Released September 5, 2008
LITTLE ROCK Ark. - The remnants of Hurricane Gustav left some 100,000 Arkansans without power, and many are debating over what can and can’t be saved.
"Always keep meat, poultry, fish and eggs refrigerated at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and frozen food at or below zero degrees," says Robbie McKinnon, a Pike County extension agent for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. "This may be difficult when the power is out."
It’s important to keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold.
"The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about four hours if it’s unopened," she says. "A full freezer will hold the temperature for about 48 hours or 24 hours if it’s half full, if the door remains closed."
If the forecast calls for severe weather, "be prepared for an emergency by having items on hand that don’t require refrigeration and can be eaten cold or heated on the outdoor grill," McKinnon says.
Below is a checklist of items that can be kept, or should be discarded if the temperature in the refrigerator rises above 40 degrees for more than two hours.
See a chart of Refrigerator Foods: When to Save and When to Throw Out at http://www.uaex.edu/news/september2008/0905disaster_salvaging_food.htm
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/september2008/0905disaster_salvaging_food.htm
Contact: Debra Levey Larson, 217-244-2880, dlarson@uiuc.edu
