Survival Food Storage

Survival food storage is one of the most important considerations in planning for survival. Not only do you need to know what to place in the food storage pantry, but also you need to eat what you put there. A common mantra heard in food storage is “store what you eat and eat what you store”. It is simple but very important. After all, there is no point in storing wheat if wheat allergies run in the family or dried lima beans that no one will eat.

To keep from being overwhelmed, divide the food storage plan into three distinct goals, three weeks, three months, and one year. Each plan will have different requirements and there is no need to complete one plan before working on the next.

Three-Week Plan

You can make it through most small-scale natural disasters with just three weeks worth of food. By then power has usually been returned and grocery stores have begun to restock the shelves. The three-week plan focuses on short-term storage of items that do not require a great deal of cooking.

When doing the family grocery shopping, pick up a couple extra cans of items already on the list. This ensures the food is something the family regularly enjoys and means it can be rotated often. Try to complete this plan as quickly as possible without going into debt.

Canned goods are a great item to stock up on because they often contain their own water and normally just need a simple heating to be ready to serve. Cans of chili and stew fall nicely into this category, but cans of fruit and tuna are even better because during a power outage they can be eaten straight from the can. Try to store some of both types, along with crackers, peanut butter, and cereal.

Three-Month Plan

The three-month plan takes more preparation to accomplish. The best way to start is by writing down all the ingredients needed for one week of meals and then multiplying by 12. Additional items perhaps not commonly used in your kitchen will have to be added, like ingredients for baking bread such as powered milk and eggs, flour, sugar, and yeast. This plan should also expand on the canned food items, incorporating more meats and soups than the family would normally use.

One-Year Plan

If budget constraints are of no concern, then companies like Nitro-Pak have a year’s worth of food already sealed in long-term storage containers. There are not a lot of comfort foods provided, but it will keep a person alive. If money is a problem, this plan can be slowly built by adding grains, proteins, and powdered dairy products. The LDS church has a more detailed list, but the basic need per person per year is 400 lbs grain, 60 lbs legumes, 60 pounds sugar, 16 lbs powdered milk, 8 lbs salt, and 10 quarts of oil.

Once a person understands that having a survival food-storage plan is an important insurance policy against uncertain times, half the battle has been won. Build the pantry as quickly as the budget will allow, add variety and comfort foods, keep the food rotated, then put away fears of starvation.

Survival Homestead is happy to provide more information about Survival Food Storage.