Safety of cans of cokes in a refrigerator that isn't working

Question

My front refrigerator has stopped having cold air circulating. I ran out of room in my other refrigerator and put several cans of coke in the refrigerator that doesn't have cold air circulating and these cokes have been in the refrigerator that doesn't have cold air circulating for a few days. I was hoping to put the cokes back in the working refrigerator in several days. Will these cans of coke be safe to drink after sitting for a few days in the refrigerator that doesn't have cold air circulating?

Answer 1

Cans of coke are made to be stored in non-cooled storage.

Storing in very hot environments can be a problem but as long as they are in temperatures humans can live in they are not in danger.

The advice is to serve cold but that is because many people prefer that for taste and mouth feel.

I have never stored any fizzy drink in a fridge (I do not like to drink them cold) and even after months of storage in a hallway cupboard they are in perfect condition. That is stored between 12° C and 20° C, 54° F to 68° F, so considerably warmer than a working fridge.

Only if your non working fridge is out in full summer sun it might be better to move it into shade or find a shady spot for your drinks.

Answer 2

according to USDA

Carbonated soft drinks or sodas are not perishable, and are safe past the date stamped on the container. Eventually flavor and carbonation will decrease. For best quality, consume unopened diet sodas within 3 months after the date expires; regular sodas within 9 months

Soda is literally Sugar + acid in a sealed oxygen free environment. The low pH from the acid + oxygen free environment prevents bacterial growth.

There are dietary reasons why drinking soda is bad for you (diabetes/obesity/dental problems). But Im pretty sure a can of soda will be safe to drink 20 years from now, as long as the seal holds.

Answer 3

You don't say what you are worried about by having the cans outside of a refrigerator, whether it's the safety or the taste. Regarding safety, there at least used to be relatively large amounts of phosphoric acid in colas, so microbial growth will be very unlikely. Not storing fizzy drinks in a refrigerator can lead to the carbon dioxide coming out of the solution, so the taste may seem a little flat.