Food Supply
Examples

Will store up to 6 months:

  • Boxed potatoes
  • Dried fruit
  • Dry, crisp crackers
  • Powdered milk
Will store up to one year:
  • Canned, condensed meat and vegetable soups
  • Canned fruits, fruit juices and vegetables
  • Hard candy and canned nuts
  • Jelly
  • Peanut butter
  • Ready-to-eat cereals and uncooked instant cereals
  • Vitamins

In proper containers and conditions, the following can be stored indefinitely:

  • Baking powder
  • Bouillon products
  • Dried corn
  • Dry pasta
  • Instant coffee, tea and cocoa
  • Soft drinks
  • Vegetable oils
  • Salt
  • Soybeans
  • Wheat (for bread making)
  • White rice

 

 

 

 

 

 

During and after a disaster, it's important that you and members of your household (including your pets) eat enough to maintain your strength.

Tips on food storage:

  • Store foods that you eat regularly and that require no refrigeration and little preparation and cooking. Don't eat fatty, high-protein or salty foods when your water supply is low.
  • Store enough food for at least three days, preferable up to two weeks.
  • Make sure you have a manual can opener and disposable utensils.
  • Keep food in a dry, cool spot—out of the sun, if possible.
  • Wrap perishable foods, such as cookies and crackers, in plastic bags and keep them in sealed containers.
  • Empty opened packages of sugar, dried fruits and nuts into screw-top jars or airtight cans to keep them fresh and unspoiled.
  • Get rid of canned goods that have become swollen, dented or corroded.
  • Eat salt-free crackers, whole grain cereals and canned foods with high liquid content if your water supplies are low.
  • If there's a power outage, eat food in the refrigerator first, the freezer next, and finally from your stored supplies. In a well-filled, well-insulated freezer, foods will usually still have ice crystals in their centers (meaning foods are safe to eat) for at least two days.
  • Check your food storage supplies every 6 months. Use the foods that are close to expiration and replace them with fresh supplies.

 

Click here for more information on
Food and Water in Emergencies

Information courtesy of American Red Cross
and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.