How Long Does Food Last in a Power Outage? Fridge and Freezer Guide

Key facts

• Refrigerator: keeps food safe for up to 4 hours if the door stays closed (FoodSafety.gov).
• Full freezer: holds a safe temperature for about 48 hours. A half-full freezer holds for about 24 hours if the door stays closed.
• The 40°F rule: discard perishable food that has been at 40°F or above for more than 2 hours.
• Refreezing: frozen food that still has ice crystals or is at 40°F or below can be safely refrozen, though quality may suffer.
• Dry ice: 50 pounds should hold an 18-cubic-foot freezer for 2 days (USDA FSIS).
• Never taste food to check whether it's safe. When in doubt, throw it out.
• Insulin: vials and cartridges can stay unrefrigerated at 59°F–86°F for up to 28 days (FDA).

The core numbers at a glance

Where the food is	How long it stays safe without power	Condition
Refrigerator	Up to 4 hours	Door kept closed
Full freezer	About 48 hours	Door kept closed
Half-full freezer	About 24 hours	Door kept closed
Cooler with ice	As long as food stays at 40°F or below	Add ice as it melts
18-cubic-foot freezer with 50 lb of dry ice	About 2 days	Don't let dry ice touch food

These times come from USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the CDC, FDA and Ready.gov give the same timeframes. They work best if you start at the right temperatures: USDA recommends keeping the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F or below.

Why 40°F is the line

Bacteria grow fastest between 40°F and 140°F, a range USDA calls the "Danger Zone." In that range, bacteria can double in number in as little as 20 minutes (USDA FSIS). That's why the cutoff is food held at 40°F or above for more than 2 hours, not whether it still feels cool or looks fine.

You can't rely on appearance or odor to tell whether food is safe, and you should never taste food to find out (FDA).

Before an outage: five things that buy you time

1. Put appliance thermometers in the fridge and freezer. An appliance thermometer shows the temperature no matter how long the power has been out. Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F or below.
2. Keep the freezer full. Fill empty space with frozen jugs of water, bags of ice or gel packs. The melting ice can also give you drinking water (FDA).
3. Group food together. Food packed closely stays cold longer.
4. Freeze what you won't need right away, such as leftovers, milk, and fresh meat and poultry.
5. Have coolers and gel packs ready, and find out now where to buy dry ice or block ice locally.

If a storm is in the forecast, check the weather alerts on our grid-threat monitor so you can prepare early. For the rest of your kit, see the grid-down preparedness checklist.

During an outage: keep the cold in

• Keep the doors closed. Every opening lets cold air out.
• After about 4 hours, move perishables to a cooler. Use enough ice or frozen gel packs to keep the food at 40°F or below, and add more as it melts (USDA FSIS).
• For a longer outage, get dry ice or block ice. Never touch dry ice with bare hands, and don't put it in direct contact with food.
• Know which food thaws first. Food at the front of the freezer, in the door, or in small, thin packages thaws faster than large, thick items at the back or bottom.
• Don't put food outside in the snow. Outdoor temperatures vary, and food can be exposed to animals and unsanitary conditions. Instead, fill buckets or empty milk jugs with water, leave them outside to freeze, and use that ice in your fridge, freezer or coolers.

To see how long outages typically last where you live, check our report on average power outage duration by state.

After the power returns: how to decide

Check the thermometers first. If the freezer thermometer reads 40°F or below, the food is safe and can be refrozen (FDA). If you didn't have a thermometer in the freezer, check each package. Food that still has ice crystals or is at 40°F or below is safe to refreeze or cook.

Refrigerated food: if the fridge was without power for more than 4 hours, discard perishable foods such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, soft cheeses, milk and leftovers (USDA FSIS). Also throw out anything that may have been dripped on by juices from raw meat, poultry or fish, and anything with an unusual odor, color or texture.

If you plan to eat refrigerated or frozen meat, poultry, fish or eggs that stayed at safe temperatures, cook each item thoroughly to its safe minimum internal temperature.

Refrigerator foods: keep or discard?

This table is based on the FoodSafety.gov and USDA charts. It covers food that has been at 40°F or above for more than 2 hours.

Food	Keep or discard
Raw or cooked meat, poultry, fish, seafood; soy meat substitutes	Discard
Lunchmeats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, dried beef	Discard
Pizza with any topping; casseroles, soups, stews	Discard
Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, yogurt, eggnog, soy milk	Discard
Baby formula, opened	Discard
Fresh eggs, hard-cooked eggs, egg dishes, custards, puddings, quiche	Discard
Soft cheeses (such as Brie, cottage, cream cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, queso fresco); shredded and low-fat cheeses	Discard
Hard cheeses (Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, provolone, Romano) and processed cheeses	Keep
Butter, margarine	Keep
Fresh fruits and vegetables, cut; pre-cut, pre-washed packaged greens	Discard
Fresh fruits and vegetables, uncut; fresh mushrooms, herbs, spices	Keep
Fruit juices and canned fruits, opened	Keep
Vegetable juice, opened	Discard
Cooked pasta, rice and potatoes; pasta salads; potato salad; fresh pasta	Discard
Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas; waffles, pancakes, bagels	Keep
Refrigerator biscuits, rolls, cookie dough	Discard
Cheesecake, cream-filled pastries, pies with egg or milk fillings	Discard
Fruit pies	Keep
Peanut butter; jelly, relish, mustard, ketchup, olives, pickles	Keep
Opened vinegar-based dressings; Worcestershire, soy, barbecue, hoisin sauces	Keep
Opened creamy dressings, opened spaghetti sauce, fish and oyster sauces	Discard
Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish	Discard if above 50°F for more than 8 hours
Cooked vegetables, cooked tofu, baked potatoes, commercial garlic in oil	Discard

Freezer foods: refreeze or discard?

Food	Still has ice crystals or feels refrigerator-cold	At 40°F or above for more than 2 hours
Meat, poultry, seafood (all cuts)	Refreeze	Discard
Soups, stews; pasta- or rice-based casseroles	Refreeze	Discard
Milk	Refreeze (some texture loss)	Discard
Ice cream, frozen yogurt	Discard	Discard
Hard cheeses	Refreeze	Refreeze
Soft, semi-soft and shredded cheeses; cheesecake	Refreeze	Discard
Fruits and fruit juices	Refreeze	Refreeze (discard if mold, a yeasty smell or sliminess develops)
Vegetables and vegetable juices	Refreeze	Discard after 6 hours above 40°F
Breads, rolls, muffins, cakes without custard filling	Refreeze	Refreeze
Cakes, pies and pastries with custard or cheese filling	Refreeze	Discard
Frozen meals, entrées, pizza, convenience foods	Refreeze	Discard
Flour, cornmeal, nuts; waffles, pancakes, bagels	Refreeze	Refreeze

Source: FoodSafety.gov. Refrozen food is safe, but it may lose some texture and flavor.

Refrigerated medications and insulin

Medicines need their own plan. Ready.gov recommends asking your medical provider ahead of time for a plan for refrigerated medicines, including how long they can be stored at higher temperatures (Ready.gov). Keep a cooler and chemical ice packs on hand for medicines that must stay cold (Ready.gov).

General rule: if the power is out for a day or more, the CDC and Ready.gov say to throw away medication that should be refrigerated, unless its label says otherwise. Contact your doctor or pharmacist for a replacement as soon as possible.

Insulin is one of the medicines whose labels do allow time out of the fridge. According to the FDA:

• Insulin is normally stored at about 36°F–46°F.
• Vials and cartridges, opened or unopened, may be left unrefrigerated at 59°F–86°F for up to 28 days and still work.
• Keep insulin as cool as possible, and out of direct heat and sunlight. If you use ice, don't let the insulin freeze. Never use insulin that has been frozen.
• Extreme heat makes insulin less effective. In an emergency you may still need to use insulin stored above 86°F. Monitor your blood sugar closely, and replace that insulin as soon as you have properly stored supplies.
• Insulin in an insulin pump that has been exposed to temperatures above 98.6°F should be thrown away.

Some products have different limits, so check your own medication's label and talk to your pharmacist. If someone in your home depends on refrigerated medicine, our step-by-step guide on what to do during a power outage covers how to prioritize in the first hours.

The bottom line

Keep the doors shut, and you have about 4 hours in the fridge and about 48 hours in a full freezer (24 if half full). Use thermometers rather than guesswork. Toss perishables that have been at 40°F or above for more than 2 hours, and refreeze frozen food that still has ice crystals. Plan separately for medicines: most refrigerated drugs should be replaced after a day without power, but insulin can stay unrefrigerated at 59°F–86°F for up to 28 days. When in doubt, throw it out.

PowerOutageTracker.com. "How Long Does Food Last in a Power Outage? Fridge and Freezer Guide." Accessed November 2, 2026. https://poweroutagetracker.com/guides/how-long-does-food-last-in-a-power-outage