Expert: Carol Schlitt - 2/15/2006

Question
mistakenly our freezer was set too low, to give you an idea, the sherbert push -ups beecame mushy, but the other frozen products, including frozen fish filets and meats and vegetables  got a little soft at the edges but remained pretty solidly frozen.after resetting the freezer to proper level, we now wonder whether the food products are safe to eat. thanks for your help,gene

Answer
Hi Gene,

As long as the food has ice crystals (which from your description it did) then the food is safe to refreeze. Some foods like your sherbert push-ups will become gummy and less desirable to eat. Frozen vegetables also may be of less quality with the partial defrosting but are still safe to eat.

Hope this helps.

Carol C. Schlitt
Extension Educator, Nutrition and Wellness
University of Illinois Extension