Food Safety

Check If Food Safe After a Power Cut

Never taste food to check if it's safe — If you’re not sure, it’s safer not to eat it.

If You Have a Fridge or Freezer

• Keep doors closed as much as possible.
• A refrigerator keeps food safe for up to 4 hours without power.
• A full freezer lasts 48 hours, half-full lasts 24 hours.
• If food feels warm or soft, or has a strange smell or texture, it’s best not to eat it.
• You can cook or refreeze food only if it’s still cold or frozen.
  

If You Have No Cold Storage

• Eat perishable food (meat, dairy, cooked rice) within 2 hours.
• If you have ice, use it to keep food cold for longer.
• Store food in a shaded, cool, and well-ventilated place.
• Use sealed containers to protect food from insects and animals.
• Reheat food fully until steaming hot before eating leftovers.

When Food Is Unsafe To Eat

Do not eat:

• Food that has not been refrigerated or frozen properly due to power outages.
• Food that may have been in floodwater or sewage water.
• Food with an unusual odour, colour or texture.
• Foods in cracked or broken glass containers.
• Food in containers that are bulging, opened or damaged (dented cans may allow for bacteria to grow within the can). 

Food Touched By Floodwater

Do not eat these foods:

• Food with unusual odour, colour, or texture
• Cans or food containers that are bulging, open, or dented
• Food not in waterproof containers or cans
• Food canned at home
• Food in cardboard containers (including juice, milk, and baby formula)
• Food in containers with screw caps, snap lids, crimped caps, twist caps, flip tops, and snap-tops

Throw out these items if flooded:

• Wooden cutting boards
• Baby bottle nipples and pacifiers

Safe Food Preparation

Before preparing food or eating:

• Wash hands, dishes, and utensils with safe water if available.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after using the toilet or touching animals.
• If no soap:
• Use hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol), or
• Rub hands under clean water and dry — this will rinse some germs from your hands, even though it's not as effective as washing with soap. 

When Food Supplies Are Low

• If activity is reduced, healthy people can usually survive on half their usual food intake for an extended period.
• Children and pregnant women should not skip meals.
• Eat at least one well-balanced meal each day.
• Include vitamin, mineral, and protein supplements in your diet if you can.

When Water Is Limited:

• Avoid salty foods — they make you more thirsty.
• Instead, eat:
  • Plain rice
  • Canned food with liquid or juice
  • Boiled soft vegetables if available

How to stretch limited food supplies:

• Eat smaller portions and focus on high-energy foods (rice, beans, oil, canned fish).
• Eat together as a household to avoid waste.
• Soak dried foods (like beans) to reduce cooking time and fuel usage.
• Prioritise food for children, pregnant women, the sick, and elderly.

Longer-lasting Foods

Choose foods that are filling, give energy, and don’t spoil easily.

Dry Foods

• Rice
• Dried beans, lentils, chickpeas
• Peanuts
• Dried fish
• Instant or dry noodles

Root Vegetables:

• Sweet potatoes
• Yams
• Onions
• Garlic
• Taro

Canned Foods:

• Canned fish
• Meat
• Vegetables
• Canned beans or chickpeas

Other Useful Foods:

• Fermented tea leaves (laphet) 
• Instant porridge​ (oats)
• Jaggery (palm sugar)

How To Spot Food Poisoning

Symptoms of food poisoning include:

• feeling sick or being sick
• diarrhoea
• tummy pain
• a high temperature
• feeling generally unwell

The symptoms usually start within a few hours or a few days of eating food that caused the infection, but in some cases, they may take up to a few weeks to appear.

Food Poisoning can sometimes be serious. Learn how to treat mild cases at home and which symptoms mean you need urgent medical help in our Food Poisoning Guide.