Can food be salvaged after a fire or flood? If salvage is allowed, what condition applies and what procedure is used?

• A. Yes, salvage is allowed if the container is damaged and you can reseal it
• B. If the container is intact and not damaged, remove the label and sanitize the container in 100 ppm for 1 minute
• C. Salvage is never allowed
• D. Salvage is allowed only if the food is nonperishable

Answer: (B)

Salvaging food after a fire or flood hinges on whether the container remains intact. If the container is unopened, undamaged, and not leaking, the food can be salvaged by treating the exterior, not the contents, as safe to handle. The proper approach is to remove the exterior label and sanitize the container surface with a chlorine solution at about 100 ppm for 1 minute. This external sanitation helps prevent cross-contamination during handling and re-labeling while the food inside stays protected by its intact seal.

If the container shows any damage—dented, bulged, leaking, or corroded—the food should not be salvaged because the seal may be compromised and contamination could have entered. Salvage is not restricted to nonperishable items; the key factor is the container’s integrity, not the food's inherent shelf life.

So, the best guidance is: salvage is allowed only when the container is intact and undamaged, and the procedure is to remove the label and sanitize the container exterior with 100 ppm chlorine solution for 1 minute.