Food storage is an important part of preparing for emergencies and natural disasters. To reduce stress, worry, and inconvenience, individuals and families should plan for their emergency food needs. The amount of food to store will depend on the number of household members, their preferences, special health conditions, the ability to use food in an emergency, and the available storage space. Planning for short-term emergency food needs can be as simple as increasing the quantities of some basic, non-perishable foods that you would normally use.Non-perishable foods are foods that can be safely stored at room temperature.
According to Healthline, the average woman needs to consume about 2,000 calories a day to maintain her weight, while the average man needs 2,500 calories. Other factors to consider include age, height, current weight, activity levels, metabolic health, and others.The following calculator will provide enough calories to maintain most people's weight. I have more than a decade of experience in food and beverage management and a ServSafe food safety rating. Consider including zip-lock plastic bags for storing food or freezing food in your emergency supplies.
Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy showed that some disasters are so massive that it can take more than a week for emergency personnel to reach the most affected areas and months for basic supply chains to recover.In addition, a food year is an important safety net as a self-sustaining food production cycle is established. One way to develop a two-week emergency supply is to increase the amount of staple foods you normally have on your shelves. Store staple food packages purchased for emergency supply in airtight plastic Food storage containers, glass jars with screw lids, or non-rusting metal cans. Storing food can help you overcome short-term emergencies such as natural disasters (floods, hurricanes, tornadoes) and personal emergencies (illness or job loss).When planning your emergency food supply, consider the need to refrigerate leftover canned food.
For long-term emergency preparedness, it is recommended that instead of 15 to 30 days, you save food and water for 3 months specifically for the emergency. This prep supply means that you have 15 to 30 full days of food and water for everyone in your household stored in a location that will not be used unless there is an emergency. This food supply should be non-perishable; select foods that do not require refrigeration, minimal or no preparation or cooking, and little or no water.This is the food and daily meals you eat on a regular basis and that can accumulate 1 to 3 months from a rotating pantry of food and ingredients.To ensure you have enough non-perishable items in your pantry for an emergency situation, it's important to plan ahead. Start by making a list of all the items you would need in an emergency situation such as canned goods like vegetables and fruits; dry goods like rice and pasta; protein sources like beans; snacks like granola bars; and other items like peanut butter or jelly.
Once you have your list ready, start stocking up on these items gradually over time so that you don't have to buy them all at once.It's also important to consider how much of each item you need. For example, if you're stocking up on canned vegetables, make sure you have enough cans for each person in your household for at least two weeks. You should also consider how much space you have available for storing these items. If you don't have much space available in your pantry or cupboards, consider investing in airtight containers or vacuum sealers so that you can store more items in less space.Finally, make sure you rotate your stock regularly so that nothing goes bad before you need it.
Check expiration dates regularly and replace any items that are close to expiring with fresh ones.
