After a hurricane, is the food in your home safe to eat?

If you lost power, be careful: the food in your fridge or pantry could make you and your family sick.

If refrigerated or frozen foods stay at higher temperatures for even a few hours, they can be unsafe to consume, even if they’re cooked afterwards. Water damage can also contaminate food and make it unsafe.

If you’re under a boil water advisory, all water for drinking, handwashing, washing fruits and vegetables, dishwashing or cooking must be boiled or otherwise sanitized before use. Or, use bottled water until the advisory is lifted.

So, if you lost power, or your home was damaged by water, it’s better to be safe than sorry. If in doubt, throw it out.

For more disaster recovery tips, go to disaster.ifas.ufl.edu.

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