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I was out of my trailer for 3 weeks here in Yuma AZ. Temps reached 100 degrees in trailer. I had powdered milk (Augason Farms brand) left behind.

The milk is unopened. Is it still safe?

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  • Hi - welcome to Parenting.se. It's not immediately apparent how this is related to parenting, but either way food safety is mostly off topic here from what I understand; you should consult the manufacturer's instructions for storage and/or your pediatrician for specific questions. Please see the faq and the help center for more information on what's on topic. Thanks!
    – Joe M
    Jul 21, 2022 at 16:33
  • Janet, welcome. I would like to migrate this to Seasoned Advice (Cooking SE), but I have to remove the multitude of products, let’s stick to the milk powder, because we need to limit the scope of the question.
    – Stephie ♦
    Jul 21, 2022 at 17:40
  • Please clarify the type of milk powder. If it is non-skimmed it might go rancid. Also a hint regarding the degrees (F/C) would be helpful.
    – J. Mueller
    Jul 21, 2022 at 18:00
  • @J.Mueller as this has been migrated from parenting, it might be infant formula. I would guess the answer would be the same as for normal milk powder, but I wouldn't bet on it. Given the location I think we can assume it's degrees F, but inside a vehicle can easily exceed the ambient temperature by 10s of degrees (either sort) so the 100F may be an underestimate.
    – Chris H
    Jul 21, 2022 at 18:26

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If it's "Country Fresh® 100% Real Instant Nonfat Dry Milk" it is advertised as having a 20-year shelf life. Storage requirements are 55° to 70° F, though, so way less than what it experienced.

If the container is unopened and not otherwise breached, then there should be no danger of bacterial contamination, so unlikely to be harmful. The problem will be breakdown of the milk's components and loss of nutritional value.

Open it and give it a look. If it's distinctly yellow, it's over the hill. Give it a sniff. If it smells bad, pitch it. If it smells OK, mix some according to instructions and taste. If it also tastes OK, it's probably OK.

Utah State University did some tests and found that non-fat dry milk held at 32°C (90°F) for 6 months began to develop off-flavors and by 24 months was considered unacceptable by a trained sensory panel.

Edited to add: I see this was migrated from Parenting. I wouldn't give any questionable food to a child. Their lower body weight will make it harder to deal with problems than an adult body. I mentioned loss of nutritional value above.

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