How to Protect Your Food during a Power Outage

New York, NY (PRWEB) October 29, 2012

As Hurricane Sandy bears down on the East Coast, disaster analysts are forecasting billions of dollars in property damage. But for the average family at home, equally important may be the potential loss of hundreds of dollars worth of food in their refrigerators and freezers which risks spoilage if the power goes out for an extended period. During these tough economic times, this is a hard hit to many families.

But there are multiple things a family can do to reduce the spoilage from a power outage. ShelfLifeAdvice.com is the leading web site dedicated to helping consumers avoid food waste and has been featured on Yahoo, MSNBC, The New York Times, Clark Howard, BonAppetit.com and ChicagoTribune.com. It features guides on how to extend the shelf life of thousands of common foods as well as reference charts to determine how long foods can be safely stored and consumed without risk of illness. A detailed article on tips for reducing food loss due to power outages is now available on the home page of ShelfLifeAdvice.com and will remain there for the duration of the storm and its aftermath.

A few of the tips covered in the article include these:
Before the Outage:

•     Set your freezer and refrigerator to its coldest settings—we want to store as much cold as possible in the food items.
•     Freeze containers of water to have as much ice on hand once the power goes out.
•     Ready a Coleman or similar cooler to use during the outage.
•     Consider freezing items in your refrigerator that can be frozen (leftovers, cheese, etc).

During the Outage:

•     Shift ice and inexpensive solid frozen items to the refrigerator; they will help keep your other items colder. Once the power goes out, there’s no difference between your freezer and your refrigerator; they are both just big insulated boxes. The more densely packed your refrigerator/freezer is with cold items, the longer everything will stay cool.
•     Avoid opening your refrigerator/freezer as much as you can. Transfer items often accessed to a cooler along with icepacks.

After the Outage

•     Follow the steps on ShelfLifeAdvice.com to assess the condition of the food remaining in your refrigerator/freezer based on the duration of the outage, temperature of your refrigerator at the end of the outage, and other factors.

ShelfLifeAdvice.com’s team of food scientists are primarily faculty members in the Food Sciences programs of major universities in the US including Cornell University, Pennsylvania State University, and University of Kentucky. They are available for interviews with print and broadcast media on topics of food freshness.

ShelfLifeAdvice.com is a free website with comprehensive shelf-life and storage information on hundreds of foods, with data from university, government, and other reliable sources.

Contact: Ashley Buchsbaum
Phone: 305-799-9088
ashley(at)shelflifeadvice.com