Start with 3 days, then build to two weeks: canned meat, fish, beans, fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, dry cereal, crackers, nuts, dried fruit, protein bars, and shelf-stable milk.
Home Prep · Home Prep: ready at home course
Long-term food storage, and the mistakes to avoid
An emergency food supply does not need to be fancy or expensive. It needs to be food your family already eats, that keeps without a refrigerator, and that you actually rotate. The common mistakes are buying food nobody likes, forgetting a can opener, and letting it expire.
Why this matters
When storms hit, stores empty fast and roads may close. Two weeks of food at home means you do not have to go out in danger.
A food supply only works if the food is still good and your family will eat it.
What you need
- Shelf-stable food your family eats, a manual can opener, sealed bins and a marker.
An afternoon to start; 10 minutes twice a year to check.
Step by step
Buy what you already eat. In a crisis, familiar food keeps spirits up, and you will rotate it naturally. Think about babies, allergies, special diets and pets.
Choose food that needs little or no cooking or water. Pack a manual can opener, plates, cups and utensils.
First in, first out: put new cans at the back and use the oldest first. Write the purchase date on each item with a marker.
Store it cool, dry and dark. Heat shortens shelf life fast. Keep boxes and bags of dry food in sealed plastic or metal bins to stop mice and bugs.
Throw out cans that are swollen, leaking, deeply dented (especially on the seams) or rusted, and any food that smells or looks wrong.
For longer storage, dry staples like white riceRICE A memory aid for a sprain: Rest, Ice, Compression (a snug wrap) and Elevation (raise it above the heart)., dried beans, oats and pasta keep for years in sealed containers. Remember they need water and fuelfuel wood Dead wood from finger to wrist thick that keeps the fire going once the kindling has caught. to cook.
Check your supply twice a year, for example when the clocks change. Eat and replace anything close to its date.
Tips from survival instructors
- Store food in more than one spot, and keep a small supply at work and in the car.
- Write the date you bought it on each can or box with a marker so rotation is easy.
Common mistakes
- Buying food nobody likes. The fix: stock what you already eat.
- Forgetting a can opener. The fix: keep a manual one with the food.
- Letting it all expire. The fix: first in, first out, and check twice a year.
- Storing it in a hot attic or garage. The fix: cool, dry and dark.
Practice it safely
Pick one shelf or bin for emergency food. Each time you shop, buy one or two extra cans of something you eat and add it to the back.
Quick check
What does "first in, first out" mean?
- Eat the newest first
- Use the oldest food first and put new behind it
- Buy everything at once
Show the answer
Use the oldest food first and put new behind it
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Before you rely on thisA learning tool, not a replacement for training. In an emergency, call 911.