05/11/2023 – 13:47
The lack of electricity in parts of the city of São Paulo has lasted more than 40 hours, and the deadline for complete restoration is long: until Tuesday, the 7th. According to Enel, responsible for the service in the capital of São Paulo, around 1 million customers remain without electricity, mainly in the south and west zones, due to the damage caused by heavy rains. In this scenario, families face various inconveniences, losses and doubts, such as what to do with the food in the refrigerator?
Unexpected thawing of items can lead not only to waste, but also to health problems due to contamination caused by the proliferation of microorganisms at room temperature.
According to the Ministry of Health, temperatures between 5ºC and 60ºC allow the proliferation of pathogens – below this, microorganisms become inactive. At higher temperatures, they are eliminated with heat. Below, read some tips for maintaining the refrigerator’s temperature when there is no electricity supply.
Avoid opening
Opening the refrigerator forces a loss of temperature. Therefore, the tip here is simple: avoid opening and closing and try to keep the box sealed for as long as possible.
The Ministry of Health states that, with closed doors, the temperature can be preserved for up to 4 hours in the refrigerator and up to 24 hours in the freezer.
Buy ice blocks
To help maintain temperature, a recommendation from the ministry is to buy ice blocks. Another possibility is to use Styrofoam and coolers to store food.
In this case, be careful to prevent the ice blocks from melting. Prepare to replenish if necessary.
“It is worth remembering that, if any food has been exposed to temperatures above 5°C for more than 2 hours, it must be thrown away”, says the Ministry of Health.
Discard spoiled food
Here, the rule is also clear: throw away any and all perishable food (meat, chicken, fish and eggs) that may have been left for more than two hours at a temperature above 5ºC.
Nor do you get carried away by the appearance or smell of the food – not having a moldy appearance does not mean it is fit for consumption.
Take care of your cooking
If you are going to consume any food or lunchbox that was in the refrigerator during the power outage, be careful that it is exposed for up to two hours at room temperature – any longer than that and it must be discarded. Otherwise, consumption is free.
When heating the dish, remember to do it on the stove and use the heat carefully, which helps kill microorganisms. The microwave is not the most suitable method, as cooking is not uniform.
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