H-E-B dumpster divers stocked up on ‘free food’ in Austin. Here’s how long food lasts
More than 250 Austin residents riffled through the food thrown away in a Southeast Austin H-E-B on Thursday, but authorities and H-E-B representatives said the food was not safe to eat.
Thousands of Austin Energy customers were impacted by power outages this week, with just under 115,000 customers still impacted as of Friday afternoon.Tree branches falling or leaning on power lines largely contributed to the outages in Austin with fallen trees making roads impassible.
Area roadways were gridlocked from people stocking up after someone posted the dumpsters were full of “Free Food!,” Travis County Constable Pct.4 George Morales III said on Thursday.
DON'T EAT IT: People who took food from dumpsters at an H-E-B in Southeast Austin are being warned not to eat it.
INFO: https://t.co/PiJhhxauyr pic.twitter.com/x5MDz7sa5g— CBS Austin (@cbsaustin) February 2, 2023
“The food is rotten and spoiled, and is unsafe to eat,” he said. “The area was cleared by our office. If you know someone that got food, let them know it is not safe.”
One Twitter user claimed if the food was sealed and outside temperatures were under 40 degrees it was safe to eat and that grocery companies “don’t want to bother with the logistics of giving it away.”
Johnny Mojica, H-E-B public affairs manager, said in a response that H-E-B donates more than 34 million pounds of food to food banks each year. The Texas-based grocery chain is moving in to North Texas, with construction already started on its Mansfield location.
“We have strict food quality and safety standards, we are required to dispose of certain perishable foods when they are not properly temperature controlled,” he said.
H-E-B donates more than 34 million pounds of food to food banks each year to support Texans in need. We have a strict food quality and safety standards, we are required to dispose of certain perishable foods when they are not properly temperature controlled.
— Johnny Mojica (@johnnyamojica) February 3, 2023
In a statement from HEB obtained by CBS Austin, the company said, “Due to a sustained power outage, the store was unable to keep certain perishable foods at proper temperatures. To adhere to strict food quality and safety standards, we are required to dispose of certain perishable foods when they are not properly temperature controlled, which also prevents us from donating the items to food pantries and food banks.”
How long does refrigerated food last without power?
U.S. Food & Drug Administration regulations state that refrigerated perishable food should be thrown away if refrigerator temperatures are above 40 degrees for four hours.
Depending on how long HEB’s refrigerators were without power, food reaching above 40 degrees would have been required to be thrown out, per FDA regulations.
