The forecast this winter: Extreme cold weather ahead. The food-and-beverage industry has been duly served warning and rightly is prepping for the cold snap. Among the major concerns of restaurants and other food establishments are food safety handling storage, food safety management, and food safety processing.
Of particular worry this winter is outage. The Centers for Diseases and Control recommends the following guidelines if the power is out for over two hours:
- Be aware that a half-full freezer will hold food safely for up to 24 hours, a full freezer will hold food safely for 48 hours. To conserve the cold in the freezer, refrain from opening the freezer door unnecessarily.
- Nest in ice in a cooler consumables such as milk and other dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, gravy, and spoilable leftovers.
- Check food temperature (using a food thermometer) before food is cooked or served. Throw away any food that has a temperature of more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Don’t serve anything from a can that has been dented or damaged because it could already contain harmful pathogens like Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism.
