How to Survive Long-Term Food Storage

Canned foods have a lengthy shelf life.

Many families choose to prepare for economic or natural disasters by creating a long-term food storage. This ensures that, regardless of their financial and physical situation, the family has plenty of food to survive. Some companies specialize in dehydrated and freeze-dried foods for long-term food storage, but many families prepare for food storage by stocking up on ordinary canned and dried foods from the grocery store. Regardless of your family's situation, there are several steps you can take to survive long-term food storage.

Instructions

1. Plan ahead to determine exactly how much food you should store. For each person in your household, you should store at least 1 gallon of water and two cans of food per day. Even if you plan to supplement your food storage with fresh vegetables or fruits, realize that a garden is not always reliable and plan accordingly.

2. Select foods your family enjoys. Members of your household may become unhappy or bored with eating food that doesn't taste very good. While preparing your food storage, select foods that your family already eats on a regular basis. If your family enjoys fruit, select dehydrated bananas or apples. If your family enjoys meat-based meals, select a variety of freeze-dried entrees.

3. Rotate your food supply. Each time you purchase something for your food storage, mark the date on the package and place it at the back of your storage. When you prepare a meal, select older packages or cans before fresher ones. This ensures that none of your food goes bad from lack of use.

4. Prepare food in different ways. Select a variety of recipes to prepare food for your family. While you may be limited in your ingredients, it is important not to prepare foods the same way constantly, as family members may grow bored with eating the same meal each day. Instead, choose recipes that use your food storage ingredients in unique and interesting ways.

5. Eat opened packages quickly to reduce the possibility of food spoilage. If you cannot eat a packaged meal at once, seal it immediately after use to prevent pest infestation.

Tips & Warnings

• Regularly inspect food to make sure the packaging is intact and has not been damaged by poor weather or pests. Food should be stored in a cool, dry place.

References

• Washington Military Department Emergency Management Division: How Much Food Do You Need?
• Mealtime.org: Hurricane Season
• Survival Center: Long Term Food Storage

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish