Planning for an emergency can sometimes be a challenge because it is so unexpected. When the unexpected natural disasters occur like a power outage, earthquake, snow storm or typhoon, depending on which side of the world you live, you must take preventive measures for storing food. One of the main things people need when all else goes wrong is to sustain your body with food along with the proper storage of it in the right containers such as food storage buckets, boxes or bins and at cool temperatures.
1. What Type of Food To Store?
- It’s important to know which types of food to keep in storage.
- Water is one of the most fundamental items that should be used for both cooking, drinking and bathing. It’s best to have storage of one to two gallons per day for each person in the home.
- Canned goods or even cans that have a easy-pry top, in case there is no available can opener in the home.
- Canned goods should consist of fruit, vegetables, pasta, fish and soups to start.
- Dried fruits such as prunes, raisins, apricots are highly recommended.
- Canned or bottled juice and milk are great beverages that can be made from a powdered form as well.
- Boxed cereals and crackers along with toppings such as peanut butter and fruit preserves.
- Healthy dry snacks including granola bars, nuts and trail mixtures.
- It’s best to keep the healthiest combination of food that can be stored easily and over a long period of time until the emergency has subsided.
2. How To Handle Food That is Stored
Once you understand which emergency food storage items you will put in storage, you now need to make a list of how to properly handle food that is in storage. It’s imperative to keep a 3 days to a week’s supply of food for every individual in your household, because you never know how long the emergency is going to last. It’s important to eat only what the family is familiar with and requires no refrigeration or heating in case there is an electrical outage and no microwave. Try to decrease the intake and storage of salty food which will increase blood pressure and thirst. Make sure that all food is given in small portions until it’s completely consumed in order to prevent leftovers, in case there is no refrigeration.
3. Plastic Storage Containers to Store Food
There are specific types of food that you should store in containers during an unexpected situation. Food should not be put in trash bags, chemically based plastic barrels, empty paint cans or any other place where chemical contact can happen. Containers that are meant for food storage will usually be shown on the label of the bucket or they are containers that were previously used for food before and are BPA free. In the case of previously used glass or plastic containers, you will want to make sure they are new and cleaned thoroughly so that there is no chance of mildew or other fungus to form from aged or prior food that was kept in storage. Supplies in boxes should be transferred.
4. Bag and Box Storage
Most dried food will need to be packaged in tightly sealed and moisture free plastic boxes or bags. Food grade biodegradable metal cans are also an option for dry foods such as granola bars or nuts. It’s best to keep the dried foods with little contact to the air because the oxygen can make it quickly go bad. When food is in storage for long term in a cool dark space, like a cupboard or cabinet, you will increase the shelf life. It’s possible for the shelf life for dried goods to be extended for as long as a year if the proper storage packaging is in place.
5. Storing PerishablesÂ
One of the main concerns with food when an emergency happens involves an electrical outage. The good news is fruits and vegetables can last for approximately six hours in the refrigerator. It’s even better to store perishables in the freezer where the time increases for perishable food safe by a couple of hours more. Bacteria can accumulate on perishables if the room’s temperature is too warm for too long.