What is the priority for items during a 24-hour outage?

• A. Move all items to room temperature
• B. Reheat all items
• C. Get frozen items to a freezer
• D. Discard everything

Answer: (C)

During a power outage, keeping foods cold is the top priority to prevent bacteria from growing. Frozen foods stay safe longer because they stay at or near 0°F (-18°C). The best action is to move any items that are still frozen into a freezer so they remain properly chilled and protected for the duration of the outage. Keeping foods frozen minimizes spoilage and safety risks, whereas letting items warm to room temperature invites rapid microbial growth. Reheating all foods won’t guarantee safety if some items have thawed and possibly been above safe temperatures for too long, and discarding everything is unnecessary when many foods can be saved by staying cold or frozen. So, get the frozen items into a freezer.