Before you can figure out how much food you'll need, you need to figure out how much food everyone eats on a normal day. You'll also want to note what kinds of food your family regularly eats. The U. Department of Homeland Security shares tips on food stockpiles at Ready. They recommend having a 3-day supply of nonperishable foods that will feed your entire family, or all the members of your household. If you choose to stockpile food for a longer timeframe, divide your master list totals by 3 to get the number of servings the whole family needs for one day.
Multiply this number times the number of days you're stockpiling for. Say you're planning to stockpile for one month and you know your family needs 3 servings of peanut butter per day, you'd multiply 30 times 3 to get 90, the number of servings of peanut butter your family needs for 30 days. You now have a master list of what your family eats in a day or in three days, but that doesn't mean you have to stockpile all these foods. Look at your list and determine which items have the most nutritional value and which are true necessities.
You should definitely stockpile these items if they fit in your storage space. You don't need to cook most of these foods, and most will last between one and two years in storage. Cans are the best packaging options for stored foods, and meats and vegetables last the longest. Use this emergency stockpile checklist as a guide to help you see what foods are best for an emergency stockpile or survival food kit. Keeping a few "luxury" food items in your stockpile can help families deal with stress and keep a positive attitude during the actual emergency.
Creating an emergency food stockpile does not have to include one giant shopping trip. In fact, many stores have limits on the number of essential items you can buy in one trip, especially if something like a pandemic has already started in nearby areas.
That's why it's important to start your stockpile when there is no emergency. One easy way to stockpile food on a budget and in a social responsible way is to buy two or three items on each regular grocery trip.
As you acquire stockpile items, you should sort them in an organized manner in your chosen storage spot. Keep items with the soonest expiration dates at the front or top of your pile so they get used first. The best way to sort items is to keep all of one item together in order from earliest to latest "use by" date.
Global pandemics and quarantines, natural disasters, and states of emergency or shelter in place orders are not regular occurrences, but they are possible in your lifetime. When these things happen, you may not be able to get to stores, stores may not be able to get ample supplies, or your electricity might be out rendering your fridge useless.
Having a plan before these emergencies hit can help you weather any of them, because you won't get advance notice they're coming. Managing an emergency food stockpile is not a one time action. It can take days, weeks, or even months to create your stockpile. Once it's created, you'll need to check on it every 6 months to make sure foods aren't about to expire and they haven't been ruined.
Make sure you keep a manual can opener and some eating utensils with your food stockpile so you have everything you need for emergency meal times in one place. Safety Disaster Preparedness How to Stockpile Food for an Emergency Learning how to stockpile food for an emergency like a global pandemic or natural disaster could save you money and save your life. Step One: Examine Your Food Storage Capabilities Shelf stable nonperishable foods need to be stored at room temperature away from extreme temperature fluctuations for safety purposes.
Good Places to Store Your Food Stockpile Unfinished basements and attics or rooms without regulated temperatures are not good places to store foods. The electrolytes and carbohydrates in these drinks will help you rehydrate and replenish fluid when water is scarce.
Just make sure your sports drink of choice doesn't come with too many additives, such as sugar or artificial sweeteners. Instead, choose a product like Nooma, an organic electrolyte-enhanced drink made with coconut water and natural sea salt that comes in four different flavors.
Almost all dairy products require refrigeration, so stock this substitute for an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D when fresh milk isn't an option. Go for an organic, resealable option from NOW Foods. Its product is flash-pasteurized to give it a superior flavor and can last several months once opened if stored in a cool, dry place. If you have access to a propane or charcoal stove, you may be doing some cooking.
A basic supply of seasonings and sweeteners will improve the flavor of your food, both fresh and packaged. Supplements will help replace the nutrients you would have consumed on a normal diet. But vitamins don't have to be boring. Instead, opt for a delicious fruity gummy from SmartyPants.
The gummy comes with a complete day's worth of vitamins and even contains omega 3s and folate for complete coverage. Apples last up to three months when stored in a cool, dry area away from more perishable fruits like bananas , which could cause them to ripen more quickly. Oranges and grapefruits contain lots of vitamin C and will keep you hydrated. If you have access to a working stove, these root vegetables are good keepers and make tasty side dishes.
Stored in a cool, dark area, potatoes will last about a month. While most are inedible uncooked, winter squashes, such as acorn squash, will keep for a few months. Try stocking up on a few packages of dry-cured salamis such as sopressata, a southern Italian specialty available at most grocery stores.
Unopened, they will keep for up to six weeks in the pantry, says Van. Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Save FB Tweet More. Non-perishable food: Best non-perishable emergency food to stockpile for a natural disaster, epidemic, or coronavirus pandemic. Credit: Getty Images. Cozi Family Organizer. The idea behind having a stockpile at all is that it is there when you need it. Things like jarred sauces and canned vegetables will be there when you need them versus fresh foods that will spoil without preparation.
You can generally find them at home improvement stores pretty cheap. Make absolutely certain that your buckets are food grade.
Otherwise you could be leaching nasty things into your food and not even know it. This means you can stock up without too many worries about it going bad or spending a bunch of extra cash. To be sure that no critters get into your storage, keep it in buckets or a canister for longer term storage.
Buy it in bulk sized bags to save the most then break down into smaller ones if you need to. Freeze each bag to kill off anything that may have gotten in during shipment and store bagged either in your freezer or in large food grade buckets with a lid. Sugar is another fantastic budget item with one caveat.
The best time is around a major holiday where people do a lot of baking. Just like with flour, buy in bulk and store bagged in buckets with lids. Pasta is and will most likely always be cheap. Stock up on your favorite kinds for less than a dollar a pound. Remove it from its packaging and store it in air tight containers for long lasting storage.
Pasta sauces. Just like with pasta, jarred sauces are great to have on hand and are usually fairly cheap to buy. Grab a few jars of your favorite brand.
Store them in the pantry like you normally would. Canned vegetables. At a cost of under a dollar most places, picking up a few extra cans is very affordable. Canned Fruit. Along the same lines as canned veggies, canned fruit is another budget food to stockpile. Basic Spices.
Basic spices like pepper, garlic and so on are affordable and they will last for quite a while if kept in air tight containers or the freezer. Butter can be frozen and will last almost a year in the freezer. Cream Cheese.
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