Be Food Safe During Winter Storms

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trees covered in snowIt’s hard to believe that just months after preparing for a hurricane, we now need to switch to preparing for winter storms. There is talk of this year having more snow than others and even starting off in the first weeks of January. Even though it is cold outside, we still need to be prepared to be food safe when a storm hits.

NC State Safe Plates has a lot of information to help you prepare and be food safe when winter storms can hit hard. Food Safety Tips during Winter Storms

Some tips to keep in mind:

  • Have thermometers in the refrigerator and freezer to make sure that you know what temperature they raise to if the power goes out. You can also use cooking instant read thermometers to check the temperatures of the foods to make sure they are staying cold enough to decrease the risk for food born illnesses. The number to check for is if they are staying under 41°F.
  • Have shelf stable foods on hand that don’t require refrigeration and can also be eaten cold or heated up on cook stoves or grills if electricity is off for a while.
  • You also may need water on hand, similarly to when we had the hurricane. I know we all never wanted to see stored water again, but if you have any left over, you want to make sure it is inside in a place where it won’t easily freeze.
  • Check here for tips on protecting your pipes from freezing. Red Cross Protect Pipes During Winter

Preparing food during a winter storm power outage and other safety tips:

  • Never use outdoor grills or burners inside your home, even in a fireplace. Fumes from grills and camping stoves can be deadly. Also, make sure to never run generators inside as well.
  • Never use lighter fluid in a fireplace, as flames can cause damage to the home.
  • When cooking, heat foods to the following internal temperatures for food safety: Eggs, whole meats, fish: 145°F; Ground meats, fish: 155°F; Whole and ground poultry: 165°F.

You can store foods in the snow but do need to take some precautions to make sure they are safe.

  • Never store in direct sunlight. The surface can become higher than the safe 41°F.
  • Monitor the food by taking internal temperatures with a food thermometer.
  • You can pack foods in coolers with clean snow to keep them cold.
  • You also want to protect from having animals get into the food by using strong containers. This will also protect the food from contaminations in other ways.

Lastly, remember that we are all still recovering from Hurricane Helene and we need to be aware that winter storms can make us more anxious than they used too due to the stress we are still under. Make sure to check in with neighbors and each other to give support and get support if needed to “weather” what comes. NCDPH has some tips for wintertime storms and mental health. Mental Health Tips

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