When major outages occur, Central crews restore service as quickly as possible. No matter the length of an outage, do you know how long your food will remain unspoiled in the refrigerator or freezer?

Refrigerated or frozen foods may not be safe to eat after a power outage. Use these tips to minimize food loss and reduce the risk of illness.

• Refrigerated food will last four hours. After four hours, place refrigerated foods in a cooler with ice.
• Food in a half-full freezer will last 24 hours. Food in a full freezer will last 48 hours. 
• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. 
• Throw out any food with an unusual odor, color or texture.
• Throw out perishable food in your refrigerator after four hours without power or a cold source like a cooler with ice.
• When in doubt, throw it out! 

Safety tips were provided by Cooperative.com.