Commercial Refrigeration and Power Outages

With spring comes unpredictable weather. Do you have a plan in place for when the power goes out?

Power outages are especially risky for businesses in the foodservice industry. It's of utmost importance that you keep your food safe during emergencies -- even if your commercial refrigeration units have lost power. Otherwise, you put the health of your customers at risk.

According to the USDA, there are certain things you can do to plan ahead:

• Group foods together so that they stay cold longer
• Put leftovers, milk and fresh meat into the freezer
• Keep an insulated cooler filled with frozen gel packs on-hand
• Figure out where you can buy dry ice and block ice

 During a power outage, do the following:

• Keep your commercial refrigeration unit's doors closed
• If the power outage lasts longer than four hours, transfer perishable items to a cooler with ice packs
• Purchase dry ice or block ice

When the power is back, spend some time looking through your food for anything that might have spoiled. Remember, "When in doubt, throw it out!" We do not advise serving questionable foods to your clients.

Call East Coast Refrigeration at (631) 249-4556 for 24-hour emergency service. We service Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, New York City, and the entire Northeastern United States. Don't forget to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube for more tips.