How long does food keep during a power outage? CDC offers guidance

With hundreds of thousands of Michiganians without power since a severe storm Friday, some may be asking if it's still safe to eat the food in their refrigerator or freezer.

In general, refrigerators will keep food safe for up to four hours during an outage, and freezers for 24 hours if they are half full and 48 hours if they are full.

More: How DTE, Consumers customers can get $40 per day for power outages

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's motto in such instances is "When in doubt, throw it out," but offers the following food safefy tips.

Steps to take during an outage

■Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed.

■If the doors stay closed, food will stay safe up to: 4 hours in a refrigerator, 48 hours in a full freezer, 24 hours in a half-full freezer.

■If the power has been out for 4 hours, and a cooler and ice are available, put refrigerated perishable foods in the cooler. To keep them at 40°F or below, add ice or a cold source like frozen gel packs.

Steps to take after an outage

■Never taste food to know if it is safe to eat. When in doubt, throw it out.

■Throw out perishable food in your refrigerator (meat, fish, cut fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk, and leftovers) after 4 hours without power or without a cold source like ice. Throw out any food with an unusual smell, color, or texture.

■If you have an appliance thermometer in your refrigerator, check to see if it is still at 40 °F or below.

■Check temperatures of food kept in coolers or your refrigerator with an added cold source. Throw out food that has thawed or is above 40°.

■You can safely refreeze or cook thawed frozen food that still contains ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below.

More food safety tips, including charts for different types of foods, are at foodsafety.gov and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: How long does food keep during a power outage? CDC offers guidance