Will You Be Left With Spoiled Meat After the Next Power Blackout?
Imagine a large freezer full of meat. Now imagine a power blackout that lasts long enough for all of that meat to spoil. Throwing out the spoiled meat can mean the loss of hundreds of dollars. I hope that this article will keep this from happening to you.
This government food safety chart shows that most foods, especially meats, must be thrown out if they have been thawed and held at a 40 degree or above temperature for two or more hours. Everyone should have fridge/freezer thermometers .
Those who do not follow these temperature/time guidelines risk exposing their families to food poisoning. The most common signs of food poisoning from spoiled meat are stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. These signs can occur as early as 30 minutes after eating to as much as four weeks after eating. They usually show up, however, within 12 to 72 hours.
Experiencing these medical woes during normal times is bad enough. Getting sick during a disaster, when medical health is more uncertain, is even worse.
Even if you are almost sure that the meats are not spoiled, eating these suspect meats will not allow you to be relaxed and to enjoy your meal. If in doubt, throw them out.
The next question you might ask is, “What are the chances that we will experience a power blackout long enough to cause all of this meat spoilage?” Even if you have not yet experienced a power blackout, the chances are rising that you will experience a future power blackout because power blackout are increasing. The combination of an increasing population, global warming, and our aging power grid, all are causing an increase in power blackouts.
Instead of having a large capacity freezer full of meat, your family, especially if you do not have an electric generator, might do well to have no more meat on hand than what you can store in the freezer section of your refrigerator. In the event of a power blackout, you could quickly cook and safely consume this smaller amount of meat.
To prepare for a disaster with an extended aftermath, you could stock up on canned meats. This option would eliminate meat spoilage during a power blackout.
As Senator Richard Burr said, “We often take for granted that our lights will come on when we flip the light switch, but the reality is that our reliability standards and the current state of the transmission grid leave us all vulnerable to blackouts.”
Have you ever been through a power blackout? What was your experience like?
