Natural disasters impact thousands of Queenslanders every year. Each disaster has lasting effects on people, their property and their possessions.
Disasters can happen fast and without much warning. This means that it is hard to react to a disaster if you have not planned for one, especially in a school tuckshop.
Limiting tuckshop losses
Here’ s a few ways to prepare to limit loss of product, keeping in mind schools may close with short notice:
- Apply discounts to your foods, especially milk products and ice blocks. As soon as you know of closures, drastically decrease price.
- Change your menu to use up as much fridge and freezer stock in case of power outages.
- Inform school staff they can shop from your fridge/freezer as soon as we know of any school closures, at or around cost price.
- Move everything from cold room and small freezers to a walk in to help keep it frozen longer.
This will greatly reduce the amount of lost food if power is out for more than 12 hours.
Food Safety after a disaster
Following a disaster event (such as a flood, fire, storm or cyclone), there may be some food in your tuckshop that is not safe to eat, especially if power has been cut or if food has been in contact with contaminated floodwater.
After a disaster, it is recommended that you dispose of:
- food (packaged and unpackaged) that has been in contact with contaminated water (e.g. floodwater)
- food that has an unusual odour, colour or texture
- refrigerated food that has been left unrefrigerated or otherwise above 5°C for more than four hours
- frozen food after 48 hours if the freezer is full, or after 24 hours if the freezer is half full. If frozen food has partially thawed, do not re-freeze. The food should be eaten as soon as possible or disposed of.
Food Safety During Power Outages
A power outage can spell disaster for a school tuckshop. Not only does it limit how you can serve and operate, but it also puts your cold food and produce at risk.
When there is a power outage you need to take extra measures to reduce the risk of food-related illnesses.
What to do with cold food when the power goes off?
- Food can remain safe in your refrigerator and freezers without power for 2 hours
- Food stored at more than 5 degrees Celsius for 4 hours or more should be thrown out.
- If you have sufficient space in the freezer, after 2 hours remove foods from the fridge and place them in the freezer or an Esky with ice bricks.
- Avoid opening the freezer or fridge door as this will reduce the time the contents will remain frozen or cold.
- If your freezer is efficient, and its door seals are in good condition, it can maintain foods in a frozen state for between 1 and 2 and a half days.
- If you are unsure about the time that has passed or the temperature your food has been stored at, then throwing the food out is the safest option.
The ‘4 hour/2 hour rule’ for safe storage of food
The following actions are recommended for any potentially hazardous food that has been at temperatures between 5 °C and 60 °C for a total of:
- less than 2 hours – refrigerate or use immediately
- longer than 2 hours but less than 4 hours – use immediately
- 4 hours or longer – must be thrown out.
Make a note of the time the power went off. If available, use a watch and a thermometer to follow these time and temperature recommendations. Eat perishable foods first and save the dried and canned food until last.
Information sourced from: https://www.foodsafety.asn.au/when-the-power-goes-off/
