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"  Hurricane Sandy is aiming for southern New Jersey&amp;#039;s shoreline with a powerful wind span stretching 175 miles. Eight to 12 inches of rainfall is expected, as well as sustained winds with gusts up to 80 miles per hour. In anticipation, residents of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic stood in long lines at supermarkets to stock up on necessary supplies. Now, armed with an arsenal of food and water, some are home preparing gourmet meals, while others are just waiting for the inevitable power outages and flooding. It is important to be vigilant about following food safety tips to protect you and your family from potential health hazards should a power outage affect your area. The following are some tips to help you know what can or should be done with the food in warming fridges and freezers. Flooded Food The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS) recommends that any food that has come directly in contact with floodwaters be thrown away. Food in unsafe, non-waterproof containers such as those with screw-caps, snap lids, pull tops, or cardboard boxes (like juice boxes or milk cartons) should also be discarded. Food in waterproof containers such as metal, commercially-made sealed cans, and retort pouches (like those that sometimes contain juice or seafood) are safe as long as they are cleaned, the labels are removed (as they sometimes are a breeding ground for bacteria), and they are properly sanitized. More from Delish: Dishes with Safety Risks The Refrigerator According to the CDC, if your power has been out longer than two hours, any food from your fridge that has a temperature higher than 40 degrees Fahrenheit on a food thermometer should be thrown out, except for these items: hard cheese, processed cheese, butter, margarine, vinegar-based dressings, fruit juice, opened canned fruit, candied and dried fruits, fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices, and raw vegetables. Of course, no food is safe if it has come in contact with any thawing meat, poultry, or fish juices. More from Delish: Food Safety Smarts The Freezer The FSIS says that a full freezer will hold its temperature and keep food safe for about 48 hours after the power has been disconnected, as long as the door remains closed. That number drops to 24 hours if the freezer is only half full. A food&amp;#039;s temperature should be checked before it is prepared or consumed, if it is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit it should be thrown away. Any leftover food in the freezer that still contains ice crystals or is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit can be refrozen once the electricity is restored. If you&amp;#039;re still preparing for the storm, the USDA offers a handy list of ABCDs on how to keep your food safe during an emergency:   A: Always keep meat, poultry, fish, and eggs at or below 40\u00B0F and frozen food at or below 0\u00B0F. Should you loose power, keep the fridge and freezer closed as much as possible to maintain the cold. A closed refrigerator will keep food safe for about 4 hours, and a full freezer with the door closed will keep food safe for about 48 hours (24 hours if only half full.) You can also buy dry or block ice to keep food cold. Fifty pounds of dry ice can maintain the temperature in an 18-cubic foot full freezer for up to two days. If your freezer isn&amp;#039;t full, pack foods together tightly to help them maintain their cold temperatures.  B: Be prepared for an emergency by stocking up on foods that don&amp;#039;t need refrigeration and can be eaten cold or heated outside on the grill (see above).  C: Consider how to store food in case of flooding. Options include high shelves that will be safe from contaminated waters or coolers packed with frozen gel packs.   D: Digital, dial, or instant-read thermometers help you know whether your fridge and freezer are still at safe temperatures.  More from Delish: Pantry Gourmet - 9 Impressive Recipes for On-Hand Ingredients Steer Clear of Too Many Comfort Foods While the immediate inclination may be to fight the anxiety and uncertainty of a natural disaster with high-fat, high-salt comfort foods, Dr. Marcia Magnus, professor of nutrition at Florida International University and a consultant to UNICEF, urges just the opposite. Chips and cookies can offer some immediate relief from weather-induced stress, but they ultimately lead to plummeting blood sugar and subsequent mood swings. Instead Magnus recommends opting for a hurricane diet full of vitamins and lean proteins, which can help you maintain a level head in the storm.  Find more great food content on Delish: Search for the perfect recipe from our homepageFind out the latest food newsGet a recipe book to save your favorite dishesSign up for our free newsletters Check us out on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.delish.com/food/news/a37564/hurricane-sandy-food-safety-tips-2012/>