Emergency Preparedness Food
Emergency preparedness encompasses food and water storage. For the former, the goal is building up enough supplies to last a year. However, the average individual has less than a week's worth of food inside his or her cabinets, and many of these items are perishable. If you are looking to build up enough items to sustain yourself for a year, where do you begin?
Emergency preparedness food consists of two types: basic items and a kit. These items provide basic nutrition in any instance. Although everything shouldn't be bought at once, accumulate grains, beans, powdered milk, sugar, oil, salt, and seeds over time.
Yet, these items, while nutritious, amount to a boring diet. Emergency preparedness food kits, then, create variety. Unlike the basics, emergency preparedness food kits can be purchased at once and will supply you with enough items to last a few weeks to a year. Containing various freeze-dried and dehydrated items, emergency preparedness food kits allow you to subsist on about 1,000 to 2,000 calories per day, if portions are followed.
Mountain House, AlpineAire, Wise Foods, and Provident Pantry all make emergency preparedness foods, but each brand uses different packaging. Generally, these are divided between cans -- #10 and # 2 ½ -- and pouches. Wise Foods packages its pouches in an easy-to-grab container, which is ideal for evacuations. Because disasters vary, consider including both cans and pouches in your emergency preparedness food storage.
Emergency food kits are designed to last five to 25 years, but storage conditions affect lifespan. Moisture and light deteriorate freeze-dried and dehydrated foods, so the storage space needs to be dark, dry, and cool - ideally 50°F to 60°F. The space, as well, should be free of chemicals, and a trashcan or liner must not be used for storage.
Cans tend to have a longer lifespan but contain several servings of food. What should you do with the leftover freeze-dried foods? Rather than preparing everything at once, use air-tight food storage containers, freeze it, or reseal the can with the leftovers inside with a commercial re-sealer.
