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A Food Safety News report published October 9 summarizes steps for evaluating food and kitchen items after hurricane flooding or prolonged power outages. It advises discarding potentially flood-exposed food and certain utensils, and gives instructions for handling some intact canned foods and washable dishes.
Food Safety News published hurricane recovery guidance on October 9 advising people to discard certain food and kitchen items after flooding or prolonged power outages. The recommendations address a practical risk for households returning to damaged homes: food or utensils may be unsafe even when the problem is not visible.
The report says not to taste food to judge whether it is safe. If power has been out for several days, it advises throwing away food in the refrigerator and freezer. It refers readers to a chart for decisions about specific foods after a prolonged outage, but the supplied report text does not include that chart or its item-by-item guidance.
For beverages, the report advises drinking only bottled water or other drinks that have not come into contact with floodwater. It warns that screw caps are not waterproof, so bottles and other drinks that may have been exposed to floodwater should be discarded. If bottled water is unavailable, it directs readers to guidance on boiling or disinfecting water.
Food that is not in a waterproof container should be discarded if it may have touched floodwater. The report identifies containers with screw caps, snap lids, pull tops and crimped caps as non-waterproof. It says undamaged commercially prepared food in all-metal cans or retort pouches may be saved by following the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service’s severe-storm and hurricane guidance.
Protecting Food After Flooding
Floodwater can reach food packaging, dishes and utensils in a home, while an extended outage can affect refrigerated and frozen food. The guidance gives people returning after a storm a way to make immediate discard decisions and avoid relying on smell, appearance or taste as a safety test. That matters because tasting a questionable item does not establish that it is safe.
The advice also distinguishes between items that may be cleaned and those the report says should be discarded. Metal pans, utensils and ceramic dishes that touched floodwater can be washed with hot, soapy water, rinsed and sanitized. The report gives two sanitizing options: boiling in clean water or immersion for 15 minutes in a solution of one tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water.
By contrast, the report says to discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples and pacifiers that may have contacted floodwater. These directions are particularly relevant to households with infants, where contaminated feeding items may be difficult to clean safely.
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Storm Damage and Food Safety
The report frames its advice around two hurricane effects: flooding and prolonged power outages. They create different disposal questions. Floodwater may contact drinks, packaging, dishes and utensils; loss of power affects food stored in refrigerators and freezers. The supplied text does not provide outage-duration thresholds beyond describing an outage lasting several days, so readers should consult the referenced chart and federal guidance for decisions about particular foods.
Food Safety News points readers to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s Consumer’s Guide to Food Safety: Severe Storms and Hurricanes for the procedure to save undamaged, commercially prepared food in all-metal cans and retort pouches. The supplied source does not reproduce the full cleaning procedure for those packages. It also lists the Meat and Poultry Hotline as a contact for food safety questions: 1-888-674-6854, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time, in English or Spanish. Questions can also be sent to MPHotline@usda.gov or submitted through Ask USDA live chat.
“Never taste a food to determine its safety.”
— Food Safety News, summarizing hurricane recovery advice
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Food Decisions Need More Detail
The supplied report does not specify how many hours without power make each refrigerated or frozen food unsafe. It says to discard refrigerator and freezer food if the outage has lasted several days, and points to a separate chart for more specific decisions. That chart is not included in the source material provided here.
The report also does not establish whether a particular drink, package or kitchen item actually contacted floodwater; that depends on conditions at each home. Its wording advises discarding items when there is a chance of contact. The full package-cleaning steps for salvageable metal cans and retort pouches are also outside the supplied text, which refers readers to USDA guidance.
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Use USDA Guidance During Cleanup
People assessing food after a hurricane can consult the referenced USDA chart and the FSIS severe-storm and hurricane guide for item-specific instructions. For questions, the report lists the Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854, available weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time in English or Spanish, as well as email and Ask USDA live chat. The Food Safety News report does not announce a later update or give a date for any further guidance.
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Key Questions
Should I taste food to see if it is safe after a hurricane?
No. The report says not to taste food to determine its safety. It directs readers to discard food in refrigerators and freezers after an outage lasting several days and consult the referenced chart for more specific decisions.
Can I drink bottled water that may have touched floodwater?
The report advises against it. It says screw caps are not waterproof and recommends discarding bottled water or other beverages that may have contacted floodwater.
Which dishes and utensils should be discarded?
Discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples and pacifiers that may have touched floodwater. Metal pans, utensils and ceramic dishes can be washed, rinsed and sanitized using the methods described in the report.
Can food in cans or pouches be saved after flooding?
The report says undamaged, commercially prepared food in all-metal cans and retort pouches may be saved by following the FSIS severe-storm and hurricane guide. The supplied text does not include the full cleaning steps.
Where can I ask a food safety question?
Food Safety News lists the Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854, weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time in English or Spanish. It also lists MPHotline@usda.gov and Ask USDA live chat.
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