Commuters face delays after power outage at Penn Station
Commuters face delays at Penn Station in New York City after a power outage disrupted Amtrack service on June 20, 2024. Video by NBC NY.
Thousands of people woke up without power Thursday morning after severe storms and high winds swept through North Jersey Wednesday night. If your home was without power during the storm, you may want to clean out your refrigerator before your next meal.
Follow foodsafety.gov’s guidelines to find out which foods are safe to eat and which will spoil during this and future power outages.
How long will my food last if there is a power outage?
According to foodsafety.gov and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food in your refrigerator will last up to four hours during a power outage.
A full freezer will maintain a safe temperature for about 48 hours and a half-full freezer will maintain a safe temperature for about 24 hours.
In the event of a power outage, you should keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed if possible.
Refrigerated food: store or throw away?
The following refrigerated foods should be discarded if they have been stored above 40 degrees for more than two hours:
- Raw or cooked meat, poultry, fish or seafood; soy meat substitutes
- Defrosting meat or poultry
- Salads: meat, tuna, shrimp, chicken or egg salad
- Sauce, stuffing, broth
- Cold cuts, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, dried meat
- Pizza with any topping
- Canned ham labelled “Keep refrigerated”
- Canned meat and fish, opened
- Soft cheese (blue cheese, Roquefort, Brie, Camembert, cottage cheese, cream cheese, Edam, Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, Munster cheese, Neufchâtel, Queso Blanco, Queso Fresco)
- Grated cheese
- Low-fat cheese
- Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, condensed milk, yoghurt, egg liqueur, soy milk
- Baby food (opened)
- Fresh eggs in the shell, hard-boiled eggs in the shell, egg dishes, egg products
- Puddings and quiches
- Fresh fruit, cut
- Sliced or grated coconut
- Opened mayonnaise, remoulade, horseradish (if above 50 degrees for more than eight hours)
- Fish sauces, oyster sauce
- Opened cream-based dressings
- Spaghetti sauce, opened
- Refrigerator cookies, rolls, cookie dough
- Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes
- Pasta salads with mayonnaise or vinaigrette
- Fresh pasta
- Cheesecake
- Cream filled pastry
- Pies filled with eggs or milk
- Fresh vegetables, chopped
- Greens, pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged
- Vegetables, cooked
- Tofu, cooked
- Vegetable juice, opened
- Baked potatoes
- Commercial garlic in oil
- potato salad
- Casseroles, soups, stews
The following chilled foods are still edible even after storage for more than two hours at temperatures above 40 degrees:
- Hard cheese (cheddar, colby, swiss cheese, parmesan, provolone, romano)
- Processed cheese
- Grated Parmesan, Romano or a combination (from a can or jar)
- Butter, margarine
- Fresh fruits, uncut
- Fruit juices, opened
- Canned fruit, opened
- Dried fruits, raisins, candied fruits, dates
- peanut butter
- Jelly, relish, taco sauce, mustard, ketchup, olives, pickles
- Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, hoisin sauces
- Opened vinegar-based dressings
- Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas
- Breakfast foods: waffles, pancakes, bagels
- fruitcake
- Fresh vegetables, uncut
- Fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices
Frozen food: keep it or throw it away?
The following frozen food products can be refrozen if they contain ice crystals and feel cold, as if they were refrigerated. If they have thawed and have been stored above 40 degrees for more than two hours, they should be thrown away:
- Meat, poultry, seafood
- Stews and soups
- milk
- Eggs (without shell) and egg products
- Cheese (soft and semi-soft)
- Grated cheese
- Cheesecake
- Vegetable juices
- Homemade or commercially packaged or blanched vegetables
- Cakes, tarts, pastries with vanilla cream or cheese filling
- Pasta or rice based casseroles
- Frozen meal, main course, speciality
The following frozen food products can be refrozen if they contain ice crystals and feel cold, as if they were refrigerated. They can also be refrozen if they have been thawed and stored above 40 degrees for more than two hours:
- Hard cheese
- Fruit juices (discard if mold, yeast odor or sliminess develops)
- Fruit that you have packaged yourself or in a store (discard if it develops mold, yeasty smell or sliminess)
- Breads, rolls, muffins, cakes (without pudding fillings)
- Cake bases, commercial and homemade bread dough
- Flour, corn flour, nuts
- Breakfast offerings: waffles, pancakes, bagels
You should definitely avoid ice cream and frozen yoghurt.
According to foodsafety.gov, you should NEVER taste food to determine its safety after a power outage. If you are unsure about a food, follow this basic rule: when in doubt, throw it away!
Will I receive compensation for spoiled food due to a power outage?
Utility companies sometimes cover the cost of customers’ spoiled food or other losses, such as medications, during a power outage.
For example, after Tropical Storm Isaias in 2020, the Asbury Park Press reported that Public Service Electric and Gas announced it would reimburse residential and commercial customers for spoiled food, depending on when and for how long the service was interrupted.
However, Jersey Central Power and Light did not follow suit, as the company does not reimburse its customers for food costs or other damage caused by forces beyond its control, such as a storm.
