Food Storage For Prepping

If you’re serious about prepping, sooner or later you’re going to have to think about what food store you lay down, where you put it, and how long those stores are likely to last you and your family or group.

The need for food

As an article published on Healthline suggests, you could survive a surprisingly long time without food – up to a month or more has been managed by some hunger-strikers. For it to function properly, though, your body needs the energy provided by food – and in any survival situation, you are going to want your body to function properly.

But eating is not just a question of refuelling your body. Having something good and satisfying to eat can also be a psychological boost and raise your spirits – when you most need them raised if you are facing challenges that are pressing you to the limit.

So, as well as being nourishing, the food you choose also needs to be food you will actually enjoy eating.

Non-perishable foods

It’s not just a question of taste, you also want stores of food that are going to last – and who knows how long you might be preparing for an unexpected crisis or emergency.

That’s why our blog on the 28^th of January 2021 suggested a variety of non-perishable foods ranging from the obvious rice and dried beans to dried fruits, tinned food, freeze-dried food, and ready-to-eat meals.

You can stock up on proprietary brands of survival rations marketed by some companies that boast their freeze-dried tins have a proven storage life of 25 years. These are pre-prepared meals that have been cooked and freeze-dried – so all you have to do is add water.

You can also look at MRE meals too.

They’re not the tastiest option and you wouldn’t choose to live on them for all that long but emergency food ration biscuits – which have a shelf-life of up to 5 years – offer probably one of the most cost-effective subsistence solutions.

Where to store food

Like the majority of preppers in this country, you’re most likely going to be storing emergency supplies of food inside in your home – or, possibly, the garage or outbuilding in the garden. If you do use a garage or shed, bear in mind that temperature swings, damp and pests (mice especially) can all shorten shelf life – keep food off the floor in sealed, rodent-proof containers and check it regularly.

You will know your own home and any grounds well enough to have discovered spaces that are dry, cool, and preferably away from prying or envious eyes. The space – or spaces – you choose clearly need to be big enough to accommodate your immediate stores but also allow sufficient room for growth over time. Food storage is something you’ll probably want to be thinking about and adding to over time. In fact, it could be a good idea to sample the older packages from time to time and make sure they still offer nutrition that is to your taste – replacing food consumed with new items to add to your stores.

The conscientious prepper will also be aware that the outbreak of any emergency or crisis can occur when you are away from home and unable to get back there for a while. In that case, you will need emergency food stores or dumps to keep you going along the way – for an indeterminate length of time.

These can be part of the caches we spoke about in our blog on caches – a cache you might keep in the boot of your car, in a specially packed bug-out bag, or even in the purpose-designed tub containing 162 servings of long lasting organic meals.

Avoid some of the common food storage mistakes

It’s never completely plain sailing whatever prepping you’re currently into.

The Urban Survival Site mentions several of the most common mistakes which include:

storing food that hasn’t passed your personal taste preference test;
storing food without any kind of record you even have it;
bulk-buying just because it’s on offer;
failing to store sufficiently varied foods; and
buying food that will be too difficult to cook or can only be kept under refrigeration.

About The Author

Article by the Prepper Weekly editor. Prepper Weekly covers practical, UK-focused preparedness – from emergency planning, power cuts and flooding to food, water, kit and outdoor skills – without the fear-mongering. Find out more about Prepper Weekly.