Returning home from an evacuation: Kitchen and food safety
Check food for signs of going bad, even if it was stored in the fridge and there were no power outages at your home. Also check if any foods were exposed to ash or smoke residue. Discard food and clean kitchen tools as necessary.
When in doubt, throw it out
Did you know?
Spoiled food may not look contaminated.
Check food for signs of going bad, even if it was stored in the fridge and there were no power outages at your home. Also check if any foods were exposed to ash or smoke residue.
Only undamaged, commercially-prepared foods in sealed, unopened, airtight, waterproof cans, jars or pouches are entirely safe to use.
What to keep and what to clean
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Any food that has visible soot, ash, or smoke residue damage.
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Fire or smoke-damaged foods like dry goods (including flour, sugar, spices, rice, pasta, juice boxes, etc.) stored in porous or breathable packages (cardboard boxes, foam containers, plastic or paper bags), even if the package isn’t open.
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Frozen foods that have thawed. Once thawed, food should not be re-frozen.
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Food that still contains ice crystals or feels refrigerator-cold can be re-frozen, cooked and eaten, or re-frozen after it has been cooked.
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Unrefrigerated raw vegetables or fruits.
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Any refrigerated foods that show signs of being spoiled.
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Check the condition of stored food, and throw away any containers that have been damaged or are past their "best before" due date.
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Kitchen tools, such as silverware, utensils, cookware, and dishware, even if it was in a cupboard.
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Food preparation equipment, surfaces, dishes and utensils should be properly sanitized with a mild bleach solution. It is important to allow equipment, surfaces, dishes and utensils to air dry thoroughly before storing.
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Plastic and wood dishes or kitchen utensils may need to be thrown out if they are damaged from smoke. Smoke can be easily absorbed into these materials. If it does not look or smell damaged, wash it well before using it.
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If raw food leaked during thawing, clean and disinfect the areas the food has touched.
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Don't reuse the cloths you have used for clean-up until they've been disinfected by washing in hot water.
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You can also use paper towels for cleaning and disinfecting.
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Items in well-sealed containers can be kept as long as they are still in good condition.
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If possible, remove the labels on cans or pouches since they could have come into contact with dirt or bacteria. Be sure to re-label your cans or pouches, including the "best before" date, with a permanent marker.
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After labels are removed, cans can be cleaned by washing them for two minutes with a mild bleach solution - 5 ml (or 1 tsp) of bleach per 750 ml (or 3 cups) of water.
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Air-dry all cleaned food cans, jars and pouches to prevent potential contamination when the containers are opened.
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What do to if there was a power outage
Did you know?
Sometimes appliances can short circuit when the power goes out and will stop working even when power is restored.
Find out how long your power outage lasted. Check with the Public Safety Officer if you aren’t sure.
When appliances are out of power
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A full chest freezer will keep food frozen for up to 2 days
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A half-chest freezer will keep food frozen for 1 day
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A cooler or fridge will keep food cold for 4 hours
Discard any food stored in a refrigerator, cooler or freezer if the temperature was above 4°C at any time, or if power was out longer than times listed above.
Tap water
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When no one has been at home for several days, it’s a good idea to run water from all your taps for about 5 minutes continuously.
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This gets rid of old water that may have been sitting still in the pipes and water tanks in your home. It also replaces old water with fresh water from the community system.
If you have to discard any food items, take photos and write an inventory of what you needed to throw out. This will help you with any insurance claim for lost food costs.
Explore more
During an evacuation due to wildfires, ash, soot or smoke residue may have gotten inside of homes and buildings.
There are steps you can follow to cover financial losses from damaged goods, whether you are insured or not.
