Life is indeed tough nowadays that some would even consider throwing stored foods damaged by water a wasteful act. In as much as the water damage victims would want to discard everything that appears to be useless and contaminated, it is not that surprising that they want to salvage their food.



This is the experience of Lily, a plain housewife. She could vividly remember that morning when it felt like a deluge came and took over all her things, including most especially the fresh fruits and vegetables that she just bought minutes before the rain suddenly poured.

For three hours, her beloved goodies were exposed to the flood water. When the water finally submerged, Lily decided to throw away everything. Her husband stopped her and told her that foods after water damage could still be salvaged.

Really, but how? Isn't that dangerous --- salvaging water damaged foods?

According to the district health department of Reno in Nevada not all types of food affected by water damage should be thrown away; there are still far too many of those goodies that are worthy of a second look.

For every sealed processed food found in water damaged areas, those placed in a can, glass package, sealed metal drums, metal-lined casks or sealed wooden barrels; good news, your food products are more often safe for consumption.

However be on the look-out for leaks that may allow hazardous chemicals to penetrate your food.

Food that is placed inside sealed foil or cellophane containers however, deserve an even more intense inspection for some glass splinters, leaks and breaks.

As for flour and grain, we have to check and make sure that they are normally divided and free flowing; if it is already caked, then have it condemned. Foil packages with stain on its inner wrapper and chemically contaminated packages should be discarded as well.

By just mere suspicion or with pieces of evidence that reveal penetration, food in multi-layer bags should be thrown away. Other materials however, like wooden boxes, barrels, fiberboard cases, drums, cloth, paper and fiber containers, should also be scrutinized more closely because the material is reactive to water and thus may be biologically, chemically, or physically contaminated.

All the more suspicion goes for unpackaged food, any unusual trace or smell may give you the right to sentence them all to complete discarding in the garbage bin.

After water damage, the safest food that we can still eat is those inside refrigerators and freezers. However, if your fridge was damaged as well, one should refrain from opening and closing the refrigerator doors. Consumer perishables should be done away with as soon as possible. Likewise, discard spoiled items properly.

In salvaging food which is a remnant of water damage, any trace of contamination should be transferred immediately to a designated condemned food area, before anyone eats it.

Always remember that we can not ever risk safety for practicality, not only in cases of water damage but in all aspects of life.