Food Safety and Toddlers

Explore Other Kids and Climate Health Impacts

Find information on how climate change can affect food safety and children’s health. Start by reading the fictional story of a toddler who is affected by food illness and learn how similar situations can affect kids across the country. Also get tools to help families prepare and cope with outcomes from climate-related activity. Finally, check out the regional spotlight.

On this page:

Climate Change Impacts
Impacts on Children’s Health
More Resources

Emery's Story

Extreme heat can be a burden to the electricity grid, causing frequent power outages. Three-year-old Emery and her family lose power overnight, but the power is restored by the morning. Because the fridge is back on, the family cooks breakfast with food from the fridge. Emery gets sick after eating the food.

Climate Change Impacts

A variety of climate impacts including extreme heat, hurricanes and cold spells can lead to large scale power outages.¹ The variability of winter storms is increasing with climate change, hurricanes are projected to intensify, and extreme heat is expected to increase.¹
Extreme temperatures increase energy demands which can stress electricity operations and lead to power outages.²
Power outages are also more likely after thunderstorms, which are expected to become more intense as a result of climate change.³

Impacts on Children's Health

Foodborne illness, also referred to as food poisoning, is dangerous for children because of the risk of dehydration associated with vomiting or diarrhea. Since children’s bodies are small, they can quickly lose a lot of body fluid and become dehydrated. Children under the age of five are at greatest risk of foodborne illness.⁴
Children under the age of five are at increased risk of complications from foodborne illness. Signs of more serious forms of food poisoning may include urinating less often, fatigue, and loss of the pink color in the cheeks and inside the lower eyelids. These symptoms typically develop around a week after other symptoms dissipate.⁴

What can I do?

If your child has symptoms of food poisoning, DO contact a health care provider.
DO keep appliance thermometers in the refrigerator to ensure proper temperatures (refrigerator at or below 40°F, freezer at or below 0°F). Learn more about proper refrigeration.
In case you lose power, DO take steps to ensure you know how long the power has been out. Ideas for keeping track of power outages include plugging an analog, AC-powered clock into the same circuit as the refrigerator and checking that the clock has properly kept time, or keeping a frozen cup of water in the freezer and placing coin on top to see if the coin remains on top of the ice (if the freezer thaws and refreezes, the coin may sink to the bottom). When in doubt, assume that the power has been out since you last checked the power to the fridge.
DO have a cooler and ice packs handy in case you need a temporary way to keep food cold.
During a power outage, DO keep the doors of your refrigerator and freezer closed. If the doors are closed, food will stay safe for up to four hours in the refrigerator, 48 hours in a full freezer, and 24 hours in a half-full freezer. Learn more about keeping food safe during a power outage.
After four hours, if a cooler and ice are available, DO move perishable foods to the cooler and use a thermometer to ensure the temperature stays at 40°F or below. Learn more about keeping food safe during a power outage.
When in doubt, DO throw out perishable food. Use this helpful chart to determine what food is safe after 4 hours without power, and which foods should be thrown away from the refrigerator (pdf) and from the freezer (pdf).
DO remember to use ventilation and shading strategies to help control indoor air temperatures.
If you are struggling to provide your family with food after a power outage, DO reach out to a food assistance program. Programs like the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) may be applicable to individuals experiencing disaster related expenses, such as loss of food due to power outages. Find nutrition assistance.

What should I not do?

DON'T consume any perishable food after four hours without power if you don’t have a cooler with ice or another method of refrigeration.
If you need temporary power, DON’T use a generator inside your home, garage, shed, or similar enclosed areas. Generator exhaust contains deadly carbon monoxide. Learn more about how to safely provide power during a power outage.
DON’T try to heat your home by using combustion appliances such as gas stoves or ovens.
DON’T use unvented combustion appliances (such as barbecues, hibachis, camp stoves, or gas heaters) indoors for cooking and heating. These actions can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Regional Spotlight: Extreme Heat and Energy Implications in the Northwest and Southwest

The Northwest includes Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The Southwest includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

Increases in extreme heat⁵ and days requiring energy for cooling have also increased in the regions and are projected to continue to increase.⁶ This will increase the stress on energy systems.
During extreme heat events, power lines can sag due to the expansion of metal as it heats. This, combined with increased energy demands during extreme heat, can cause power failures. The sagging of power lines can also increase risk of wildfire, and lead to cascading power outages.⁷