Is It OK to Eat Snow?

Short answer: It depends.

The CDC’s Stay Safe During & After a Winter Storm page includes a section on what do you if you’re stranded in cold weather. Among the answers — Wrap your entire body, including your head, in extra clothing, blankets or newspapers; Stay awake, you will be less vulnerable to cold-related health problems; As you sit, keep moving your arms and legs to improve your circulation and stay warmer; — and they also warn, “Do not eat snow because it will lower your body temperature.”

But that’s assuming that you’re stranded in cold weather.

What if you’re just in your own backyard, with easy access to a heated room and warm food and beverages?

Again, it depends.

When’s the last time someone put down pesticide on your lawn? How is the air pollution in your area?

The safest way to get water from snow is to melt it in a pot over a stove, and then bring it to a boil for a few minutes to kill any harmful bacteria.

Can you eat snow? If you can find freshly fallen snow that is clean of dirt and debris and animal droppings, and if no one has put out toxic fertilizer or pesticides, and if the pollution in your area isn’t too bad, then the answer is “most likely, in small amounts, yes.”

Catching a few snowflakes on your tongue? That’s probably OK. Making ice cream out of snow? Not recommended.

Whatever you do, just make sure it isn’t yellow.