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Food handling after power outage
I live in Pittsburgh where we’ve had a power outage since this past Tuesday evening and it is now Friday late morning so I need to know what foods absolutely need to be thrown out that are in my fridge.
Hello, Barbara
Sorry to learn about your troubles.
Unfortunately, you will need to discard any refrigerated food that has been above 41F for more than a 72-hour period. This advice pertains specifically to Potentially Hazardous Food (PHF) food, which by definition can support the growth of human pathogenic bacteria. These are foods that have a pH greater than 4.5 and a water activity (i.e, measure of water in the food) greater than 0.85.
If you want me to look at a list of the foods for more specific advice, feel free to send them.
regards
Mark