Food spoilage possible amid ongoing rolling blackouts

After reviewing area climate statistics its easy to see folks in Central Texas and the Hill Country haven't witnessed a weather event such as the one seen this week in some time. Thousands of folks in Hays County have been the recipient of rolling blackouts, some lasting for hours. That being the case, food spoilage is certainly an issue — no matter how cold it may seem in your home.

The United States Department of Agriculture, (USDA) says it's important to always keep meat, poultry, fish and eggs refrigerated at or below 40 degrees and frozen foods at or below 0 degrees. 

It goes without saying this is difficult during a power outage but the USDA has issued a guideline of keeping food safe in an emergency.

*Keep the refrigerator and freezer door closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.
The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about four hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if half full) and door remains closed.

* Obtain a block of dry ice to keep your refrigerator as cold as possible if the power is going to be out for a prolonged period of time. 
Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold a 18-cubic foot full freezer for two days. 

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service added it's good to group packages together to help keep them cold. They also suggest to place meat and poultry together on a lower shelf of the freezer so their juices won't contaminate other food as they begin to thaw.

Even with all of the snow and ice remaining the USDA said to not store your food outside as temperatures are inconsistent. Food could also be exposed to animals and unsanitary conditions.
However, the cold outdoor temperatures can be useful.  Make ice by filling buckets or cans with water and leave them outside to freeze. Use this ice to put in your freezer, refrigerator or coolers to keep food cold, the USDA suggest.