After a power failure, the quality of certain foods in your refrigerator or freezer may be affected, opening the door to possible poisoning eat. You can be sure that the announced possible cuts, which should not exceed 2 hours, should not affect the food.

Up to 6 hours without power

In fact, the fridge and freezer have a thermal inertia. It is clear that they maintain a certain temperature despite the external context. Thereby ” the temperature in your fridge should ideally be between 0 and 4°C explains the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain in Belgium.

“During a power outage, the food you store in it will stay cold for 4 to 6 hours, provided you don’t open the refrigerator door, and depending on the amount of food stored in it (the more empty the refrigerator, the it will warm up faster). »

If you are in doubt about the smell or visual aspect of a food, or if it shows signs of deterioration, of course you should go to the bin.

What about the freezer side?

In the event of a breakdown, the food will remain frozen for 48 hours if it remains closed and is completely filled. A half-full freezer keeps food frozen for about 24 hours.

When power is restored, check to see if your food is still frozen. How to sort:

• Foods that are still hard in the center can stay in the freezer;
• Microbiologically fragile foods that have reached a temperature of more than 4°C should be discarded. These are products and dishes (raw or cooked) based on meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, dairy products, eggs, etc. As for those whose temperature is below 4°C, they can be consumed, provided they are cooked quickly.