Is there any risk of food poisoning in the event of a power cut? Here is the answer and the recommendations.
Breaking the cold chain involves risks of food poisoning, and the increase in temperature can lead to the spread of certain bacteria (salmonella, staphylococcus aureus, listeria monocytogenes, etc.). The cold limits or even stops the spread of microorganisms. First of all, be sure that any announced cuts should not exceed 2 hours.
The cold limits, or even stops, the spread of microorganisms
We speak of a ‘break in the cold chain’ when the food is exposed to a temperature above the set maximum storage temperature. note that the temperature in your fridge should ideally be between 0 and 4°C. But how do you react in the event of a power cut?
4 to 6 hours if you do not open the door of your refrigerator
In a refrigerator and in the event of a breakdown, it can keep your food at the ideal temperature for 4 to 6 hours if you do not open the door of your refrigerator. Be careful, if your fridge is quite empty, this duration should be minimized (an empty fridge ‘warms up’ faster). Take care of fresh products such as meat, fish or shellfish.
For a freezer, if it remains closed and is completely full, the food will remain frozen for 48 hours (without opening the doors). Above all, once the power is restored, check if your food is still frozen. If your products are still hard in the middle, they can be stored and consumed. If the temperature is above 4°C, they must be discarded.
Think ice packs or water bottles in the freezer
The idea would be for you to keep ice blocks or bottles of water in the freezer that you can put in your fridge. Finally, once the power is back on, don’t open your device right away to give it time to ‘recover’ the cold.
