Fridge and freezer food in a power cut
How long food stays safe when the power goes: up to 4 hours in a closed fridge, about 48 hours in a full freezer and 24 in a half-full one, and what to eat first.
The times to remember
| Appliance | Keeps food safe for | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Fridge | Up to about 4 hours | Door kept shut |
| Full freezer | About 48 hours | Door kept shut |
| Half-full freezer | About 24 hours | Door kept shut |
Source: Food Standards Scotland. These are estimates: the make of your fridge or freezer and how warm the room is change them. A cut shorter than four hours is unlikely to affect food safety.
A thermometer settles it
Fridges should normally run at 5°C or below. During a cut, food is still fine while the fridge stays below 8°C. Once it reaches 8°C or more, eat anything that normally needs refrigeration within four hours, or throw it away. A cheap fridge thermometer removes the guesswork.
Eat in this order
- Chilled food from the fridge.
- Frozen food that has defrosted and does not need cooking.
- Perishable food kept at room temperature, such as bread.
- Tins, jars and dried food last.
When in doubt, throw it out
If you are unsure about meat, fish, dairy or cooked leftovers after a long cut, throw them away: food poisoning in a power cut, with no hot water and maybe no transport, is worse than usual. Never taste food to check it.
Before the next cut
Keep the freezer well filled (frozen bottles of water fill gaps and stay cold), and keep some food in the three-day kit that needs neither fridge nor cooking.
What helps keep food safe
- A fridge thermometer: the simplest way to know whether food is still below 8°C.
- A freezer thermometer and some frozen bottles of water to fill gaps; a full freezer stays cold longer.
- A cool box with ice packs for medicines or baby milk that need to stay cold during a long cut.
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