TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT FOOD AHEAD OF IRMA
Tallahassee -- The Florida Department of Health in Leon County (DOH-Leon) encourages residents to take food safety precautions ahead of Hurricane Irma.
The US Department of Agriculture offers the following tips on how to ensure food is kept safe, especially during lengthy power outages:
- Make sure the freezer is at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below and the refrigerator is at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
- Freeze containers of water for ice to keep food cold in the freezer, refrigerator or coolers after the power goes out.
- Freeze refrigerated items, such as milk, leftovers and fresh meat and poultry that you may not need immediately -- this helps keep them at a safe temperature longer.
- Plan ahead and know where dry ice and block ice can be purchased.
- Store food on shelves that will be safely out of the way of contaminated water in case of flooding.
- Have coolers on hand to keep refrigerator food cold if the power will be out for more than 4 hours. Purchase or make ice cubes and store in the freezer for use in the refrigerator or in a cooler. Freeze gel packs ahead of time for use in coolers.
- Group foods together in the freezer -- this helps the food stay cold longer.
For more information, call DOH-Leon at (305) 924-6839 or visit www.floridahealth.gov or www.floridadisaster.org.
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