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Food Safety News published hurricane-recovery guidance on Oct. 9, 2026, drawing on USDA food-safety recommendations. It advises people not to taste food to test it, to discard food that may have contacted floodwater and to throw out refrigerated and frozen food after several days without power.
Food Safety News published hurricane-recovery guidance on Oct. 9, advising households to discard food that may have touched floodwater and to throw away refrigerated and frozen food if power has been out for several days. The recommendations also cover drinking water and kitchen items, addressing risks that can persist after a storm has passed.
The guidance says never taste food to judge whether it is safe. If a refrigerator and freezer have been without power for several days, it advises discarding their contents. The report points readers to a food-safety chart for evaluating items after an outage, but the source material does not reproduce that chart or specify a temperature-based time limit.
For water and beverages, the guidance recommends drinking only bottled water or other drinks that have not contacted floodwater. It warns that screw caps are not waterproof and says to discard beverages whose containers may have been exposed to floodwater. Where bottled water is unavailable, it directs readers to learn how to boil or disinfect water safely.
Food in packaging that is not waterproof should be discarded if floodwater contact is possible. The report identifies screw-cap, snap-lid, pull-top and crimped-cap containers as unsuitable for protecting food from floodwater. Undamaged commercially prepared food in all-metal cans or retort pouches may be salvageable if cleaned according to USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service instructions.
Protecting Food After Flooding
Floodwater can contaminate food containers and kitchen equipment, while an extended power loss can make refrigerated and frozen food unsafe. Following the advice can help households avoid eating items that may carry contamination or have been stored without reliable temperature control. The guidance is especially relevant when normal water, power and waste services are disrupted during recovery.
It also distinguishes between items that may be cleaned and those the report says should be discarded. Metal pans, utensils and ceramic dishes that contacted floodwater can be washed and sanitized, while porous or difficult-to-sanitize items such as wooden cutting boards should be thrown away. That distinction can help people make safer decisions without assuming that every item in a flooded kitchen can be recovered.
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USDA Guidance for Storm Recovery
The Oct. 9 report presents food-safety steps for the period after hurricanes, when flooding and prolonged outages may affect household food supplies. It refers readers to the USDA FSIS Consumer’s Guide to Food Safety: Severe Storms and Hurricanes for handling undamaged canned and pouch-packed foods, and to a separate chart for food affected by an outage.
For cleaning, the report says to wash metal pans, utensils and ceramic dishes that contacted floodwater with hot, soapy water, then rinse. It gives two sanitizing options: boil the items in clean water or immerse them for 15 minutes in a solution made with one tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water. It says to discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby-bottle nipples and pacifiers exposed to floodwater.
“Never taste a food to determine its safety.”
— Food Safety News report
Outage Details Still Matter
The source material does not state which hurricane prompted the guidance, identify affected locations or report how many households may be dealing with contaminated food or prolonged outages. It also does not include the referenced outage chart, so readers cannot use this article alone to assess each refrigerated or frozen item against specific time or temperature criteria.
Whether a particular food or container is safe can depend on its packaging and exposure to floodwater. The report directs readers to USDA materials for detailed instructions, but does not provide a list of all salvageable foods or a method for treating every possible water supply. When safety is uncertain, its advice is not to taste the food.
Where Households Can Get Help
People deciding whether food can be kept can consult the USDA FSIS Consumer’s Guide to Food Safety: Severe Storms and Hurricanes and the outage chart referenced in the Food Safety News report. For food-safety questions, the report lists the Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854, available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time in English or Spanish. USDA also accepts questions by email at MPHotline@usda.gov and through the Ask USDA live chat.
Households should continue to follow official local guidance as recovery proceeds, particularly for drinking water and flood-affected supplies. The source material does not announce a new deadline or further update to the recommendations.
Key Questions
Should I taste food to check whether it is safe?
No. The report says not to taste food to determine its safety. Discard food that may have contacted floodwater, and use USDA guidance to assess food affected by an outage.
What should I do with refrigerator and freezer food after several days without power?
The guidance says to throw away food in the refrigerator and freezer if power has been out for several days. It refers readers to a USDA-related chart for more detailed decisions after an outage.
Can I keep canned food that was exposed to floodwater?
The report says undamaged, commercially prepared food in all-metal cans or retort pouches may be saved by following the USDA FSIS storm and hurricane guide. It says food in packaging that is not waterproof should be discarded if floodwater contact is possible.
How do I clean dishes that touched floodwater?
Wash metal pans, utensils and ceramic dishes with hot, soapy water and rinse them. Then boil them in clean water or immerse them for 15 minutes in a solution of one tablespoon unscented liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water. Discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby-bottle nipples and pacifiers that contacted floodwater.
Where can I get food-safety help?
The report lists the Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time, in English or Spanish. Questions can also be sent to MPHotline@usda.gov or submitted through Ask USDA live chat.
Source: rss
