Food safety after a power outage - information for businesses
Key points
- Food businesses have a responsibility to ensure that food is safe to eat, and that foods that need to be kept cold or frozen have been stored properly.
- When a power outage happens, refrigerators and freezers don't operate to maintain foods at safe temperatures - unless you have a backup generator.
- When the power turns back on, refrigerators and freezers will also turn back on and restore the temperature of the food. The food may then seem ok to use - however, it's very unlikely that foods will have been kept cold enough to avoid contamination and spoiling. Frozen foods that partially thaw and then re-freeze can also be a food safety risk.
All foods that need to be kept cold or frozen and might not have been MUST be discarded and must not be consumed.
Questions?
Contact our Environmental Health team on 1300 787 624