A member asked:

Is it ok to eat food from a refrigerator that has no power?

13 doctors weighed in across 8 answers

Depends: different foods spoil at different rates, so it depends on how long the power has been off. Keeping the refrigerator door tightly closed helps maintain a cooler temperature. If you open the door, do it for the shortest possible time. Most food, even when spoiled, is not dangerous, since most of the bacteria are not disease-causing, but can upset your stomach and tastes bad.

Answered 10/10/2016

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Dr. Mary Clifton answered

Specializes in Internal Medicine

Probably.: Many foods can still be eaten, such as fruits and vegetables, but meat and dairy shouldn't be eaten is they haven't been kept cold. Look for canned foods or foods from the freezer that have just defrosted. Also, dry foods like grains and beans are safe to cook and eat.

Answered 10/10/2016

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Dr. Frank Amico Jr answered

Specializes in Internal Medicine

No: No I would not advise that you do that.

Answered 10/10/2016

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Well : Food that does not need to be refrigerated is OK .Also cheese is usually OK and ketchup and mustard and oil and olives are usually OK

Answered 10/10/2016

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Dr. Deborah Josefson answered

Specializes in Internal Medicine

It depends: It depends on the food, how long the power was down and whether or not the food was spoiled-

Answered 11/6/2016

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Ok: If is a short time is ok.

Answered 10/10/2016

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Depends: Many foods will last for a day after refrigeration . If the food has not been exposed to flooding or contamination and it is well sealed used your best judgment. Obvious bad smells or evidence of exposure to contamination, and I would not recommend eating it.

Answered 10/30/2016

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Be safe: It depends upon how long the food was exposed to the equivalent of room temperature. It's better to be on the safe side and throw out the food as it most likely will be spoiled after several hours without power.

Answered 10/11/2016

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