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We are all intimately aware of the fact that humans can’t function for long without food. Even in our busy daily lives, calories are essential to keeping us going. In a post-disaster environment, food will become even more critical. Aside from water, food is the most important supply you can store to be ready for a grid-down disaster.

Skeptical friends and family may ask why you need to store emergency food at all. Won’t the government or local authorities ship in food for hungry people after a disaster? 

Depending on the scenario, it is possible that local relief efforts will begin to supply food rations to your area following a significant disaster. However, that is not a given.

How badly has the area’s infrastructure been damaged? How wide-spread is the disaster? Were there compounding disasters following the initial crisis?

Depending on the severity and scale of the disaster, help may be a long time coming. You should plan ahead to be as self-reliant as you can manage.

Even if government food rations do show up, the last thing you want in a post-disaster environment is to be waiting in long lines at crowded camps. You’re better off sustaining your household with your own emergency food for as long as possible. This will also free up aid for other people who are less ready. 

How to Get Started

having an emergency food plan is important

When it comes to building up a supply of emergency food, there are a lot of questions to think through. How much is enough? Do you need a one year supply of food, or would a 30-day emergency food cache see you through? Should you track down the best emergency food kits that are ready-made for purchase, or are you better off hand-selecting your own shelf stable emergency food?

The truth is, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to emergency food. As with many aspects of crisis readiness, emergency food plan requirements come down to your personal situation and the threats that are present in your environment. In the end, you will probably find that relying on a variety of emergency food options will produce the most complete food plan.

Understanding Your Threats

The first step in making an emergency food plan is to conduct a threat assessment of your area so you know what threats you’re dealing with. If you’re only planning for short-term disasters, a two-week supply of food in your pantry may very well be sufficient. However, if you live in an area that may be affected by a significant natural disaster, such as a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake in the Pacific Northwest, you’ll probably want to stock up on a significant amount of emergency food – enough for several months.

Keep in mind that there are many unknown threats that could affect every region in the country, including those that are not prone to major natural disasters. A cyberattack or foreign attack that takes down the power grid could result in significant disruptions to supply chains. A serious pandemic or other regional or national disruption could do the same. When it comes to food, it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Emergency Food Plan Options

Home Pantry 

The first category of emergency food is the food you already have in your pantry and fridge at home. If a disaster strikes tomorrow, this is what you’ll most likely be eating first.

Before you start searching for the best emergency food kits, think about the foods you keep at home on a daily or weekly basis. How long could you live off of it? Could you store more of it?

Freeze Dried Food

The next category of emergency food is freeze dried foods. This type of emergency food will be familiar to backpackers and campers. Freeze dried foods are prepared with a special technique that involves freezing temperatures and a vacuum seal to remove water content. This makes for a very long shelf life, and a very light weight. To eat a freeze dried meal, simply add hot water. 

Freeze dried foods are best for intermediate usage after you’ve eaten through your pantry and fridge. They are relatively compact to store, making them convenient for stashing away in a closet, or even under a bed. Their low weight and individual packaging also makes them ideal for taking with you in an emergency evacuation

If you’re looking for the best place to buy emergency food, check out Mountain House. They have built a reputation for high-quality, great-tasting freeze dried food. Mountain House foods typically have a shelf life of thirty years, and are made in the USA.

Whichever freeze dried food you decide to go with, make sure that it contains high-quality ingredients with a healthy amount of protein – not all carbs. 

02/10/2025 06:10 am GMT

Long-Term Food Storage

While freeze dried foods are convenient, they are also expensive. Storing more than a few week’s worth of freeze dried foods can quickly become cost-prohibitive. For long-term emergency food storage, you’ll need a different approach.

Shelf-stable foods such as grains, oats, beans, legumes, and pastas can all be kept for a very long time in the right conditions. Storing these foods in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers can help them last as long as 15-20 years when kept in a cool, dry climate. 

When it comes to long-term food storage, you have the option of purchasing food in bulk and packaging it yourself at home, or buying it already prepared in food-grade buckets for easy storage. Either option works – it’s up to you to decide. You’ll pay a bit more for the convenience of pre-packaged foods.

Look through emergency food company reviews on forums online, and you’ll find that Rainy Day Foods is consistently mentioned as one of the top options for purchasing shelf-stable food in bulk. They sell oats, grains, cereals, legumes, pastas, and beans in bulk, or already prepared in buckets. They also carry dehydrated foods such as fruits and vegetables.

Parting Thoughts

It’s easy to highly underestimate how much food your household will need in order to live comfortably following a disaster. 

How many people will you be responsible for feeding after a disaster? Do you have children or other dependents? Are there people in your neighborhood or community who will need your assistance? 

Getting started with emergency food storage can feel overwhelming. The good news is that you don’t need to go out and buy a year’s worth of emergency food in order to be ready for the most realistic disasters. 

In Guide to Disaster Readiness, Duane Liptak Jr. explains how to jumpstart food storage for a crisis without breaking the bank. Once you’re ready for a few weeks, you can gradually start building up your medium and long-term emergency food supply. 

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