As a result of flooded conditions in homes, large quantities of foodstuffs may be submerged in flood water or sewerage backflow. While efforts may be made to salvage certain of these foods which have been contaminated, many items cannot be safely salvaged and should be destroyed.
As a general rule, food should not be salvaged unless it is in a container that protects it and is one which can be thoroughly cleaned with soap and water and sterilized with boiling water or chlorine. Since paper, cardboard, wood, and most plastic food containers are not waterproof, foods in such containers which have been under flood water should be destroyed.
Throw out foods needing refrigeration if the refrigerator has been out for morethan six hours. Don't refreeze frozen foods which have thawed. Throw them outif they've been thawed for more than four hours.
Since seepage can carry harmful bacteria into all but airtight containers, thecontents of crown-capped bottles, screw-top glass containers (including cannedfoods in glass jars) should be destroyed. Sealed metal cans, if punctured,bulging, or leaking, are unsafe.
If airtight cans are in good condition, they can be salvaged, but they must becarefully cleaned and disinfected before using the contents.
Follow this procedure:
1. Remove labels. Keep the same kinds of foods together or mark them in away that will enable you to identify them after disinfecting. Colored crayonor adhesive tape may be used.2. Wash cans in warm water containing soap or detergent.3. Soak the cans for at least one minute in a disinfecting chlorine solutionmade by mixing four tablespoons of liquid, unscented, chlorine laundrybleach with two gallons of water. Rinse in clean, cool water.4. Glass jars must be discarded because filth can get up under the lip of thelid. The National Food Processors Association feels confident thatdiscarding commercially processed foods in glass jars and bottles is in theconsumers' best interests.5. Plastic cookware, utensils, plates, dishes and cups and wooden utensilsand bowls cannot be disinfected if exposed to flood water. Plastic babybottles and nipples, Tupperware, and other plastic containers must bedisposed of also.6. Garden produce that has been exposed to flood water is not safe to eat.Dispose of the produce – even root crops. We can only assume that allfloodwater has the potential to carry fecal waste.7. Home-canned foods are not safe to eat if they have been exposed to floodwater. The food should be discarded and the jar rings cleaned anddisinfected as above. The flats should be discarded.
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