So, the power is out and you've got a fridge full of food. Being prepared can help reduce wastage — by planning ahead, you can save your perishables and safeguard your family's health.
Planning for power cuts
It's going to be a while before load shedding is a thing of the past. Check your load-shedding schedule and prepare in advance to store your food safely.
Here's how.
If the power cut is going to be for a long period of time, organise alternative refrigerated storage with friends or family.
Avoid buying a lot of food that needs to be frozen or refrigerated.
Opt for more shelf stable foods, such as canned goods, dried fruit, powdered milk and breads.
Invest in a digital quick-response thermometer to check the internal temperature of your fridge and freezer.
Styrofoam ice boxes are inexpensive so buy some and make sure that you have ice bricks in your freezer at all times.
Adjust the refrigerator to its coldest setting; remove fresh fruit and vegetables to prevent them from spoiling.
Set your freezer at its coldest setting too. Try not to open your fridge or freezer unnecessarily during outages.
Food stored in refrigerators
Your food will remain safe in your refrigerator for two hours. The golden rules are:
• use immediately any food stored in a refrigerator or ice box at more than five degrees Celsius for more than two hours, but less than four hours.
• food stored in a refrigerator or ice box at more than five degrees Celsius for four hours or more, should be discarded.
Food stored in freezers
Freezers that are in a good condition and operate at minus five degrees Celsius or below, can keep foods frozen for between one and two days.
If the freezer door is kept shut, a full freezer can keep food frozen for up to 48 hours, while a half full freezer can keep food frozen for up to 24 hours.
Foods that have partly defrosted but remain very cold (five degrees or less) can be refrozen. As with food in the fridge, if your food has been in a freezer where the temperature has reached more than five degrees Celsius for more than two hours but less than four hours, it should be consumed immediately.
Food stored in a freezer for more than four hours at more than five degrees Celsius, should be discarded.
The disposal of food
When you dispose of food, make sure to always wrap it in newspaper before placing it in the rubbish bin. Without correct disposal, fly breeding may result, which will increase the risk of the spread of infectious diseases. Be prepared during these dark days and take the necessary steps to reduce food waste and keep your family healthy.
