'When in doubt, throw it out': Health officials warn about food amid outages

As tens of thousands of people grapple with prolonged power outages in the Ottawa area, the city's public health officials are urging residents to be cautious about what food they eat.

Sherry Beadle, a manager of health of protection at Ottawa Public Health, said, on average, food that requires refrigeration should be thrown out after more than 8 hours without any exposure to cooler temperatures — meaning much of what is left in darkened local fridges should be disposed of to avoid exposure to foodborne illness.

"When the temperature gets closer to room temperature then products start to become compromised," she said in an interview. "Potential bacteria can grow and then the quality deteriorates as time goes on."

Frozen food can be kept for longer periods of time — anywhere from two to three days — as long as the freezer door remains firmly shut during a period of power outage, she said.

She also said it depends on just how much food is in a freezer, adding the more products there are in a confined space the sooner they will begin to defrost and become susceptible to pathogens.

Beadle said there is an apt expression people use in the public health space: "When in doubt, throw it out."

She said, where possible, people should try and move potentially more hazardous food products — like meats, poultry, and cheese — to a friend's home to avoid spoilage.

City officials are also urging restaurants that have lost power to remain closed to the public until they have had their electricity restored.

Inspectors with the public health agency will be surveying impacted areas over the next couple of days, ensuring restaurants have closed their doors unless they have access to a generator that allows them to maintain adequate food safety standards.