Emergency Food Storage
If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a pantry full of food that’s been there since before the last time I moved. It’s not yet expired—I haven’t eaten it yet. But what if there was an emergency? What if there were no more food in the stores? What would we do then? As it turns out, having some extra food on hand is much safer than having none!
Know your needs.
- Know what you need to survive a natural disaster or food shortage.
- Know your family’s needs. If you have pets or elderly relatives, consider their unique nutritional needs when planning what food to store away.
- Vitamin requirements or allergies to certain foods.
Find a cool, dark place.
It will help if you keep your food stash in a cool, dark place. Your emergency food can last for years if stored properly, but it won’t if you don’t keep it out of sunlight and heat.
If you’re storing your food in an attic or basement, ensure that those areas are not exposed to light or moisture. Also, don’t store them near moisture sources like pipes or radiators. Water causes mold and spoilage.
Also, don’t store your survival foods in an area where they’ll be exposed to pests. Rodent infestations can quickly cause damage to your stockpile that would render it useless when you need it most.
And finally: Don’t put your survival foods somewhere kids can get them! Food storage is essential, but so is keeping our children safe from harm’s way.
Keep it off the floor.
It’s essential to keep your emergency food stash off the floor. As you can see in the graphic above, keeping it up high helps prevent moisture from getting at it and rodents and insects from getting at it. Keeping them up on high also prevents accidental knock-downs that could damage or destroy the contents. Plus, because most of us live in modern houses with hardwood or tile floors, keeping your cache up on a shelf or in a cabinet will help prevent spills and drips from ruining your stockpile.
Remember your pets.
In the event of disasters or food shortages, it’s important to remember the needs of your animal companions. Some things you should keep in mind:
- Make sure you have enough food for them. It’s easy to forget about your pet when planning an emergency stash, but they need food too! If it doesn’t fit your budget, consider looking into cheaper options like grain-free dog food or switching from brand-name cat litter to generic.
- Make sure they have access to water. Storing extra bottles around the house and filling up outside faucets so that no one has to go far away from home.
Rotate the food periodically.
Rotating your food will be edible when needed is the best way to ensure it. Turning means, you take one bag of food out of storage, eat it, and replace it with a new pack of food. If this sounds complicated, think about how much easier life would be if you had two refrigerators—one for fresh food and one for everything else!
Practically speaking, rotating your emergency stash is straightforward. For example:
- Consume half of your stockpile after six months.
- Add back enough supplies to replenish.
Remember to keep track of expiration dates if you can’t rotate them out quickly enough.
If you can’t rotate your food quickly enough, consider freezing it. It’s not as ideal as eating it in the recommended time frame, but freezing your emergency stash will keep your food safe and edible for longer than its expiration date.
Make sure it’s not accessible to pests or animals.
When storing your emergency food stash, ensure it is not accessible to pests and animals. Consider the following:
- Store the food in a sealed container. This will keep pests (like ants) out. It also keeps rodents from chewing into the bag of pasta and then getting stuck inside when they try to exit after eating all of it!
- Keep all containers in a location inaccessible to pests and animals. Check for holes or cracks in your house where those critters can get at your food! You may need to put up barriers around your food storage area so that pets cannot get access either (though this will depend on how bright your cat or dog is).
- Keep small children away from these supplies as well; just because we know adults don’t have enough common sense doesn’t mean kids have more than adults.
Keep it organized and well labeled so you can tell at a glance what you’re storing and where.
You should store your emergency food stash in a cool place that’s not too humid. Avoid storing the basement or attic where moisture can collect, and ensure that the area is rodent-proof.
You could also use clear plastic containers instead of cardboard boxes so that everything looks nice and neat on your pantry shelves.
Properly storing emergency food ensures you use it as efficiently as possible.
- Store your emergency stash in a cool, dry place. The best way to keep your emergency food stash safe and effective is to store it in a cool, dry place. Variations in temperatures (either too cold or too hot) can damage some foods’ quality, making them unsafe for consumption.
- Store your emergency food where pests and animals can’t get at it. Once you’ve identified where you want to store your stash, check that area for signs that pests or animals may be able to get inside. Including any holes in the walls that could allow insects in and spaces near windows or doors where rodents or birds might try to slip through unnoticed.
- Make sure that whatever location you choose is accessible when needed but not so easily accessible that someone else will take it if they find out about its existence. If keeping this information secret is necessary, then think carefully about who else should be involved.
Conclusion
With proper food storage and organization, you can ensure that your family won’t worry about where their next meal is in a natural disaster or other emergencies. It’s important to remember that the best place for your emergency stash is in a dry, calm, and dark place away from heat sources like stoves or ovens. With proper care, this food will last for years without spoiling.
For more information, please go to ready.gov/food for more information.
