After a Fire – Can we still eat that?

10/15/2021 (Permalink)

It is not recommended to eat foods that were affected in a fire. Inventory, then dispose of them quickly to avoid getting you and your family sick.

After a fire, it’s common to want to salvage your belongings as much as possible, and that includes food.  But the question remains:  Can that still be eaten?  Is it safe?  It barely got touched from the flames!  The truth of the matter is, opened or unopened, fires can contaminate all effects in a property.  Consuming food that was onsite and within close contact of a structural fire is unsafe to eat.

• Water and extinguishers used to put fires out carry toxic chemicals that are unsafe to digest;
• Fumes from smoke is a big indicator to throw it out;
• Soot can easily land on surfaces of food, whether packaged fresh and sealed, or canned and jarred.

So many factors of a fire easily contribute to an unsafe environment.  Be vigilant in your clean up, as smolder, ash, poisonous vapors, as well as other impurities infiltrate the air, which eventually ruins the food.  Even sealed foods rot soon after a fire, because the heat could have caused the foods to cook itself in its jar or can.

If you have questions or need assistance regarding a fire loss, give SERVPRO of South San Francisco City / San Bruno a call or text us at 650-794-1000.  We are here to help!