Food Safety Tips from The City

From the Middletown Department of Health

 The City of Middletown is still feeling the effects of Winter Storm Alfred.  As of 10 A.M. of Wednesday, November 02, 2011, Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P) is reporting that 48% of Middletown is still without power.  This equates to about 11,000 residents are still in the dark.  Mayor Giuliano is asking that residents remain patient while restoration is in progress.  While half of Middletown is still without power, there are still some communities that are totally dark. 

Residents are reminded to take all the necessary precautions when using alternate electrical generating and heating devices.  The area has seen a spike in both carbon monoxide (CO) and fire related incidents.  If residents have questions concerning the use of any alternate devices, they should be encouraged to contact their local Fire Marshal’s Office.  The Fire Marshal’s Office will be able to lead residents to the safest alternative. 

The city health department said it is important to prevent getting sick from food that has spoiled or water that has been contaminated. The department reminds residents when it comes to food safety: “if in doubt, throw it out” and suggested following state public health guidelines:

• The refrigerator will keep food at proper temperature for about four hours if the doors are not opened. A full freezer will hold a safe temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full)

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2-2-2 POWER OUTAGES

• If the temperature in your refrigerator or freezer goes above 40 degrees, throw away perishable foods such as beef, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, and cut fruits and vegetables

• Food can be safely refrozen if it still has ice crystals on it or has stayed below 40 F degrees

• Do not eat any food that has come in contact with flood water. This includes packaged food items in plastic, paper, cardboard, cloth, and similar containers that may have been damaged, as well as beverage containers with screw-caps, snap lids crimped caps (such as those found on soda bottles), twist caps, flip tops, and home canned foods because these tops cannot be disinfected properly

For more information on fire safety call (860) 883-0164. For more information on food or water safety, call (860) 344-3482