Emergency Food Preparedness

The whole point of having an emergency food supply is to have shelf-stable food that you don't have to refrigerate or heat up to eat. This would be canned food (don't forget your can opener) as well as dry milk, peanut butter, rice, beans, and other food items like that. 

Anything that you're purchasing to have in your home for your emergency food supply should be able to last for 6-12 months without the worry of expiring. The items above are some of the best non-perishable foods. However, do keep in mind that they will eventually go bad. So, be mindful of expiration dates and food safety.

Finding foods that last a long time is also very important for storage purposes. While having fresh fruit and veggies on a daily basis is nice, it's not something that you'll really be able to do when you're planning and prepping for an emergency. Some examples of food items that are shelf-stable and have a long shelf-life are:

• Pasta
• Ramen Noodles
• Beans 
• Dry Milk
• Canned Vegetables

This is the whole point of having an emergency food plan! You need to have food on hand that requires no electricity at all to be able to consume it. As you're stockpiling your food, think about that with every purchase that you make. Most of the food items listed above can be heated by other methods that would then make them safe for consumption. 

Never underestimate when an emergency can strike. By preparing ahead of time and having food and water on hand, you can relax a bit and rest easy knowing that you're ahead of the panic that is probably going to hit your area as others rush out to the stores. 

Make certain that you have these food items on hand as well just in case you're wanting a few other food options to have at home:

• Flour and yeast (to make bread)
• Dry cereal
• Canned fruit 
• Filtered water
• Canned soup
• Peanut butter
• Canned beans
• Seeds and nuts
• Crackers
• Popcorn
• Juice
• Olive oil
• Coffee and tea
• Rice