Food safety in emergencies

Emergencies can happen anywhere, anytime, and can have a significant impact on people’s lives. Planning ahead ensures you and your family can manage if you are affected.

Stock your pantry

Building and rotating items in your pantry that do not need refrigeration or heating helps ensure you are prepared for a wide range of circumstances.

It is recommended households have a sufficient supply of food, water and essential items for up to 14 days.

Emergency food supplies should include:

• drinks, such as bottled water, long-life milk, juice, tea and coffee
• ready-to-eat canned/bottled food, such as canned meat, fish, fruit, vegetables and soup, as well as a can opener
• dried and long-life food, such as snack foods, cereals, rice and pasta, milk powder, sugar, long-life cheeses and soup mix
• baby food and pet food supplies (if relevant)
• drinking-quality water, detergent, bleach and alcohol-based hand sanitiser for cleaning.

Food supplies should be continually used and rotated, and use-by and best before dates checked regularly.

In areas that could be affected by a flood, plan to store food well above floodwater levels. 

• See also The Pantry List (pdf 239KB)
   

Keep it cold

• Have eskies with ice bricks or gel packs to keep food cold if the power will be out.
• Keep the fridge door closed as much as possible.
• A fridge should keep food cold for around four hours - after that it can begin to spoil.
• Avoid eating food that’s meant to be in the fridge if it’s been left out for over 4 hours.
• Keep the freezer door closed as much as possible. A freezer shouldn't defrost for around 24 hours.
• If frozen foods have thawed don't refreeze.

Keep it clean

It's critical to practice good hygiene during and after an emergency. 

• Wash and dry hands thoroughly with soap using clean, drinking-quality water before preparing food or eating, after toilet use, after clean-up activities and after handling anything that might be contaminated with chemicals, floodwater or sewage.
• Use alcohol-based hand sanitiser to wash hands if the supply of drinking-quality water is limited.

Keep it hot

The same rules for cooking temperatures apply during an emergency:

• Cook foods to at least 60oC, (hotter for specific foods). 
• Make sure there's no pink left in cooked meats such as mince or sausages.
• Look for clear juices before serving chicken.
• Reheat foods to steaming hot before eating.
• Throw out food that was being cooked when power failed if cooking cannot be completed properly within 2 hours. 
   

Floodwater can be contaminated with sewage, agricultural and industrial waste, and other substances that can cause illness. Food, surfaces, cooking utensils, water supplies and food gardens that have had contact with floodwater might be contaminated.

Follow these steps:

• Throw out food that has come into contact with floodwater or food that has an unusual odour, colour or texture. 
• Check canned food and throw out any cans that are dented, swollen or damaged. Some cans might be salvageable. For cans that appear useable:
  • remove the label and thoroughly wash the outside of the can with drinking-quality water
  • sanitise the can in bleach for 1 minute, then rinse in drinking-quality water 
  • re-label the can with a permanent marker.
• Vegetable gardens can take a month to become suitable after flood or sewage discharge.
  • Discard all leafy green produce.
  • After 1 month, wash other vegetables then sanitise in a weak bleach solution of 1 tablespoons bleach to 2 litres of water. Then rinse in drinking-quality water, peel and use.
  • Monitor announcements and consult local authorities after other sorts of contamination.

If in doubt throw it out.

Cleaning and sanitising surfaces and utensils

Follow these steps:

1. Carefully check dishes, pots, pans, cutlery and kitchen equipment that might have been in contact with floodwater. Throw away damaged or cracked items, items made from porous material such as wood, plastic or rubber including wooden chopping boards as they cannot be adequately sanitised.
2. Wash utensils and surfaces in hot, soapy, drinking-quality water. Take apart and clean the non-electrical pieces of any kitchen equipment that can be safety taken apart and then rinse in clean, hot water.
3. Sanitise silverware, metal utensils, pots, pans and kitchen equipment in pieces by boiling in water for 10 minutes. Sanitise dishes by immersing glass, porcelain, china and enamel-ware for 10 minutes in a disinfecting solution of 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach per 2 litres of hot water. Then rinse. 
4. Clean cupboards and counters with hot soapy water then rinse with a chlorine bleach solution before storing dishes or food.
5. Air dry items because towels might have been splashed with contaminated water.

Commercial and most domestic dishwashers are capable of sanitising all eating and cooking utensils as part of their normal cycle.

Water for drinking

In an emergency such as a flood or contamination event, tap water and private water supplies might not be safe to drink or use for cooking and cleaning.

Monitor public announcements and those from the local water supplier to know if tap water is safe to use.

Private water supplies should be tested before using again - contact your local council.

If the water is unsafe:

• use only bottled, boiled or treated water - in that order of preference - for drinking, cooking or preparing food, washing utensils and surfaces, brushing teeth, hand washing, making ice, and bathing
• thoroughly clean any containers used to store water with hot soapy drinking-quality water, then rinse with a bleach solution before use
• only treat contaminated water if no drinking-quality water can be obtained.
  • Filter cloudy water through a clean cloth or allow it to settle, then pour off the clear water for boiling.
  • Boil the water vigorously for 1 minute then leave it to cool and store in a clean, covered container. Boiling will ensure water safe from most types of harmful bugs but will not remove chemical contaminants
  • Only if water cannot be boiled, treat it with chlorine or iodine tablets. Follow the directions that come with the tablets. This might not kill all bugs and will not remove any chemical contaminants.
     

One of the dangers of a fire can be toxic fumes from burning materials. Chemicals used to fight the fire can also contain toxic materials.

The heat from a fire can cause bacteria in food to multiply and grow so:

• Throw out any food that has been near a fire, including food in cans and jars even if it appears okay.
• Any raw food, or food in packaging such as cardboard, plastic wrap, screw-topped jars and bottles should also be thrown out.
• Throw out food from a refrigerator as the refrigerator seal isn't airtight, fumes can get inside.
• Wash cooking utensils exposed to fire-fighting chemicals in soapy hot water, then sanitise in 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach per 2 litres of hot water and rinse.

It is useful to make a note of the time the power failed.

Keep it cold! If the power supply is out for more than 4 hours, food in fridges can spoil. 

• Keep the refrigerator door closed as much as possible. A closed refrigerator should keep food cold for 4 hours.
• If food that’s meant to be in the fridge is allowed to warm for 2 hours or more, avoid eating it.

Freezers will usually not defrost and food will not spoil for at least 24 hours, provided the door has been kept shut. If frozen foods have thawed, they should not be refrozen but should be kept cold and eaten as soon as possible.

Keep it hot! Throw out food that was being cooked when the power failed if cooking cannot be completed properly within 2 hours. If food is already properly cooked, eat it within 2 hours or throw it out.

Businesses must not sell food that is unsafe or unsuitable.

• Use only drinking-quality (potable) water for activities on food premises.
• Salvaging canned food for resale is not recommended for food businesses.
• Food businesses must not re-label packaged foods unless permission is obtained from the NSW Food Authority.
• Ensure that discarded food cannot be collected by consumers. Councils may offer special collection.
• Food businesses can contact their local council for assistance with reopening their business.