Power failures may occur for many reasons and may last for as little as a few minutes to as long as a few days.

Preparing for a power outage

If there are adverse conditions that may lead to a power failure, consider what preparations can be made ahead of time. This will depend on the business capabilities and resources, but some examples may include:

• if your freezer is not full, keep items close together—this helps the food stay cold longer
• keep ice packs
• dry ice (be aware of Worker Health and Safety issues of using dry ice)
• generators
• cancel incoming food deliveries
• transfer food to off-site cold storage facilities
• the installation of a fixed thermometer before a power outage situation will allow for monitoring temperatures quickly.

During the power outage

If the power supply is out for more than 4 hours, food in fridges will start to spoil, and pathogens will begin to grow once the temperature of the food rises above 5°C. In the event the power failure lasts more than a few minutes, the ‘food safety time clock’ has started, so:

• document the time the power went out
• quickly move potentially hazardous food from the refrigerator to the freezer
• meat, poultry and fish should be stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator or moved to the freezer & stored closely together to conserve temperature
• avoid adding hot foods to refrigerators
• keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed except while checking temperatures every two hours - this will keep the air temperature colder for longer
• digital, dial, or instant-read food thermometers will help you monitor refrigerator and freezer temperatures. Consider having a thermometer (fixed or other) in the refrigerator and freezer at all times
• if you're not sure a particular food is cold enough, take its temperature with a probe thermometer.

When power is restored

Document the time the power was restored and the temperature of the potentially hazardous food in your refrigerator to see if the temperature is 5°C or below.

Refer to ‘Keeping food safe during an emergency (PDF 235KB)’ for more detail, but as a quick guide for potentially hazardous foods that have been out of temperature control:

Cold food

Time - Less than 2 hours

If it potentially hazardous food is above 5°C and the power has been off for less than 2 hours you can re-refrigerate the food or use it immediately.

Time - between 2 and 4 hours

Potentially hazardous food above 5°C can be consumed.

Time - More than 4 hours

If potentially hazardous food temperature is above 5°C and has been for more than 4 hours, some foods may be unsuitable to consume. This includes food in freezers that has defrosted and risen above 5°C.

Food in the freezer

Freezers will usually not defrost for at least 24 hours, provided the door has been kept shut. If frozen foods have thawed, some foods should not be refrozen but be kept below 5°C and eaten as soon as possible. Other foods may be refrozen, but will lose quality.

Hot food

*Cooking or reheating foods that have been out of temperature control longer than 4 hours will not eliminate the risk of food borne illness as some bacteria produce a toxin, which is not destroyed at the temperature used to cook or reheat food.

For foods being cooked during the power outage

• do not serve any partially cooked food
• if power outage is brief (under 1 hour), rapidly finish cooking/reheat without interruption to 75°C (or equivalent)
• if power is out for more than 2 hours, discard all partially cooked food.