By Diane Wright Hirsch, UConn Extension emerita food safety educator

Frozen Foods

Food	Still contains ice crystals and feels as cold as if refrigerated	Thawed. Held above 40°F for over 2 hours
MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD, EGGS
Beef, veal, lamb, pork, and ground meats. Poultry and ground poultry	Refreeze	Discard
Fish, shellfish, breaded seafood products	Refreeze. However, there will be some	Discard
Eggs (out of shell) and egg products	Refreeze	Discard
DAIRY
Milk	Refreeze. May lose some texture.	Discard
Ice cream, frozen yogurt	Discard	Discard
Cheese (soft and semi-soft); cheesecake	Refreeze. May lose some texture.	Discard
Hard cheeses	Refreeze	Refreeze
FRUITS
Juices	Refreeze	Refreeze. Discard if mold, yeasty smell, or sliminess develops.
Home or commercially packaged fruit	Refreeze. Will change texture and	Refreeze. Discard if mold, yeasty smell, or sliminess develops.
VEGETABLES
Juices	Refreeze	Discard
Home or commercially packaged or blanched vegetables	Refreeze. May suffer texture and	Discard
BREADS, PASTRIES
Breads, bagels, rolls, muffins, cakes	Refreeze	Refreeze.
Cakes, pies, pastries with custard or	Refreeze	Discard
Pie crusts, commercial and homemade bread dough	Refreeze. Some quality loss may occur.	Refreeze. Quality loss is considerable.
OTHER
Casseroles, frozen meals/entrees, specialty items (pizza, sausage and biscuit, meat pie)	Refreeze	Discard
Flour, cornmeal, nuts, seeds	Refreeze	Refreeze
Breakfast items-waffles, pancakes	Refreeze	Discard

Refrigerated Foods, Held Above 40°F for Over Two Hours

MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD, EGGS
Raw or leftover cooked meat, poultry, fish, or seafood; meat substitutes; canned hams labeled “Keep Refrigerated;” lunch meats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage; caned meats and fish, opened	Discard
Meat, tuna, shrimp, chicken, or egg salad	Discard
Gravy, stuffing, broth	Discard
Pizza – with any topping	Discard
Casseroles, soups, stews	Discard
Fresh eggs, hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products; custards and puddings	Discard
DAIRY/CHEESE
Soft Cheeses: blue, Brie/Camembert, cottage, cream, Monterey Jack, ricotta, mozzarella, queso blanco, queso fresco	Discard
Hard Cheeses: Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, Provolone, Romano	Safe
Processed Cheeses	Safe
Milk, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, yogurt, eggnog, soy milk, butte	Discard
Margarine	Safe
Baby formula, opened; breastmilk	Discard
FRUITS
Fresh fruits, cut	Discard
Canned fruit, canned or bottled fruit juices, opened	Safe
Fresh whole fruits, coconut, raisins, dried fruits, candied fruits, dates	Safe
SAUCES, SPREADS, JAMS
Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce, horseradish	Discard if above 50°F for over 8 hours
Peanut butter, almond butter	Safe
Jelly, pickles/relish, mustard, catsup, olives; Worcestershire, soy, Hoisin, barbecue, taco sauces	Safe
Fish sauces (oyster sauce)	Discard
Opened vinegar-based dressings	Safe
Opened creamy-based dressings	Discard
Commercial garlic in oil	Discard
BREAD, CAKES, COOKIES, PASTA, GRAINS, CAKES, PIES, PASTRY
Bread, rolls, cakes, muffins, quick breads, tortillas, bagels	Safe
Refrigerator biscuits, rolls, cookie dough; waffles, pancakes	Discard
Cooked pasta, rice, potatoes, pasta salads; opened cans of pasta meals; Fresh pasta	Discard
Custard, cream or cheese filled pies/pastries; quiche, meringue pies; cheesecake	Discard
Fruit filled pies or pastries	Safe
VEGETABLES
Greens, pre-cut, pre-washed, packaged; sprouts	Discard
Vegetables, raw, uncut	Safe
Vegetables, raw, cut	Discard
Vegetables, cooked; tofu; baked potatoes; potato salad; cooked dried beans, hummus	Discard
Vegetable juice, opened	Discard

Sources:

• FDA Recalls, Outbreaks and Emergencies
• USDA FSIS. A Consumers Guide to Food Safety in Severe Storms and Hurricanes

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