Flooding

Flood water is dirty and can contain harmful bacteria, viruses or chemicals from silt and sewage that can cause illness. Listed below are some of the issues you may face and some tips to keep your food safe and prevent food poisoning. 

If your home has been flooded, it is important to prepare food correctly as flood water is not clean. Floodwater can also impact any home-grown fruit and vegetables grown in a garden or an allotment.

Top tips to avoid getting ill during a flood: 

• don’t eat any food that has come into contact with flood water
• canned food may be kept if undamaged as long as the cans are cleaned and sanitised before opening
• wash hands thoroughly with soap (or alcohol-based sanitiser if no access to clean water) before preparing food or eating
• thoroughly clean all surfaces, equipment, crockery, cutlery and utensils in hot, soapy water (or antibacterial spray/surface wipes if there is no access to clean water)
• do not refreeze food that has thawed while the power was cut
• if you live in an area that regularly floods, keep food in high cupboards or shelves.  

It’s important to continue to prepare and cook food safely. If you’ve no running water, you can use alcohol gels or wet wipes to clean hands before handling food.  

It’s important to clean all surfaces and kitchen equipment in hot, soapy water that have come into contact with flood water. If you don’t have access to clean water, antibacterial spray or surface wipes could be used to clean surfaces. Be sure to clean all utensils and cutlery as well.  

Throw away any chipped or damaged crockery as well as wooden chopping boards and spoons if they have come into contact with flood water as they can’t be properly sanitised and can absorb contaminated water. 

Household water may be cut off or polluted. Contact Scottish Water for further information on public water supplies or your local authority if you use a private water supply. If your water is contaminated, Scottish Water will provide advice on the appropriate steps to take to ensure you have safe drinking water.  

If it’s recommended that you boil water before use, ensure you do this before using it to prepare or cook food, especially when washing fruit and vegetables (if they’re to be eaten raw).