The World Health Organization (WHO) has given a serious warning, saying food stored in the fridge for more than four hours during a power outage should be discarded.
The global health authority highlighted that foods exposed to temperatures above 5 °C (41 °F) for over two hours can become unsafe to eat.
This caution was shared on Friday via a series of messages on X (formerly Twitter) in observance of the 2024 World Food Safety Day, themed ‘Food safety: prepare for the unexpected.’
Celebrated annually on June 7, World Food Safety Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 to raise awareness and promote efforts to prevent, detect, and address public health risks linked to unsafe food.
The WHO warned, “If there has been a power outage in your area, refrigerated or frozen food may not be safe to eat. Products can become unsafe if they have been exposed to temperatures above 5 °C for more than two hours.”
They added specific guidelines for post-outage food safety: “After four hours of a power cut, the following apply: Throw out all perishable foods in your fridge, such as meat, poultry, fish, and leftovers. Throw out all items in your freezer once they have thawed or cook them immediately if they have been exposed to ambient temperature for more than two hours. Never eat food to determine if it is safe. If in doubt, throw it away.”
For those in areas prone to power outages, the WHO recommends maintaining a supply of pre-packaged, ready-to-eat, and canned foods, as well as bottled water.
They advised, “In case you live in areas prone to power outages, always keep a stock of pre-packaged, ready to eat and canned food, as well as bottled water for an emergency situation. Undamaged canned goods and commercial glass jars of food are likely to be safe.
“However, if possible, containers should be sanitised before opening them for use. Discard canned foods with broken seams, serious dents, or leaks; and jars with broken seals.”
