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FOODFACTSFrom the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Safety n Health n Science n Nutrition December 2007
1
Food and Water Safety During Hurricanes, Power Outages, and FloodsWhat Consumers Need to Know Emergencies can happen. When they do, the best strategy is to already have a plan in place. This includes knowing the proper food and water safety precautions to take if hurricanes — or other flooding/power outages — do occur.
1.Makesureyouhaveappliance thermometers in your refrigerator and freezer.
• Checktoensurethatthefreezertemperatureisatorbelow0 °F,andtherefrigeratorisatorbelow 40 °F.
• Incaseofapower outage,theappliancethermometerswillindicatethetemperaturesintherefrigeratorandfreezertohelpyoudetermineifthefoodissafe.
2. Freeze containers of waterforicetohelpkeepfoodcoldinthefreezer,refrigerator,orcoolersincasethepowergoesout.Ifyournormalwatersupplyiscontaminatedorunavailable,themeltingicewillalsosupplydrinkingwater.
3. Freeze refrigerated itemssuchasleftovers,milk,andfreshmeatandpoultrythatyoumaynotneedimmediately.Thishelpskeepthematasafetemperaturelonger.
Be Prepared for Emergencies
When the Power Goes Out . . .Herearebasictipsforkeepingfoodsafe:• Keeptherefrigerator and freezer doors closed
asmuchaspossibletomaintainthecoldtemperature.—Therefrigeratorwillkeepfoodcold for
about 4 hoursifitisunopened.—Afull freezerwillkeepthetemperaturefor
approximately48 hours (24hoursifitishalffull)ifthedoorremainsclosed.
—Buydry or block icetokeeptherefrigeratorascoldaspossibleifthepowerisgoingtobeoutforaprolongedperiodoftime.Fiftypoundsofdryiceshouldholdan18cubicfoot,fully-stockedfreezercoldfortwodays.
• Ifyouplantoeatrefrigeratedorfrozenmeat,poultry,fishoreggswhileitisstillatsafetemperatures,it’simportantthateachitemis thoroughly cooked to its proper temperaturetoassurethatanyfoodbornebacteriathatmaybepresentaredestroyed.However,ifatanypointthefoodwasabove40ºFfor2hoursormore—discardit.
• Wash fruits and vegetables withwaterfromasafesourcebeforeeating.
• Forinfants,trytouseprepared,cannedbabyformulathatrequiresnoaddedwater.Whenusingconcentratedorpowderedformulas,preparewithbottledwaterifthelocalwatersourceispotentiallycontaminated.
Once Power Is Restored . . .You’llneedtodeterminethesafetyofyourfood.Here’show:• Ifanappliancethermometerwas
keptinthefreezer, check the temperaturewhenthepowercomesbackon.Ifthefreezerthermometerreads40°Forbelow,thefoodissafeandmayberefrozen.
• Ifathermometerhasnotbeenkeptinthefreezer,check each packageoffoodtodetermineitssafety.Youcan’trelyonappearanceorodor.Ifthefoodstill contains ice crystalsoris40°Forbelow,itissafetorefreezeorcook.
• Refrigeratedfoodshouldbesafeaslongasthepowerwasoutforno more than 4 hours andtherefrigeratordoorwaskeptshut.Discardanyperishablefood(suchasmeat,poultry,fish,eggsorleftovers)thathasbeenabove40°Ffortwohoursormore.
Keepinmindthatperishablefoodsuchasmeat,poultry,seafood,milk,andeggsthatarenot kept adequately refrigerated or frozenmaycauseillnessifconsumed,evenwhentheyarethoroughlycooked.
Power Outages: During and After
KEEPCLOSED
4. Group food togetherinthefreezer.Thishelpsthefoodstaycoldlonger.
5. Have coolers on hand tokeeprefrigeratedfoodcoldifthepowerwillbeoutformorethan4hours.
6.Purchaseormakeice cubes in advance andstoreinthefreezerforuseintherefrigeratororinacooler.Freezegel packsaheadoftimeforuseincoolers.
7.Checkoutlocalsourcestoknowwheredry ice and block ice canbepurchased,justincase.
8. Store food on shelvesthatwillbesafelyoutofthewayofcontaminatedwaterincaseofflooding.
9.Makesuretohaveasupply of bottled water storedwhereitwillbeassafeaspossiblefromflooding.
n n n FOODFACTS
1.Usebottled waterthathasnotbeenexposedtofloodwatersifitisavailable.
2. Ifyoudon’thavebottledwater,youshouldboil water tomakeitsafe.Boilingwaterwillkillmosttypesofdisease-causingorganismsthatmaybepresent.•Ifthewateriscloudy,filteritthroughcleancloths,
orallowittosettleandthendrawofftheclearwaterforboiling.
•Boilthewaterforoneminute,letitcool,andstoreitincleancontainerswithcovers.
3. Ifyoucan’tboilwater,youcan disinfect it using household bleach.Bleachwillkillsome,butnotall,typesofdisease-causingorganismsthatmaybeinthewater.
When Flooding Occurs — Keep Water SafeFollowthesestepstokeepyourWATER SAFE during – and after – flood conditions.
•Ifthewateriscloudy,filteritthroughcleancloths,orallowittosettleandthendrawofftheclearwaterfordisinfection.
•Add1/8teaspoon(or8drops)ofregular,unscented,liquidhouseholdbleachpereachgallonofwater.Stiritwellandletitstandforatleast30minutesbeforeyouuseit.
•Storedisinfectedwaterincleancontainerswithcovers.4.Ifyouhavea wellthathasbeenflooded,thewater
shouldbetested and disinfectedafterfloodwatersrecede.Ifyoususpectthatyourwellmaybecontaminated,contactyourlocalorstatehealthdepartmentoragriculturalextensionagentforspecificadvice.
2Formoreinformation,contact:TheU.S.FoodandDrugAdministrationCenterforFoodSafetyandAppliedNutritionFoodInformationLineat1-888-SAFEFOOD(tollfree),10AMto4PMET,MondaythroughFriday.OrvisittheFDAWebsiteatwww.cfsan.fda.gov.
Safety n Health n Science n Nutrition December 2007
1. Do not eatanyfoodthatmayhavecomeintocontactwithfloodwater.
2. Discard any foodthatisnot in a waterproof containerifthereisanychancethatithascomeintocontactwithfloodwater.•Foodcontainersthatarenotwaterproofinclude
thosewithscrew-caps,snaplids,pulltops,andcrimpedcaps.
•Alsodiscardcardboardjuice/milk/babyformulaboxesandhomecannedfoodsiftheyhavecomeincontactwithfloodwater,becausetheycannotbeeffectivelycleanedandsanitized.
3. Inspectcannedfoodsand discard any food in damaged cans.Candamageisshownbyswelling,leakage,punctures,holes,fractures,extensivedeeprusting,orcrushing/dentingsevereenoughtopreventnormalstackingoropeningwithamanual,wheel-typecanopener.
4.Undamaged,commerciallypreparedfoodsinall-metal cansand“retort pouches” (likeflexible,shelf-stablejuiceorseafoodpouches)canbesavedifyoufollowthisprocedure:•Removethelabels,iftheyaretheremovablekind,
sincetheycanharbordirtandbacteria.•Brushorwipeawayanydirtorsilt.•Thoroughlywashthecansorretortpoucheswithsoap
andwater,usinghotwaterifitisavailable.Rinsethecansorretortpoucheswithwaterthatissafefordrinking,ifavailable,sincedirtorresidualsoapwillreducetheeffectivenessofchlorinesanitation.
When Flooding Occurs — Keep Food SafeFollow these steps to keep your FOOD SAFE during — and after — flood conditions.
•Sanitizecansandretortpouchesbyimmersioninoneofthetwofollowingways:— Placeinwaterandallowthewatertocometoa
boilandcontinueboilingfor2minutes,or— Placeinafreshly-madesolutionconsistingof
1tablespoonofunscentedliquidchlorinebleachpergallonofdrinkingwater(orthecleanest,clearestwateravailable)for15minutes.
•Airdrycansorretortpouchesforaminimumof1hourbeforeopeningorstoring.
•Ifthelabelswereremovable,thenre-labelyourcansorretortpouches,includingtheexpirationdate(ifavailable),withamarkingpen.
•Foodinreconditionedcansorretortpouchesshouldbeusedassoonaspossiblethereafter.
•Anyconcentratedbabyformulainreconditioned,all-metalcontainersmustbedilutedwithcleandrinkingwater.
5. Thoroughlywashmetalpans,ceramicdishes,andutensils(includingcanopeners)withsoapandwater,usinghotwaterifavailable.Rinse,andthensanitizethembyboilingincleanwaterorimmersingthemfor15minutesinasolutionof1tablespoonofunscented,liquidchlorinebleachpergallonofdrinkingwater(orthecleanest,clearestwateravailable).
6.Thoroughlywashcountertopswithsoapandwater,usinghotwaterifavailable.Rinse,andthensanitizebyapplyingasolutionof1tablespoonofunscented,liquidchlorinebleachpergallonofdrinkingwater(orthecleanest,clearestwateravailable).Allowtoairdry.
Everyone can practice safe food handling by following these four simple steps: