Media Release: Food safety during load shedding

For Immediate Release
17 December 2022

Load shedding occurs often in South Africa. Other countries in the northern parts of Africa and the Middle East, also experience power outages on an average of 23.5 times a month which lasts on average 9.4 hours at a time. South-East Asia is hit with an average of 17 power outages a month, lasting over an hour each time.

These outages have a direct impact on food safety. Three (3) factors are at play here – the length of the outage, its frequency of it and where food is stored.

One key fact to remember is: As long as it is cold, food should be safe.

Food in a refrigerator may be safe as long as:

• Power outages do not last longer than four hours
• the fridge door is closed
• the temperature of the refrigerator was at 4 °C when load shedding started.

Food safety issues including spoiling are especially likely to occur with perishable goods such as fresh meat, poultry, fish, soft cheeses, milk, and leftover food (depending on how long they were stored before load shedding started). The recommended temperature for the fridge to operate at, for food to remain safe to consume, is 4°C. It is therefore a better option to discard perishable food stored in a fridge that operates at a temperature higher than 4°C, especially when load shedding took place for two (2) or more hours.

Different bacteria grow at various temperatures. For every 1°C increase above that minimum growth temperature, the bacteria growth rate will double (depending on the type, living environment and access to nutrients).  It is therefore essential to keep the door closed to ensure that the refrigerator stays as cold as possible during a power outage

If a freezer door is kept closed, frozen food will stay frozen for up to 48 hours. Perishable food must be cooked as soon as possible if they begin to defrost. Refreezing perishable food is dangerous.

Given the price of food, one is hesitant to discard it, but weighed against the risks of consuming unsafe food – it is best to discard it. Some perishables might not necessarily smell or taste much different but may be filled with bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses.

If one knows the load-shedding schedule, one can prepare for it as follows:

• Ensure that the temperature in the refrigerator is 4 °C or as near to it as possible.
• Frozen leftovers, milk, fresh meat and poultry, fish, and other goods should be moved from the fridge to the freezer that you might not need right away.
• Buy fresh food in smaller quantities, prepare it fast, and enjoy it instead of buying it in bulk and storing it in the fridge.
• Take special note of purchasing long-lasting items, such as unopened canned foods and sterile or ultra-heat heated temperature drinks. These have a lengthy shelf-life outside of the fridge, however, once they’re opened, they too need to be chilled.
• Another method used to keep perishable goods as cold as possible for as long as possible is to place ice packs around the items in the fridge.

Voedselveiligheid tydens beurtkrag

Beurtkrag kom dikwels in Suid-Afrika voor. Die lengte en frekwensie van beurtkrag kan ‘n impak hê op die veiligheid van voedsel wat in ‘n yskas gestoor is. Belangrike riglyne en inligting word verskaf:

Solank dit koud is, sal voedsel veilig wees.

1. Voedsel in ‘n yskas behoort veilig te wees solank daar nie meer as vier-uur se kragonderbrekings is nie.
2. Die yskasdeur geslote bly.
3. Die temperatuur van die yskas 4 °C was aan die begin van beurtkrag.

Voedselveiligheidskwessies, insluitend bederf, sal veral met bederfbare goedere voorkom. Voorbeelde is:

• Vars vleis
• Vars pluimvee (witvleis)
• Vars vis
• Melk
• Sagte kase
• Moontlik selfs oorskiet, afhangend van hoe lank dit in die yskas was voor beurtkrag.

Die aanbevole temperatuur vir yskaste is 4 °C, hoewel ons in Suid-Afrika weet dat die meeste verbruikersyskaste teen hoeër temperature werk. Dit is dan die beste om voedsel in die bogenoemde lys weg te gooi as die onderbreking langer as twee-uur is EN waar die yskastemperatuur hoeër as 4 °C is.

Wenk: Plaas ‘n termometer in die yskas, dit is die enigste manier om yskas temperature te monitor.

Verskeie soorte fungi en bakterieë begin groei by verskillende minimum temperature, maar tydens elke 1°C toename bo die minimum groei temperatuur, groei bakterieë in voedsel (verdubbel) vinniger. Dit is dus noodsaaklik om yskasdeure toe te hou om te verseker dat die temperatuur so laag as moontlik bly tydens beurtkrag.

As u vrieskasdeur toe gehou word, sal bevrore kos vir ongeveer 48-uur gevries bly. Bederfbare kos moet so gou as moontlik gaargemaak word as dit om enige rede begin ontdooi, aangesien dit NIE hervries MOET word nie.

Gegewe die prys van kos, is ‘n mens huiwerig om dit uit te gooi, tog kan u nie ongesonde kos proe of ruik nie. Onveilige kos ruik en proe soms nogsteeds redelik, maar wanneer ‘n maaltyd vreemd ruik, dui dit daarop dat voedsel bederf het

Indien u die beurtkragskedule ken, kan u soos volg daarvoor voorberei:

• Maak seker dat die temperatuur in die yskas 4 °C is of so naby as moontlik daaraan.
• Bevrore/gevriesde oorskietkos, melk, vars vleis en pluimvee (witvleis), vis en ander kossoorte kan van die yskas na die vrieskas geskuif word.
• Koop vars kos in kleiner hoeveelhede, berei dit vinnig voor en geniet dit in plaas daarvan om dit in grootmaat te koop en dit vir ‘n lang tyd in die yskas te stoor. Stoor voedsel in ‘n vrieskas i.p.v. ‘n yskas.
• Die raklewe van blikkieskos en steriele of UHT-drankies is langer, maar sodra enige van dié items oopgemaak word moet dit verkoel word.
• Om bederfbare items so lank moontlik, so koud moontlik te hou, kan u ook bevrore/gevriesde yspakkies rondom dit in die yskas plaas.

Ukhuseleko lokutya ngexesha lokucinyawa kombane

Ucimicimi wombane(loadsheding) wenzeka rhoqo eMzantsi Afrika. Amanye amazwe akumantla eAfrika nakuMbindi Mpuma, nawo afumana ukucinywa kombane ngomyinge wamaxesha angama-23.5 ngenyanga nto leyo ethatha umyinge weeyure eziyi-9.4 ngexesha. UMzantsi-mpuma we-Asia ubethwe ngomndilili wokucinywa kombane ka-17 ngenyanga, okuhlala ngaphezulu kweyure ngexesha ngalinye.

Oku kucima kunempembelelo ngqo kukhuseleko lokutya. Zintathu (3) izinto ezidlalwayo apha – ubude bokucima, ukuphindaphindeka kwayo nalapho kugcinwa khona ukutya.

Esinye isibakala esibalulekileyo esifanele sikhunjulwe kukuba: Logama nje kusabanda, ukutya kufanele kukhuseleke.

Ukutya okukwifriji kungakhuseleka okoko nje:

• Ukucima kombane akuhlali ngaphezu kweeyure ezine
• umnyango wefriji uvaliwe
• iqondo lobushushu lesikhenkcisi lalikwi-4 °C xa kwakuqalisa ukucima.

Imiba yokhuseleko lokutya kubandakanywa ukonakaliswa kunokwenzeka ukuba yenzeke ngeempahla ezitshabalalayo ezifana nenyama entsha, inkukhu, intlanzi, i-cheeses ethambileyo, ubisi, kunye nokutya okushiyekileyo (kuxhomekeke ekubeni zigcinwe ixesha elingakanani ngaphambi kokuba kuqale ukuchithwa komthwalo). Ubushushu obucetyiswayo ukuba ifriji isebenze kuyo, ukuze ukutya kuhlale kukhuselekile ukusetyenziswa, yi-4°C. Ngoko ke lukhetho olungcono ukulahla ukutya okonakalayo okugcinwe kwisikhenkcisi esisebenza kwiqondo lobushushu elingaphezulu kwe-4°C, ngakumbi xa kucinywa umthwalo kangangeeyure ezimbini (2) okanye ngaphezulu.

iibhaktheriya ezahlukeneyo zikhula kumaqondo obushushu ahlukeneyo. kuzo zonke i-1°C enyuka ngaphezu kweqondo lokushisa elincinci lokukhula, izinga lokukhula kwebhaktheriya liyaphindaphinda (kuxhomekeke kuhlobo, indawo yokuhlala kunye nokufikelela kwizondlo). Ngoko ke kubalulekile ukugcina ucango luvaliwe ukuqinisekisa ukuba ifriji ihlala ibanda kangangoko kunokwenzeka ngexesha lokumka kombane.

Ukuba ucango lwesikhenkcezisi luhlala luvaliwe, ukutya okunomkhenkce kuya kuhlala kungumkhenkce ukuya kutsho kwiiyure ezingama-48. Ukutya okonakalayo kufuneka kuphekwe ngokukhawuleza ukuba kuqalise ukunyibilika. Ukukhenkcisa kwakhona ukutya okonakalayo kuyingozi.

Ngokujonga amaxabiso okutya, umntu uyathandabuza ukukulahla, kodwa ulinganisa umngcipheko wokutya ukutya okungakhuselekanga – kungcono ukulahla. Ezinye izinto ezibolayo zisenokunganuki okanye zingcamle ngokwahlukileyo kodwa zinokuzaliswa ziibhaktheriya ezibangela izifo ezibangelwa kukutya.

Ukuba umntu uyayazi ishedyuli yokucinywa kombane, unokuzilungiselela ngolu hlobo lulandelayo:

• Qinisekisa ukuba iqondo lobushushu kwisikhenkcisi liyi-4 °C okanye likufutshane kuyo kangangoko.
• Intsalela ekhenkcezisiweyo, ubisi, inyama entsha kunye nenkukhu, intlanzi, kunye nezinye iimpahla kufuneka zisuswe efrijini zisiwe kwisikhenkcisi osenokungayifuni ngoko nangoko.
• Thenga ukutya okutsha ngemilinganiselo emincinci, kulungiselele ngokukhawuleza, kwaye ukonwabele kunokuba ukuthenge ngobuninzi uze ukugcine efrijini.
• Qaphela ngokukhethekileyo ukuthenga izinto ezihlala ixesha elide, ezifana nokutya okungavulwanga okunkonkxiweyo kunye neziselo ezinobushushu obungenazintsholongwane okanye obushushu kakhulu. Ezi zinobomi obude beshelufa ngaphandle kwefriji, nangona kunjalo, nje ukuba zivulwe, nazo zifuna ukugodoliswa.
• Enye indlela esetyenziswayo ukugcina iimpahla ezitshabalalayo zibanda kangangoko kunokwenzeka kukubeka iipakethe zomkhenkce ujikeleze izinto ezisefrijini.

ENDS