Disasters such as fire, flood, hurricane, snow or ice storm could jeopardize your foods' safety. Loss of power is common after a disaster. To reduce the risk of food borne illnesses, it is important to know how to determine if your food is safe.

A is for always. Always keep your meat, poultry, and fish at or below 40 degrees and frozen foods at or below 0 degrees. If the power is out, this may become very difficult. Keep the door closed on your refrigerator and freezer. The refrigerator will only stay cold for about 4 hours if the door is kept closed and significantly less than that if it is opened. A freezer will hold the temperature for about 48 hours (if it is full and 24 hours if it half full). Again, the amount of time the temperature will hold is significantly less if the door is opened.

B is for be prepared for any emergency. You can do this by keeping on hand items that are shelf stable (don't require refrigeration). These include items such as canned goods, pasta, and other ready to eat items. Be sure to not leave out your pets and keep plenty of their food on hand. Don't forget to keep a hand held can opener available. If you plan on cooking any of these items on your grill - make sure you have gas or charcoals for your grill.

C is for consider. Consider what you can do to store your food safely for an emergency. If you live a flood prone area, you may want to plan your food storage on shelves that are high off the ground. Coolers are a great idea. Keep frozen gel packs to keep your food cold in case of a power outage. Consider keeping water frozen in used milk containers if your freezer is not full. This will help keep your freezer cooler.

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