Prepackaged Emergency Foods

As we gather and stockpile food stuffs in our home we will get to a level of preparedness where we are ready to add another layer to our abilities. Each of us will reach this at a different pace and for this reason no set “must have” mile marker is suggested. Maybe you live in a very small flat; you have stocked up on what you eat every day, along with staple food items and have reached your goal of food stuff. This could be three days’ worth of food, one week or even a months’ worth of food. Each of our situations is different and we are customizing to each of our situations.

The next layer or tier to your food preparedness is suggested to be mobile food sources. These are items you can quickly pack, already have packed, grab and go. This gives you the ability to move quickly, save space and still have food with you if the situation you find yourself in causes you to leave your home. Fire, floods, earthquakes and other issues are reasons you might have to leave your home and cannot carry with you all the food items you have stored away. With these items you can move when needed; although not the ideal situation, your family will not go hungry.

Of course if you have to move weight becomes a major issue. You can only carry so much food. Your husband, wife, children and pets can only carry so much. Especially if you consider all the other items you need if you are forced to become a refugee! Are you going to carry ten pounds of rice or ten gallons of water, change of clothing for you and the children or fifteen cans of green beans, taking a tent to shelter in or meat for the children to eat? All of these can become life changing decisions if you are in this situation. Having prepackaged foods can go a long way in this situation. Any of the items we are going to discuss here are expensive and this needs to be factored in when planning for this level of readiness.

MREs are always brought into the conversation when mobile food sources are brought up. They are a quick solution to the issue. Having eaten these for days on end……. MREs get old really fast! There are only so many types and everyone is not going to like every type of meal. The upside to them is one meal has enough calories to keep you alive for one day, the have a variety of food items and if you buy the right type you can have a hot meal at a time you probably really need one. The military and civilian versions are not that different and there are types for every food preference.

Prepackaged containers or ‘buckets’ are another option. Most of these come in some kind of container for easy of carrying. The majority of these containers are not designed for carrying the food any great distance by hand. If you choose to purchase these types of portable food make sure you read the packaging carefully. Unlike an MRE some of these meals require water to be added in order to prepare the food for eating. Serving sizes also very greatly from one company to the next with most hovering around a 1 cup serving size. This could be far less than you might think the serving should be.

Along with these types of meals backpacking meals are also an option. Some of these can be eaten right out of the bag without water. Most have the same concerns as the prepackaged “emergency” meals, serving size and the need for water. On the plus side when using backpacking meals; they come in a wide variety of meal types and they lack the weight of MREs. You can even find ice cream and other desserts if you shop around!!!!

Another option is emergency ration bars. These are ‘bricks’ of food used aboard life boats. If you decide to buy these try and find ones approved by the Coast Guard because they have the most nutrient value in almost every case. You will often see these as items in survival kits which state they will keep you and others alive for days at a time…………….. yes these can keep you alive. One word of caution, they taste like cardboard and in most cases are not pleasing to the pallet!!!! You can live off of these food rations but you will not enjoy eating them for days at a time. A suggestion would be to have these rations as a last resort, the finally line between your family and starvation.

One thing we can do with all of these items which is seldom discussed is to give them away. If you are in a situation where you are at home, have other food stuff and are not in fear of starving or going without having these items on hand can solve a problem. “What do you do when the neighbors ask for food? What do you do when you see other people’s children going without? One answer can be to give them any of these items. I know some people say they will never give anything to anyone during an emergency and I would say you have never seen a child really going hungry!!!

If you do not want to be charitable, what about using these items for trade? During an emergency people are not going to want to be paid in money, checks or by credit card not if they are hungry right now and do not have access to food. Food will be a far greater priority then the check they might be able to put in the bank later. What if you need something done or an item you do not have and you can pay for the service or item by trading someone a prepackaged meal?

Think of this tier as giving you more options. If you can, buy some of each type of prepackaged food to give you more flexibility in your response to situations. Should you have to leave do not think you can only bring these sorts of food items with you. If you have the ability bring ALL your food with you!!

As Always,
Stay Safe