ReadinessHub.com
 


Emergency Food Storage Guide
 
When your food supply is low
When living in a climate of reduced activity, healthy individuals can survive on half the usual food intake for an extended period and without any food for many days. Food can be rationed safely, though for children and pregnant women it should be considered more carefully. 
If the water in your situation will likely be scare, avoid fatty foods and protein-rich foods.  Don't stock too many salty foods, since they will make you thirsty.  However, some salts (electrolytes) are good and will actually help keep you hydrated.  Potassium, Magnesium and Phosphorus are a few examples of electrolytes.  If you can, store whole grain cereals and canned foods with high liquid content. 
Use foods you enjoy, as well as those who may be sharing your emergency food stores along with you.  Use canned foods, dry mixes and other staples on your cupboard shelves.  Use whatever you like that can be safely stored.  Familiar foods are important because they bring levity to a stressful situation. Also, canned foods don't require cooking, water or special preparation. Following are recommended short-term food storage plans. 


Special Considerations
While thinking of stocking food, take into account you situation and whatever unique needs it brings.  Include foods that are high in calories and nutrition.  Foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking are best for medium to long term storage situations. 
Obviously anyone with special diets and allergies will need particular attention, as will infants, young children and the elderly.  Nursing mothers may need liquid formula, in case they are unable to nurse due to low water availability. Canned dietetic foods, for those with special dietary needs, juices and soups may be helpful for ill or elderly people. 
Make sure you have a manual can opener or two and disposable utensils.  Also, don't forget non-perishable kibble or canned foods for your pets. 

How to Cook when the Power Goes Out
For emergency situation, one can cook using a fireplace, a charcoal grill or a camp stove can be used (make sure you have ample ventilation for the smoke, and always exercise fire safety procedures). You can also heat food with a candle.  If required, canned food may be eaten right out of the can.  If you plan on heating the food within the can, be certain to open the lid and remove the label before cooking.  

Short-Term Food Supplies
Even though it is unlikely that an emergency would cut off your food supply for a couple weeks, you should prepare a supply that will last that long.  IT CAN happen, and you may be stuck in the middle of it.  So be prepared by storing more than a few weeks of food.  A minimum of 2-weeks of stored food should be available at any given time.
The easiest way to develop at least a two-week stockpile is to increase the amount of regular foods which you normally keep on your shelves. 
Storage Tips 
1.	Keep food in a dry, dark, cool location. 
2.	Keep food covered at all times. 
3.	Open food boxes or cans in such a way so that you are able to close them securely after each use. 
4.	Wrap cookies, pastries or crackers in plastic bags, and seal them in tight containers. 
5.	Empty opened packages of sugar, dried fruits and nuts into any air-tight containers to protect them from pests. 
6.	Inspect all food for signs of spoilage before use.  Usually rotten smell or swollen packaging is a dead giveaway.  
7.	Use foods before they go bad, and replace them with fresh supplies, dated with ink or marker. Place new items at the back of the storage area and older ones in front.  Food rotation should be well documented if possible, in an itemized inventory.
Nutrition Tips 
1.	During and following after a major disaster, it is vital that you maintain your strength. So remember: 
2.	Eat at least one well-balanced meal every day. 
3.	Drink enough fluids to enable your body to function properly (1-2 quarts a day). 
4.	Take in enough calories to enable you to do any necessary work.  Do not go into “Calorie Debt”.
5.	Include vitamin, mineral and protein supplements in your stockpile to assure adequate nutrition. 
6.	Get plenty of rest; work in shifts if there are enough people to do so.

How long can food be stored?
To judge how long you can store food supplies, look for an Expiration Date or a Best-If-Used-By date on the product.  If you can not find a date on the product, then the general recommendation is to store food products for six months and then use it/replace it.
Some households find it helpful to pull food products for their regular meals from their disaster supplies kit and replace them immediately on an ongoing basis, so the food supplies are always fresh.  This is known as Food Rotation, and is a viable means of regular living, with the added benefit of being more prepared then the average person by having extra food stored for any emergency.

What kinds of food are recommended to store in case of a disaster situation?
If the water in your situation will likely be scare, avoid fatty foods and protein-rich foods.  Don't stock too many salty foods, since they will make you thirsty.  However, some salts (electrolytes) are good and will actually help keep you hydrated.  Potassium, Magnesium and Phosphorus are a few examples of electrolytes.  If you can, store whole grain cereals and canned foods with high liquid content. 
Store supplies of non-perishable foods and water in an easily accessible place. You need to have these items correctly packed and ready in case there is no time to access food from the kitchen when disaster strikes.  Sufficient supplies to last several days to at least two weeks are recommended.  Personally I would go for a month if you can afford it.
Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little or no water. Foods that are compact and lightweight are easy to store and carry.

Recommended foods include: 
1.	Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables. (manual can opener may be required.  Buy the cans with pull-tabs if available) 
2.	Canned juices, soups and powdered milk 
3.	High calorie foods; peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola bars and trail mix. 
4.	Occasionally, sweets are good for morale; hard candy, sweetened cereals, candy bars and cookies. 
5.	Instant coffee, tea bags.  Have means of heating water for these.  Caffeine can help productivity during any given work shift
6.	Foods for infants, elderly persons or persons on special diets, as needed. 
7.	Compressed food bars. They store well, are high in calories, are lightweight, taste great (depending on brand) and are highly nutritious.  In a pinch they can even be used to start a fire.
8.	Trail mix. It is available as a prepackaged product or you can assemble it on your own. 
9.	Dried foods. Nutritious and they store well.  Keep ones with lower sodium contents.
10.	Freeze-dried foods. They are tasty and lightweight, but will need water for reconstitution. 
11.	Instant Meals.  Cups of noodles or cups of soup are good if you have ample water stores. 
12.	Snack-sized canned goods. Good because they generally have pull-top lids or twist-open keys. 
13.	Prepackaged beverages. Those in foil packets and foil-lined boxes are suitable because they are tightly sealed and will keep for a long time. 
Food Options to Avoid: 
1.	Commercially dehydrated foods. They can require a great deal of water for reconstitution and extra effort in preparation. 
2.	Bottled foods. They are generally too heavy and bulky, and break easily. 

Shelf-life of Foods for Storage

Here are some general guidelines for rotating common emergency foods. 
Use within six months: 
1.	Powdered milk (boxed)
2.	Dried fruit (in a sealed metal container) 
3.	Dry, crisp crackers (in a seal metal container) 
4.	Potatoes 
Use within one year: 
1.	Canned fruits, fruit juices and vegetables 
2.	Ready-to-eat cereals and uncooked instant cereals (in metal containers) 
3.	Peanut butter 
4.	Jelly or Jam
5.	Hard candy and canned nuts 
6.	Vitamin C tablets
May be stored indefinitely (if stored properly in containers in the right environment): 
1.	Wheat 
2.	Tuna in Oil (in a sealed metal can)
3.	Vegetable oils 
4.	Dried corn 
5.	Canned condensed meat and vegetable soups; other canned pre-cooked goods (if can is dented or swollen do not consume.  Also if you open it and it smells bad, do not eat.)
6.	Baking powder 
7.	Soybeans 
8.	Instant coffee, tea and cocoa 
9.	Salt 
10.	Noncarbonated soft drinks 
11.	White rice 
12.	Bouillon products 
13.	Dry pasta 
14.	Powdered milk (in nitrogen-packed cans)