Recovery · 6 min · Updated 2026-06-29
Power Outage Food Safety Guide
What to check before eating refrigerated or frozen food after an outage.
Quick checklist
Use this as the working list.
Short items are easier to finish before conditions change. Save official links and adapt supplies to your household, location, and medical needs.
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
- Use appliance thermometers when available.
- When in doubt, throw it out.
- Do not taste food to decide whether it is safe.
- Follow local health authority guidance after long outages.
Guide step
Food safety is time-sensitive
A power outage can make refrigerated food unsafe even when it looks or smells normal. Plan ahead with thermometers, coolers, ice, and a short list of what to use first.
Guide step
Do not rely on smell
Some unsafe food does not smell bad. Use time, temperature, and official guidance instead of tasting food.
Guide step
Document losses if needed
If food loss may be part of an insurance or assistance claim, photograph affected items and keep receipts where possible.
Official and expert sources
Verify decisions with source-of-record pages.
Disaster Calendar organizes public preparedness information, but it is not an official emergency alert service.