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.