Food

Eating food that has been contaminated or spoiled could make you ill.

Most perishable food in the tropics will spoil after three hours without refrigeration.

Throw out food that has been contaminated by floodwater or that has started to spoil.

If in doubt, throw it out.

Don't open your fridge or freezer door unnecessarily. If the power has failed for longer than a day, food in refrigerators may be unsafe to eat. Food in the freezer will start to thaw unless the freezer was previously stocked with ice.

Eat perishable foods in your fridge first (such as dairy products and meat) as they will spoil faster than frozen food.

Partly thawed food should be eaten immediately, or may be cooked thoroughly and refrozen, but do not refreeze partly thawed food.

Veggie gardens

Floodwater may have contaminated your vegetable or herb garden. Some garden produce may be salvaged and sanitised. Peeling and cooking is recommended to prevent food illness.

• Your garden will take about a month to become clean after floodwater inundations
• Discard leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach, and Asian vegetables such as pak choy, as well as soft berries and herbs. These are highly susceptible to bacterial contamination that is difficult to remove
• Wash beans, peas, tomatoes, capsicums in water, and then soak in a weak chlorine solution of two tablespoons chlorine bleach to four litres of water. Peel and cook them thoroughly before eating
• For underground vegetables such as carrots and potatoes, wash in water and sanitise as above. Peel and cook thoroughly before eating
• Produce with a protective outer skin, such as peas, melons, corns or oranges, should be washed and disinfected before the outer shell, skin or husk is removed then shell, peel or husk the produce and cook if possible