The Importance of Food in a Disaster Scenario 

If you’ve started prepping for disaster scenarios, there is no doubt that food is listed high up on your list, probably directly after water. 

In a catastrophic disaster scenario, you can survive in upwards of ten days to two weeks without food. While water may be more important, you still want to prep your food as well. 

With a well-thought-out food supply, you can ensure your family has access to food when faced with a variety of disasters. You don’t want to panic and just start piling up food in your food pantry, prepper storage room, or bugout bag. It should be a well-planned part of prepping, based on the most efficient ways to store and preserve food. 

Learning food storage essentials now could help you survive a disaster later.  

Start By Creating an Emergency Food Storage Plan 

Planning for emergency food storage will vary whether you’re prepping for severe weather, an unexpected evacuation, power outage, or a worst-case scenario like a catastrophic event. The one common element is that storing food can ensure that you and your loved ones can stay fed for as long as possible during an emergency.  

Part of prepping food is learning how to properly store the food so that when it’s needed, it’s still safe for consumption. Lack of proper storage techniques can result in spoiled food that could sicken those that eat it. The last thing that you need during a disaster is to get sick from contaminated food. It’s important to know how to maximize shelf life for weeks, months, or years. 

Slow and steady is a good way to approach your food storage plan . Rome wasn’t build in a day and neither will your cache of survival food.  

Create a food budget to prevent overspending and buying a ton of unnecessary food items. 

While making a food storage plan may sound like a timely step, it could make the difference between having the means to feed your family or desperately relying on others to provide food for survival.  

A well-developed food storage plan should be your first step to storing and preserving food. 

Prepping Foods, Especially Foods With a Long Shelf Life 

The advantage of including mostly non-perishable and canned foods with a long-term shelf life in your prepper supply, is that you won’t have to replace the foods for quite some time. In fact, some canned foods offer shelf lives for multiple years. This also reduces the chance that when the time comes to consume the prepped foods, they’ve passed their shelf lives and could produce sickness when eaten.  

Here are some common long-shelf-life foods to consider: 

:: Rice 
:: Dry beans 
:: Canned tuna fish 
:: Canned vegetables 
:: Soup 
:: Oats 
:: Pasta 
:: Jerky 
:: Dehydrated foods 
:: Freeze-dried foods 
:: Military MREs (Meal, Ready-To-Eat) 

It’s imperative that you include foods that your family eats on a regular basis. Getting anyone to try new, unfamiliar foods during a disaster scenario could only add to the stress. 

In addition to the long-shelf-life foods already named, here are some typical family-friendly foods to add some level of comfort during a crisis: 

:: Peanut butter 
:: Protein shakes 
:: Protein bars 
:: Energy bars 
:: Meal replacement bars 
:: Candy bars 
:: Trail mix 

While water is most important to add to your prepper supply, you can also include beverages like coffee, tea, non-refrigerated milk, and sports drinks.  

Consider the Needs of Your Household 

Besides shelf-life, you need to consider the quantity of food based on the number of people that you’ll be responsible for feeding during a disaster scenario. But first, you must decide the period of time that you’re prepping for. Perhaps you are new to prepping and would like to start with a 3-day food supply such as after a hurricane or during a temporary power loss. Or, you could be contemplating food storage for one to two weeks, one-month, multiple months or longer. Multiply your specific timeframe with the number of mouths you are feeding and you have total quantity needed. 

Now, take into consideration nutritional foods that will keep your family healthy and energized. Any household with food allergies already knows the importance of avoiding allergens and during a disaster it’s imperative not to trigger an allergic reaction. A family member is allergic to nuts? You’re, of course, not going to stock peanut butter or trail mix. 

If you have pets, be sure to keep canned pet food in your supply but continually monitor the shelf life printed on those cans. 

Remember, in an emergency situation, there may be a power loss, or you may be faced with an evacuation. Resources to prepare or cook food may not be available. Opt for foods that you can instantly eat or that require minimal preparation. 

Popular Food Storage and Preservation Methods 

While it would be great to stock your food supply with all canned food, that is just not practical, especially if you have to carry a food supply with your during travels. That’s why it’s imperative that your prepper food storage plan includes learning multiple food storage and preservation techniques to accommodate different foods. These techniques can help to extend the shelf life of your food supply, some even for years. Proper storage will reduce bacteria, spoilage, and aid against pest infiltration. 

Consider these techniques: 

Vacuum sealing greatly prolongs the shelf life and retains the nutritional value of many foods. Ideal for meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and grains. You can purchase a vacuum sealer and to take your food prepping efforts to the next level. 

Drying food removes water from food to help prevent bacteria growth, offering extensive shelf life. There are multiple methods of drying including sun drying, air drying, and using a dehydrator machine. 

Curing food preservation soaks food in salt, sugar, or smoke, to remove moisture. Ideal for vegetables, fish, and meat. 

Canning is great for preserving foods like vegetables, meats, and fish. 

Fermentation is for both food and liquids. Alcoholic fermentation uses yeast to convert sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide such as when making beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages. Lactic acid fermentation uses bacteria to convert sugar into lactic acid for foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and some cheeses.  

Freezing food is ideal for long-term storage. Be sure to pack foods in airtight bags and containers and place in freezer. Ideal for meat, poultry, vegetables, and bread. Of course, this relies on electricity, so it might not be a good choice for everyone. 

Pickling soaks food in water, vinegar, salt, and applicable spices to prevent bacteria growth. Ideal for eggs, vegetables, fruits, and meats. 

Add Labels to All Foods in Your Prepper Food Supply 

Depending on your food storage or preserving methods, you should always label the food so you can see at a glance what you’re grabbing from your food supply when emergency strikes. Labeling foods is also important to help with routine monitoring of food expiration dates. 

Here is some information you can include on the labels: 

:: The name/type of food 
:: The date you preserved it 
:: An expiration date 
:: Serving size 
:: Allergens, if applicable 

You can simply buy ready-made peel and stick labels and write the information using a bold permanent marker. If you own a label maker, that works as well, as long as the ink is water resistant in case the food supplies get wet. 

Prepper Food Inventory List 

The best prepper food supply advice that I can give you is to start writing a food inventory list starting with the very first prepper food item that you purchase. I can’t stress enough that once you get on a roll adding continuous food supplies to your food storage, you will never remember what you have stored away. On the list, write the item quantities and where each item is stored. 

This is important for additional reasons. The first reason is so you don’t buy or make unnecessary duplicates. The second reason is that when disaster strikes, you will not be of sound mind to access food supplies in a hurry. An accurate food inventory list reminds you of exactly what foods you have stored and that can reduce your stress level during a time of uncertainty. 

Where to Store Prepper Food Supplies 

Every home or bug out location (BOL) will offer a different space to store food supplies. Some will have the luxury of filling an entire spare room, a basement, or a garage, while others may only have an interior pantry, small closet, or cabinet. Regardless of the space size constraints, you are advised to store your non-perishable food supply in a cool, dark, and dry place to deter spoilage. Even a minimal amount of moisture can result in sickening mold and bacteria. 

Food storage location tips to consider: 

:: Avoid floor storage in case of flooding 
:: Avoid direct sunlight 
:: Use a dehumidifier in humid areas like a basement 
:: Use airtight containers 
:: Monitor the area for unwanted insects and rodents 
:: Don’t keep all your food in one place 

It’s important that you store your supplies in separate locations in the event that the supply is compromised by flooding, pests or thieves. Rotate your stock regularly and continuously add to your supplies. 

Also, preppers are aware that food shortages can result in looting and crime among desperate people trying to survive in a life/death situation. So, your food supply should be well hidden, secure, and defensible.  

Resupply Your Food Stock As Necessary 

Since many non-perishable items have long shelf lives, add a reminder to your food storage plan to rotate your supply every six months. When you rotate your food supplies, be sure to check expiration dates. Stock the shelves based on those dates so you move food with the closest expirations up to the front. I am not telling you to discard foods nearing their expiration dates. Cook and eat those foods now and simply replace with new items to maintain your prepper food supply. 

Efficient Prepper Food Storage Today Can Go a Long Way 

With a well-thought-out food plan, you can ensure that your family is prepared with food for emergency situations. Building your food storage essentials does not have to happen in a few quick trips to the store or an obsessive online shopping binge. Instead, buy food supplies thoughtfully and gradually over time, until you feel confident and comfortable with your selection. 

Remember, your food supply will only be as efficient as your food storing and preserving methods. The more effective you store and preserve, the better the chances that the food items will be edible upon consumption time. Take the time now to learn how to dehydrate, cure, can, ferment, and pickle your own foods and be sure to vacuum seal or store in seal-tight containers. 

Your goal should be to buy, preserve, and store efficiently now, so you’ll be prepped and ready later. No one wants to be faced with a food shortage during an emergency. So, make food supply prepping a vital part of your regular routine.