Food

You need to make sure food is safe to eat following a disaster or emergency.

Eating food that has been contaminated can be harmful to you and your family.

You should consider all of the following:

• eating food that has been contaminated or spoiled could make you ill
• most perishable food in the tropics will spoil after 4 hours without refrigeration
• you should throw out food that has been contaminated by floodwater or that has started to spoil - if in doubt, throw it out
• you should throw out food that has been in a fire or affected by heat or smoke
• don't open your fridge or freezer door unnecessarily - if a power outage is ongoing then 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). These will spoil faster than frozen food.
• partly thawed food should be eaten immediately, or may be cooked thoroughly and refrozen
• don't refreeze partly thawed food.

There is a real risk that bacteria and viruses which may be present in food can grow at high temperatures and cause people to become sick.

Food poisoning is not just unpleasant, but can cause serious health risks for vulnerable people, especially the young, the elderly, pregnant women and people who are immuno-compromised.

For more information, go to the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website.