As we depend heavily on our fridges to keep food safe and fresh for extended periods, this modern convenience has become an integral part of our daily routines. This is why sudden power outages make us worried about the safety of our food. However, our refrigerators can keep food safe for a certain period of time during a power outage. So, the obvious question that comes to our mind is how long can food last in fridge without power?
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), most food items will remain safe for up to 4 hours in the fridge during a power outage. However, some food items can last up to 48 hours. Therefore, depending on the food item and storage process, your fridge can keep food safe for 4 to 48 hours without power. Knowing how long different food items can last in the fridge without power, you can determine when to discard a food item and which food item to keep for longer periods.
How Long Can Food Last in Fridge without Power
Most refrigerators can maintain a safe temperature of 40°F or 4°C for up to 4 hours without power if their doors are closed. You should discard all refrigerated perishable food items, such as fish, poultry, meat, and eggs after four hours during a power outage. However, the freezer of your refrigerator can keep food safe for longer periods. If the freezer is half-full, your food can last for about a day, whereas a full freezer can go up to 48 hours. One thing we can learn here is that a freezer can retain a low temperature longer when it is more fully stocked.
You should also understand that frequently opening the door of your refrigerator or freezer will accelerate the temperature rise. So, don’t open the door of your fridge every few minutes to check on the food. Instead, follow the below food safety chart to know how long can food last in fridge without power.
| Food Type | Condition: Above 40°F (4°C) for over 2 hours or Below 40°F (4°C)for over 4 hours |
| Meat, Poultry, and Seafood | Discard |
| Soft Cheeses, shredded cheeses, and Low-fat Cheeses | Discard |
| Hard Cheeses, Processed Cheeses, Romano, and Grated Parmesan | Keep |
| Dairy Products: Milk, Sour Cream, Cream, Yogurt, Buttermilk, Soymilk, Evaporated Milk, Eggnog, and Baby Formula | Discard |
| Butter and Margarine | Keep |
| Fresh shell eggs, Egg dishes, and Egg products | Discard |
| Custards and Puddings | Discard |
| Fresh fruits (Cut) | Discard |
| Uncut fresh fruits, Dried fruits, raisins, dates, canned fruits, fruit juices | Keep |
| Sliced coconut | Discard |
| Peanut Butter | Keep |
| Barbeque, soy, and hoisin sauces | Keep |
| Pickles, jelly, jams, taco sauce, catsup, mustard, olives, | Keep |
| Tartar sauce, opened mayonnaise, horseradish | Discard (if above 50°F (10°C) for over 8 hours) |
| Fish and oyster sauces | Discard |
| Opened spaghetti sauce and creamy-based dressings | Discard |
| Vinegar-based dressings (opened) | Keep |
| Bread, cakes, rolls, muffins, tortillas | Keep |
| Pancakes, waffles, and bagels | Keep |
| Refrigerated rolls, biscuits, and cookie dough | Discard |
| Cooked rice, pasta, potatoes | Discard |
| Fresh pasta, cheesecake, pasta salads with mayonnaise | Discard |
| Pies and Pastry | Discard |
| Fruit pies | Keep |
| Fresh uncut vegetables and mushrooms | Keep |
| Cut, packaged, or cooked vegetables | Discard |
Frozen Food and Power Outage
A full freezer can keep food safe for nearly about 48 hours. If the freezer is half-full and the door of your freezer is closed, it will keep a safe temperature i.e. 40°F (4°C) or below, for 24 hours. You can refreeze food that is at 40°F (4°C) or below, or if the food contains ice crystals. If the temperature is above 40°F (4°C), you should discard food after 2 hours.
Things to Do Before a Power Outage
There are certain things that you can do before a power outage to keep non-perishable foods safe as well as increase the lifespan of your frozen foods, such as
- You can use freezing gel packs to keep the perishable frozen food cool and safe under 40°F or less.
- In the case of a longer power outage over 4 hours, you can store food by locating an ice block.
You should always keep frozen perishable food such as meat separate from other types of foods. Otherwise, when the frozen meat starts to thaw, it will contaminate other foods.
Things to Do During Power Outage
You can determine the temperature inside your refrigerator or freezer by using an appliance thermometer. If the temperature of your fridge is 40°F or less, the foods inside your fridge are safe. On the other hand, the temperature of your freezer has to be less than 0°F to keep the frozen foods safe. If the appliance does not have a thermometer to measure the temperature, you can determine the safety of each item by using an external food thermometer.
Safety Tips to Preserve Your Food
Follow the below tips to maintain food safety during power outages-
- First of all, you should keep the doors of your fridge and freezer shut as much as possible during short-term power outages.
- After four hours of power outages, you can move certain food items from the refrigerator to the freezer section.
- While refrigerated food items require a temperature of less than 40°F, frozen food items remain safe below 0°F. If the temperatures rise above these limits, you should cook or reheat the food items to preserve them longer.
- If you decide to rely on outdoor cold temperatures in winter to preserve your food, you’re making a big mistake. There is a great possibility of unsanitary conditions and animal contact. Another important factor is that the temperature of the outdoors can change significantly. Therefore, don’t keep your food items outdoors, they will never be safe.