Four Kinds of Food Storage

  1. Emergency food storage – For 72-hour kits, hurricanes, winter storms, and any other time you can’t get to a grocery store and may have limited fuel or water. These foods should be no-cook, heat only, or easy-to-cook foods/meals to last 3 days to 2 weeks (some would require a stove of some kind). Examples are: canned meats, canned beans, peanut butter, canned fruit, fruit leather, jerky, granola bars, powdered drinks, cereal, juice, crackers, trail mix, couscous, instant rice, instant oatmeal, freeze dried meals, soup, canned pasta, MRE’s, and ramen noodles.
  2. Three-month supply – This is a supply of food intended to feed you for 3 months. It should be part of your normal, daily diet and should be rotated regularly. It includes food items that have a relatively short shelf life such as boxed mixes, cold cereals, and crackers.
  3. Long-term or basic food storage – These are life sustaining foods that store well for long periods of time. Minimal processing of the food, good storage conditions, and proper storage containers are keys to the long shelf life. These would include wheat, oatmeal, egg-free pasta, non-fat dry milk, sugar, flour, dried legumes, white rice, and salt.
  4. Expanded food storage – This includes emergency food storage and the three-month supply. These are foods that supply total nutritional needs, add variety, and allow for personal preferences in diet for longer than three months. It would include yeast; baking powder; cocoa powder; spices; home canned, canned, and dried fruits and vegetables; canned and homed canned meats; powdered eggs; and freeze-dried foods.