Emergency
Food Storage
How long can food supplies be stored?
To judge how long you can store food supplies, look for an “expiration
date” or “best if used by” date on the product. If
you can not find a date on the product, then the general recommendation
is to store food products for six months and then replace them.
Some
households find it helpful to pull food products for their regular
meals from their disaster supplies kit and replace them immediately
on an ongoing basis, so the food supplies are always fresh.
What
kinds of food supplies are recommended to store in case of a disaster?
Try to avoid foods that are high in fat and protein, and don’t
stock salty foods, since they will make you thirsty. Familiar foods
can lift morale and give a feeling of security in time of stress.
Also, canned foods won’t require cooking, water or special
preparation. Take into account your family’s unique needs and
tastes. Try to include foods that they will enjoy and that are also
high in calories and nutrition.
Store
supplies of non-perishable foods and water in a handy place.
You need to have these items packed and ready in case there is no
time to gather food from the kitchen when disaster strikes. Sufficient
supplies to last several days to a week are recommended.
Select
foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and
little or no water. Foods that are compact and lightweight
are easy to store and carry.
Try
to eat salt-free crackers, whole grain cereals and canned food with
high liquid content.
Recommended
foods include:
-Ready-to-eat
canned meats, fruits and vegetables. (Be sure to include a manual
can
opener)
-Canned juices, milk and soup (if powdered, store extra
water).
-High energy foods, such as peanut butter, jelly, crackers,
granola bars and trail mix.
-Comfort foods, such as hard candy, sweetened cereals,
candy bars and cookies.
-Instant coffee, tea bags.
-Foods for infants, elderly persons or persons on special
diets, if necessary.
-Compressed food bars. They store well, are lightweight,
taste good and are nutritious.
-Trail mix. It is available as a prepackaged product
or you can assemble it on your own.
-Dried foods. They can be nutritious and satisfying,
but have some have a lot of salt content, which promotes thirst.
Read the label.
-Freeze-dried foods. They are tasty and lightweight,
but will need water for reconstitution.
-Instant Meals. Cups of noodles or cups of soup are
a good addition, although they need water for reconstitution.
-Snack-sized canned goods. Good because they generally
have pull-top lids or twist-open keys.
-Prepackaged beverages. Those in foil packets and foil-lined
boxes are suitable because they are tightly sealed and
will keep for a long time.
Food
Options to Avoid:
-Commercially
dehydrated foods. They can require a great deal of water for reconstitution
and extra effort in preparation.
-Bottled foods. They are generally too heavy and bulky,
and break easily.
-Meal-sized canned foods. They are usually bulky and
heavy.
-Whole grains, beans, pasta. Preparation could be complicated
under the circumstances
of a disaster.
What
is the basis for the Red Cross recommendation to store supplies
to last several days to a week? Red Cross recommendations
to have food, water, and other emergency supplies on hand are not
new, and are considered reasonable in case of any disaster. Our
recommendations are to have supplies to last several days to a week.
Most reasonable people would not consider such quantities of supplies
as a "stockpile" or "hoarding."
Some
families may choose to store supplies to last several weeks or more.
Certainly, if they wish to do so, they may. It is always wise to
have sufficient food and water supplies on hand in case access to
such supplies may be disrupted by a disaster.
Emergency
Water Useage and Storage
Use
directions provided by your local or state public health agency.
In the case where your local or state public health agency does
not have information, follow the recommendations below.
What
kinds of containers are recommended to store water in?
Make sure the water storage container you plan to use is of food
grade quality, such as 2-liter soda bottles, with tight-fitting
screw-cap lids. Milk containers are not recommended because they
do not seal well.
Should
water be treated before storing it?
If your local water is treated commercially by a water treatment
utility, you do not have to treat the water before storing it. Treating
commercially-treated water with bleach is superfluous and not necessary.
Doing so does not increase storage life. It is important to change
and replace stored water every six months or more frequently.
If
your local water is not treated commercially by a water treatment
facility, that is, if your water comes from a public well or other
public, non-treated system, follow instructions about water storage
provided by your public health agency or water provider. They may
recommend treating it with a small amount of liquid household bleach.
Still, it is important to change and replace stored water every
six months or more frequently.
If
your local water comes from a private well or other private source,
consult with your local public health agency about recommendations
regarding storage of water. Some water sources have contaminants
(minerals or parasites) that can not be neutralized by treatment
with liquid household chlorine bleach. Only your local public health
agency should make recommendations about whether your local water
can be safely stored, for how long, and how to treat it.
Can
I use bottled water?
If you plan to use commercially prepared "spring" or "drinking"
water, keep the water in its original sealed container. Change and
replace the water at least once a year. Once opened, use it and
do not store it further.
All
information obtained from the American
Red Cross
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