Spoiled food?

[LordEd]

sounds like a manufactured story to me.

Great. Then we can move this to conspiracy then.

But to answer less conspiratorial stuff:
1. Insurance covers power outage food losses (at least mine does and it wasn't by special request).

2. Fresh meat spoils over time:
http://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/meatinrefrig.html
Ground meats: 1-2 days
Roasts/chops: 3-5 days
Cooked: 3-4 days

3. Freezer temperatures should be kept -18 to -23. Toronto was not consistently that cold (ranges between -18 and +3 in the last 2 weeks (http://www.accuweather.com/en/ca/toront ... ther/55488)

4. Agreed that thousands is probably excessive unless them mean collectively instead of per person or the 'housing' one is a community fridge. Insurance would probably ask for proof on that one.

[Always Sunny]

^^^Someone speaks with some reason, finally.

0 Celsius freezes pure water. All information I've found (posted with Toronto ice storm articles and separately) states freezers must be keep at -18 Celsius or colder. Toronto has barely touched that as a low and is currently sitting above zero.

Not to mention the fact there is zero temperature consistency. You cannot freeze, semi-thaw, refreeze, etc. foods and expect them to be completely safe to eat. This is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency urging people to dispose of perishables after the conditions have met certain (poor) criteria for food safety.

[dirtybiker]

When the wife and I saw this on the news...Food being thrown out because
of a power outage...we looked at each other in disbelief..

JUST COOK IT ALL!!!!!!!

Plain and simple, fire up the BBQ, light an old chair on fire...whatever it takes..

Just cook it all..

How hard is that???

Problem solved!!

Seems to me there are way too many 'victims' on the planet!!

[oneh2obabe]

JUST COOK IT ALL!!!!!!!
Plain and simple, fire up the BBQ, light an old chair on fire...whatever it takes..
Just cook it all..

Nice in theory if people are/were home when the power went out and had access to a bbq, etc. Either way, cooked food will last 3-4 days under proper refrigeration. After that, it's a crap shoot whether foodborne pathogens have contaminated the food item.

[oneh2obabe]

i haven't followed the story really at all, i mean toronto calls itself 'world class' but they can't keep the lights on, sounds like a manufactured story to me.

i have however watched the weather, and i believe i can recall that the power outage was blamed on an 'ice storm'. now it seems to me that means the temperature is freezing. so, how did this food spoil? stupidity.

You haven't followed the story and believe the power outage was blamed on an ice storm so it's alright in your mind to diss the people of Toronto who are experiencing a major blackout? Good god, didn't you look at any photos showing cars, bikes, trees, roads, etc. covered with anywhere from 1-2" of ice that accompanied the news articles?

When the folks in Shannon Lake were complaining about an 8 hour planned outage you were calling for reinforcements to help out, especially for the phantom dialysis patient you threw into the mix. Toronto experiences a major blackout and you call them stupid? Nope, you've got that award sewn up tight.

As for freezing temperatures ... guess you missed the part where temps were 1-4°C during the blackout. Not the greatest for storing food safely outside.

[alfred2]

Only stupid people would start this , and call others stupid.

[LordEd]

Some did try doing that:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/c ... -1.2475225

(Clips only, see link for full article)

Carbon monoxide poisoning is being blamed for two deaths in Ontario as residents try to stay warm following the weekend's ice storm, which continues to leave thousands in the dark.
...
Police say a gas-powered generator was running in the garage to help heat the home. Though the garage did not have access to the house, the CO fumes managed to seep in.
...
"Call volumes [are] at approximately four times their regular call volume," Ford said, specifically emphasizing the amount of emergencies related to carbon monoxide fumes.

"There were 110 carbon monoxide calls, typically there are 20."
...
Four residents, including a two-year-old child, were transported to hospital from their home on Danforth Road after using a charcoal barbecue for heating and cooking.

[Ken7]

Why could a person not just put their frozen food in a cooler and cover it with ice as often as required. Like we do when we go camping?

I do know that if you bury frozen meat in snow the meat will immediately begin to thaw even when the air temperature is well below freezing. I found that out the hard way.

If your house is FREEZING... your freezer will not warm up. Your freezer is no different than a cooler when it is not plugged in. If will not thaw as long as the temperature in your home is 0 C.

[Always Sunny]

If your house is FREEZING... your freezer will not warm up. Your freezer is no different than a cooler when it is not plugged in. If will not thaw as long as the temperature in your home is 0 C.

Your freezer is not set to zero Celsius. Frozen food should be kept at -18 Celsius or colder. This information is all over the friggen internet. Just because water can freeze at zero Celsius does not mean this is a food safe temperature.

So even if your house is zero Celsius, that's much warmer than your freezer, so yes...your food will thaw out. A FULL closed freezer can maintain a relatively safe temperature for about 48 hours and a 1/2 full freezer is about 24 hours. Tell that to the people who are still without power.

[Ken7]

Your freezer is not set to zero Celsius. Frozen food should be kept at -18 Celsius or colder. This information is all over the friggen internet. Just because water can freeze at zero Celsius does not mean this is a food safe temperature.

So even if your house is zero Celsius, that's much warmer than your freezer, so yes...your food will thaw out. A FULL closed freezer can maintain a relatively safe temperature for about 48 hours and a 1/2 full freezer is about 24 hours. Tell that to the people who are still without power.

It's actually -9.2 C which will prevent the growth of microorganisms, as I said as long as the temp was cold enough.

[oneh2obabe]

The ideal freezer temperature is 0°F (-18°C) for storing food, and -10°F (-23°C) is recommended when freezing food.

The ideal refrigerator temperature is 35-40°F (1.8-4°C). This range slows the growth of bacteria without risk of freezing foods. Regardless of what anyone says in terms of saving electricity do not turn your fridge thermostat any higher than 40°F (4°C).

The danger zone is the range in which bacteria in food can grow. The temperature range is 49°F and 140°F (4°C and 60°C) and food kept in this range for more than four hours should be thrown away to prevent food poisoning and other illnesses.

Son was without power for 3 days and the house temperature hovered between 5-7°C so yes, the food in the fridge was thrown out.

[Always Sunny]

Your freezer is not set to zero Celsius. Frozen food should be kept at -18 Celsius or colder. This information is all over the friggen internet...

It's actually -9.2 C which will prevent the growth of microorganisms, as I said as long as the temp was cold enough.

Every piece of information I've come across online, plus the information posted to articles about the ice storm/power loss have ALL said -18 Celsius or colder. Regardless, the temperature was never -9.2 Celsius or lower anyways, so food safety is out the door.

The ideal freezer temperature is 0°F (-18°C) for storing food, and -10°F (-23°C) is recommended when freezing food.

The ideal refrigerator temperature is 35-40°F (1.8-4°C). This range slows the growth of bacteria without risk of freezing foods. Regardless of what anyone says in terms of saving electricity do not turn your fridge thermostat any higher than 40°F (4°C).

The danger zone is the range in which bacteria in food can grow. The temperature range is 49°F and 140°F (4°C and 60°C) and food kept in this range for more than four hours should be thrown away to prevent food poisoning and other illnesses.

Son was without power for 3 days and the house temperature hovered between 5-7°C so yes, the food in the fridge was thrown out.

Exactly. Many days were well beyond what is considered safe. A "closed freezer" only acts as a cooler for 48 hours tops when the outside temperature is warmer than the freezer. When comparing the ideal -18 Celsius to the 5+ Celsius they were getting that's a huge issue for "frozen" food. Even fridge items aren't considered safe at that point.

[LoneWolf_53]

i haven't followed the story really at all, i mean toronto calls itself 'world class' but they can't keep the lights on, sounds like a manufactured story to me.

i have however watched the weather, and i believe i can recall that the power outage was blamed on an 'ice storm'. now it seems to me that means the temperature is freezing. so, how did this food spoil? stupidity.

You haven't followed the story and believe the power outage was blamed on an ice storm so it's alright in your mind to diss the people of Toronto who are experiencing a major blackout? Good god, didn't you look at any photos showing cars, bikes, trees, roads, etc. covered with anywhere from 1-2" of ice that accompanied the news articles?

When the folks in Shannon Lake were complaining about an 8 hour planned outage you were calling for reinforcements to help out, especially for the phantom dialysis patient you threw into the mix. Toronto experiences a major blackout and you call them stupid? Nope, you've got that award sewn up tight.

As for freezing temperatures ... guess you missed the part where temps were 1-4°C during the blackout. Not the greatest for storing food safely outside.

Amen to that.

I guess people living in housing projects that don't have balconies, are expected to store their food out in the parking lot, simply to appease an overly opinionated Castanet member.

[Donald G]

Don't know if it helps but you can not have an ice storm unless the precipitation comes down as rain or wet sleet and fully freezes AFTER it hits the ground or objects on the ground. The temperature at ground level must therefore be just below the freezing point during an ice storm. The air at ground level may get colder or warmer once the "ice" storm is over.

Warm upper air plus freezing surface temperature = ice forms on everything.

[Fancy]

I guess people living in housing projects that don't have balconies, are expected to store their food out in the parking lot, simply to appease an overly opinionated Castanet member.

I had to laugh at that.
Lots of people wouldn't have access to coolers to store food nor be able to store food outside safely anyway.