Survival guides · Water & Food

Build a Food Supply

WHEN TO USE THISBefore an emergency. No special survival food needed — build it from what you already eat.

1. Start with 3 days

   • Food that needs no fridge, little water, no cooking: canned meat, vegetables and fruit, peanut butter, crackers, granola bars, dried fruit, nuts.
   • About 2,000 calories per adult per day.
   • Buy one extra of each on regular shopping trips.

2. Grow to two weeks

   • Rice, pasta, dried beans, oats, powdered milk, oil, salt, sugar, honey, coffee or tea.
   • Comfort food — it matters for morale.
   • Two manual can openers.
   • Keep a list with expiration dates.

3. Store it right

   • Cool, dark, dry: 50–70°F.
   • Airtight containers for anything opened.
   • Cans last 2–5 years. Sealed rice and beans with oxygen absorbers: 10+.
   • First in, first out — eat the oldest, replace it.

4. Don't forget

   • Formula, baby food, special diets.
   • Pet food.
   • Prescriptions — 30 days if you can.
   • A way to heat water: camp stove or canned heat.

Sources: FEMA / Ready.gov · USDA Food Storage Guidelines

General information to help in an emergency — not a substitute for training or professional care.