Food safety tips for those impacted by Tropical Storm Cindy

By: TONY MARKS
Associate Editor

The United States Department of Agriculture has released the following food safety tips for citizens that will be impacted by Tropical Storm Cindy.
According to a statement released by the department, “The disturbance is expected to produce total rain accumulations of four to eight-inches with isolated maximum amounts of 10-inches throughout southeastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Thursday morning. Rainfall amounts of two to four-inches with isolated maximum amounts of six-inches can be expected farther west across southwest Louisiana into southeast Texas through Thursday morning.”
Tropical storms present the possibility of power outages and flooding that can compromise the safety of stored food,” the statement continued. “Residents in the path of this storm should pay close attention to the forecast through the week. Be aware that flooding from heavy rain, damaging winds and storm surge is possible.”
The following suggested steps are to be considered before losing power: keep appliance thermometers in both the refrigerator and the freezer to ensure temperatures remain food safe during a power outage, freeze water in one-quart plastic storage bags or small containers prior to a storm, freeze refrigerated items, such as leftovers, milk and fresh meat and poultry that you may not need immediately—this helps keep them at a safe temperature longer, know where you can get dry ice or block ice, have coolers on hand to keep refrigerator food cold if the power will be out for more than four hours, group foods together in the freezer—this ‘igloo’ effect helps the food stay cold longer, and keep a few days’ worth of ready-to-eat foods that do not require cooking or cooling.
If the power goes out, the USDA suggests the following: keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible, place meat and poultry to one side of the freezer or on a tray to prevent cross contamination of thawing juices, and use dry or block ice to keep the refrigerator as cold as possible during an extended power outage.
The USDA also suggested the following food safety tips after a weather emergency: check the temperature inside of your refrigerator and freezer, discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs or leftovers) that has been above 40°F for two hours or more, check each item separately, throw out any food that has an unusual odor, color or texture or feels warm to the touch, check frozen food for ice crystals, never taste a food to decide if it’s safe, and when in doubt, throw it out.