Be sure to follow food safety practices in the aftermath of hurricanes

Floods and extended power outages after hurricanes can jeopardize the safety of your food. It is important to take the appropriate steps to evaluate and discard certain foods and utensils after these events.

To stay safe, follow these tips:

• Never taste food to determine its safety

• Only drink bottled water or other beverages that have not come into contact with flood water. Screw caps are not waterproof, so throw away bottled water or other beverages that may have come into contact with flood water. If you don’t have bottled water, learn how to safely boil or disinfect water.

• Throw away any food that is not in a waterproof container if there is any chance it has come into contact with flood water. Containers with screw caps, snap lids, pull caps and crimped caps are not waterproof.

• Thoroughly wash all metal pans, utensils and ceramic dishes that came into contact with flood water with hot, soapy water. Rinse them and then clean them by boiling them in clean water or by immersing them for 15 minutes in a solution of one tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per liter of drinking water.

• Discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples and pacifiers that may have come into contact with flood water. These items cannot be stored after contact with flood water.

For food safety questions, call the Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854, Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm EDT (English or Spanish), email MPHotline@usda.gov or live chat on Ask USDA.

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