Power Outage Food Safety: Time, Temperature, and the Two-Hour Rule
During a power outage, an unopened refrigerator keeps food safe for approximately four hours, while a full freezer maintains temperature for up to 48 hours. Experts warn that visual or olfactory checks are unreliable for determining food safety; instead, consumers must rely on time and temperature. Perishable items left at room temperature for more than two hours should be discarded. To mitigate risks, experts recommend keeping appliance thermometers in storage units, using coolers with ice packs for frequently accessed items, and pre-freezing water containers or gel packs before known severe weather events.
