Power outages are becoming a common challenge during Australian summers, raising concerns about food safety when refrigerators shut off.
Food safety experts recommend discarding any food stored above five degrees Celsius for more than four hours, as it may no longer be safe to eat.
Lydia Buchtmann, chief executive of the Food Safety Information Council, advises moving potentially hazardous foods, such as meat, poultry, seafood, and perishable meals, to alternative cold storage like coolers or eskies with ice bricks during an outage.
Foods stored between five and 60 degrees Celsius for less than two hours should either be consumed immediately or refrigerated.
To maintain fridge temperatures longer, limit the frequency of opening the fridge door during a power outage.
A well-sealed freezer can keep food frozen for one to two and a half days without power, depending on its efficiency.
Friends or neighbors may be able to offer temporary cold storage if the outage lasts longer than expected.
Young children, the elderly, and individuals with pre-existing medical conditions are especially vulnerable to food contamination and should exercise extra caution.
If you’re uncertain about how long food has been exposed to unsafe temperatures, the safest option is to discard it to prevent illness.
