meat, poultry and foods containing milk, cream, sour cream, or soft cheese.

Despite your best efforts, the food in your freezer may partially or completely thaw before power is restored.

Generally, food in the refrigerator will remain cold for four to six hours if the door isn't opened.

Helpful Hints: Saving Food in the Freezer

The freezer temperature should be between 0 and -10 degrees Fahrenheit.

     • Keep the cold air in your freezer by not opening the door any more than necessary. An unopened full freezer will stay at freezing temperature about two days and a half-full freezer about one day.
     • The kind of food in the freezer makes a difference. For instance, foods with high water content, such as meat or fruit, will stay frozen longer than food with low water content, such as bread.
     • If your freezer is not full, group packages so they form an "igloo" to protect each other. Place them to one side or on a tray so that if they begin thawing, their juices won't get on other food.
     • If you think power will be out for several days, try to find some dry ice (see box below). Although dry ice can be used in the refrigerator, block ice is better. If your refrigerator's freezer is thawing out, you can put the block ice in the refrigerator's freezer along with your refrigerated perishables such as meat, poultry and dairy items.
     • Any food previously frozen is still safe to eat if it remains at 45 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
Helpful Hints: Dry Ice
     • Handle dry ice with caution and in a well-ventilated area. Don't touch it with bare hands; wear gloves or use tongs.
     • To locate a distributor of dry ice, look under "ice" or "carbon dioxide" in the phone book.
     • Wrap dry ice in brown paper for longer storage. One large piece lasts longer than small ones. In upright freezers, place dry ice on each shelf.
     • The temperature of dry ice is -216 degrees Fahrenheit; therefore, it may cause freezer burn on items located near it or touching it. Separate dry ice from the food using a piece of cardboard.
     • Fill partly empty freezers with crumpled paper to lessen air currents, which cause dry ice to dissolve.
     • Cover the freezer with blankets, adding crumpled newspaper for added insulation. Be sure air vent openings are left open to allow gas from dry ice to escape. Ventilation will also be needed when the power is restored.

How Much Dry Ice
Unit Type	Pound of dry ice per day
refrigerator	10
freezer on bottom	10-25
freezer on top	20-30
side by side freezer	30-40
chest freezer	40-50
walk-in freezer (12x12)	150-250
walk-in refrigerator (12x12)	50-100

From “Don't Be Left in the Dark - Weathering Floods, Storms and Power Outages” NYSDOH http://www.health.ny.gov/publications/7064/

New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) will be distributing dry ice and bottled water to individuals without water beginning this afternoon at locations in the affected areas.  Further information will be provided when available.