Outage start time turned into food safety limits
Enter the date and time the power went out and whether the freezer is full or half full. The page returns the 4-hour refrigerator limit, the freezer limit of 48 hours when full or 24 hours when half full, how much time is left or how much has passed at your reference time, and the time elapsed since the outage began. Leave the reference date and time blank to use the current time. Times print on a 24-hour clock with two digits.
The limits used, and where they come from
A refrigerator kept closed holds for about 4 hours, and after 4 hours meat, poultry, fish, soft cheese, milk, eggs, leftovers and prepared food are discarded. A freezer kept closed holds about 48 hours when full and about 24 hours when half full. Food that still has ice crystals or sits at 40°F or below can be refrozen. These figures are reported from US Department of Agriculture guidance, through news and university extension material rather than the original notice. Current as of October 2026.
Limits and disclaimer
The department advises never tasting food to judge whether it is safe. This page works out times only; it does not rule on individual items and it does not lay out what to do during an outage — for that, follow the US Federal Emergency Management Agency. Opening the door shortens the real limit.
Frequently Asked Questions
The reported guidance is that after 4 hours meat, poultry, fish, soft cheese, milk, eggs, leftovers and prepared food are discarded. The department also advises never tasting food to judge whether it is safe.
Food that still has ice crystals or sits at 40°F or below can be refrozen according to the reported guidance. Anything outside those two conditions is not treated as refreezable.
Kept closed, a full freezer is reported to hold for about 48 hours and a half-full one for about 24 hours. The page applies whichever figure matches the option you pick.