Disasters can strike without warning, making it crucial to always be prepared. While many facilities are equipped with backup generators, malfunctions or activation delays can compromise food safety. Staff must be trained to identify which equipment is connected to the emergency power supply, ensuring seamless operations during outages.
During power outages, keeping refrigerator and freezer doors closed is critical to maintain safe temperatures. Doreen Rodo, MEd, RDN, LD, Dietitian Consultant, states, “Keeping track of food temperatures was our priority during a recent power outage. Working with the dietary manager, we checked temperatures prior to using perishable foods to ensure the food was safe. It was a challenging experience, but crucial to protect those who depend on us.”
Best Practices for Using Perishable Food Items During Emergencies
In the event of a power outage, it is crucial to have a well-structured plan for utilizing
food supplies to meet resident’s nutritional needs while maintaining food safety and optimizing supplies. Prioritize using food in the following order, checking temperatures regularly to ensure food remains safe for consumption.
- Perishable fresh foods (use within the first 1-3 days)
- Refrigerated meats, other protein-containing foods
- Dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yogurt
- Refrigerated fruits and vegetables
- Perishable fresh fruit such as bananas, pears, and peaches
- Frozen meats, vegetables, and other frozen foods
- Frozen oral nutritional supplements, ice cream, other frozen desserts
- Fresh and frozen muffins, bagels, pastries, and bread
- Shelf-stable foods
- Canned or aseptically packaged foods
- Dry goods and other shelf-stable items
Maintaining well-balanced meals and honoring individual dietary requirements is the goal throughout this process. Pay close attention to food allergies, intolerances, and texture modifications, providing alternatives when needed. Be mindful of religious, social, or cultural dietary customs. By carefully planning food usage and monitoring conditions, facilities can help ensure residents’ nutritional needs are safely met, even in challenging circumstances. Use this meal pattern for disasters to meet dietary requirements.
Adhering to Regulations
Adherence to emergency preparedness regulations is essential for ensuring both safety and compliance. Best practice is to have 7 days of food, water and supplies on hand for emergencies. However, some regulations use 3 days, 4 days, or even 10 days. Check state, federal, and Joint Commission regulations and follow the more stringent recommendations. Regularly reviewing and updating your emergency food service plan will help ensure your facility meets expectations and remains prepared for the unexpected.
Emergencies can disrupt normal food service operations—but with the right planning, you can continue to provide safe, nourishing meals for all your residents.
We’ve created Sample Emergency Menus for both Regular and Pureed Diets, designed to help you make the most of your perishable and non-perishable food supplies.
Putting it into Practice
Food in refrigerators can remain safe for up to four hours without electricity if the doors to the unit remain closed – only open the refrigerator when a complete list of what is needed is available to minimize exposure. Place blankets or towels around the seals to keep cold air in the units. Always verify the internal temperature with a thermometer; the refrigerator should stay at 41°F or lower to ensure food safety.
A full freezer should hold temperatures for about 48 hours or 24 hours if half full. Food will begin to thaw but may remain below 41°F for up to 3 days. Susan Wadsworth, Certified Dietary Manager, shared that when she lost the use of her freezer during a blizzard, “I had the dietitian change the menu to use up items like burgers and fish first because they had quicker thaw times. Items like pork loins, roasts, and hams were saved for last as they took longer to defrost.”
Food safety is paramount. Never use items that might be spoiled, and avoid tasting
questionable foods, as appearance and smell alone cannot guarantee safety.
Even when using a generator, power output may not be as strong as electricity, so it’s best to keep a close eye on refrigerator temperatures. Jennifer DeYoung, RDN, Director of Food Service/Chief Clinical Dietitian, suggests the following when using the generator: “Temperature logs for coolers are monitored closely to ensure they are functioning correctly on generator support. If temperatures fail to meet safe guidelines, we switch to shelf-stable products.”
Final Thoughts
Losing power in a food service operation presents serious challenges, but with advanced preparation, staff training, and strict protocols, facilities can ensure patient/resident safety and food security. By staying organized, prepared, and vigilant, facilities can protect their most vulnerable, even during unexpected outages.
Resources
- Dorner, B. Policy & Procedure Manual: For Food and Nutrition Services in
Healthcare Facilities. Becky Dorner & Associates, Inc. Dunedin, FL. 2023 Edition. - Dorner, B. Emergency and Disaster Planning for Food and Nutrition Services. for
Becky Dorner & Associates, Inc. Crozet, VA. 2025 Edition. - U.S. Department of Health and Juman Services. Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services. State Operations Manual Appendix PP – Guidance to
Surveyors. (Rev. 225, 08-08-24). F812 Food Safety. - 2022 Food Code. US Food Drug Administration website.
https://www.fda.gov/food/fda-food-code/food-code-2022. - Food Safety During Power Outage. Food Safety.gov website. Refrigerated Food
and Power Outages: When to Save It and When to Throw It Out and Frozen
Food and Power Outages: When to Save It and When to Throw It Out.
https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/food-safety-during-power-outage