Is the food in my fridge still safe? The power-outage rules

The short version

Per the USDA/FoodSafety.gov: an unopened refrigerator keeps food safe for about 4 hours. A full freezer holds a safe temperature about 48 hours (24 hours if half full). Keep the doors closed — every opening costs you time.

The 40°F rule

Perishables (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, cooked leftovers, cut produce) that spend more than 2 hours above 40 °F (4 °C) should be discarded, per the FDA. If you have an appliance thermometer, check it when power returns: at or under 40 °F, the food is safe.

Refreezing

Food that still contains ice crystals or has stayed at 40 °F or below can be safely refrozen, per USDA — quality may suffer, safety doesn't. Anything above that for over 2 hours: out.

When in doubt, throw it out

Never taste food to decide. Bacteria that cause foodborne illness don't reliably change taste or smell. The USDA's rule of thumb is the title of this section — the cost of being wrong is far higher than the groceries.

Plan around the restoration time

The 4-hour fridge window is why a realistic restoration estimate matters. Check your address on our live map — we show the utility's posted time and an independent estimate computed from the outage's actual recovery trend, so you can decide about coolers and ice before the window closes.