What Foods Should Be in Long-Term Storage for an Emergency?

Plan Emergency Food Supply

Plan how you are going to use emergency food supplies before you begin to stockpiling various food staples. Consider how you will prepare the meals if there is no electricity or running water available. Keep several heavy-duty can openers and knife sharpeners on hand. Plan to stock dried and canned food along with bulk staples. For instance, beans, corn, wheat and salt are typically inexpensive in bulk and have a shelf life that is nearly unlimited, according to the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences website. Purchase commercially packed, air-dried or freeze-dried foods. Buy packaged mixes and canned meats, rice and a variety of beans for their nutritious and long-lasting value.

If you have babies or toddlers, do not forget to include their food needs when planning your emergency food supply list. Make certain that an ample supply of powdered formula and inexpensive infant formula is part of your emergency food stock. Also, keep on hand infant cereals, baby foods and baby formula, and pay close attention to the expiration dates on the packages so that expired food is not given to the infant. The amount of emergency infant food you stock will vary, depending upon the age of the infant or toddler in your home.

You can keep your emergency food supply viable by monitoring the shelf life of the food that has been stored, and to especially see if food cans have not gotten swollen, dented or have corroded. Make certain you have a checklist of the various foods you have stocked, their location and when stocked. Monitor the checklist periodically to replace expired food in a timely fashion. In general, after six months replace potatoes, dried fruit and boxed powdered milk. Food that must be used within a year listed on the label are peanut butter, canned fruit, juices and vegetables, and canned condensed meat, vegetable soups and uncooked instant cereals.

Determine the space you will need to meet your necessary food storage requirements. The space must be sufficient and convenient to access. Select the coolest location in your home that is dry, away from direct sunlight and away from any heat source, such as a furnace or water heater. You can store your emergency food stock in a crawl space, closet, spare bedroom, root cellar, under a stairway or under a bed. An insulated garage is an ideal location.