What To Do With Food After an Emergency

Stay Safe, Stay Smart, and Prevent Illness

After a hurricane, tornado, blackout, flood, wildfire, or evacuation, one of the most important tasks is to inspect your food supply. Power outages and damage to your home can easily make food unsafe — and eating contaminated food during an emergency can cause serious illness at the worst possible time.

At KokosEmergencyProducts.com, we want families to stay healthy and protected both during and after the storm. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Check Food for Spoilage After a Blackout

Refrigerators and freezers can only keep food cold for a limited time once the power goes out.

Refrigerator Guidelines

• Food stays safe for up to 4 hours after the power stops — only if the door stays closed.

• After 4 hours, perishable food like meat, dairy, eggs, and leftovers must be thrown out.

Freezer Guidelines

• A full freezer stays cold for 48 hours.

• A half-full freezer stays cold for 24 hours.

• If ice crystals remain, many items may still be safe.

• If in doubt, throw it out.

Never taste food to test it. Bacteria that cause food poisoning do not change smell or appearance.

2. Flooded Food = Unsafe Food

If floodwater touched your food or your pantry, consider the water contaminated.

Throw away:

• Any food in boxes

• Any food in bags

• Any food in cardboard

• Canned food with dents, rust, or swollen lids

• Anything that touched water from outside

You can sanitize unopened metal cans by:

1. Washing with soap and safe water

2. Disinfecting in a bleach solution

3. Air drying before opening

But if the can is damaged, toss it immediately.

3. Inspect Food Brought Back After Evacuation

If you evacuated and brought food with you:

• Check cooler temperatures

• Discard meat, dairy, or seafood that warmed above 40°F

• Toss any food exposed to heat inside your car

Many people return home after several days — always assume perishable foods spoiled in your refrigerator.

4. Look for Contamination From Pests or Debris

After storms or structural damage, insects or rodents may enter your home.

Throw out any food contaminated by:

• Rodent droppings

• Dead insects

• Mold

• Broken packaging

• Wet cardboard

Do not risk it — illness is much harder to treat after a disaster.

5. Be Extra Cautious With Baby Formula & Medical Diet Foods

For infants, seniors, and those with medical conditions, spoiled or questionable food can be extremely dangerous.

Discard immediately if:

• The container was warm

• Packaging was damaged

• Formula was mixed before the outage

• Powdered formula was exposed to moisture

Always have backup emergency food ready for sensitive family members.

6. Restock Early – Before the Next Emergency

Once power returns and conditions stabilize, begin rebuilding your pantry with items that last:

• Freeze-dried meals

• Canned goods

• Shelf-stable milk

• Peanut butter

• Rice, pasta, oats

• Emergency food kits

• Water and hydration supplies

Rotate stock regularly and check expiration dates to stay ready year-round.

Be Prepared Before, During, and After the Storm

Emergencies are stressful enough — food safety shouldn’t make it worse.
With proper preparation and the right supplies, you can protect your family’s health and avoid unnecessary risks.

Explore long-term food storage, emergency cooking gear, water filters, and preparedness kits at:

👉 KokosEmergencyProducts.com
Your trusted partner for emergency readiness.