With the uncertainty surrounding Covid-19 and when things are going to return to normal, you may have noticed a disturbing trend: grocery stores continue to experience shortages. And while grocery stores are likely going to continue to restock, the initial flood on toilet paper,canned goods, hand santizers, and other essentials for sheltering in place have exposed a very real gap in production capacity for food.
Even if food remains readily accessible for the duration of the Corana-Virus shelter in place orders occurring nation-wide (which some experts are now predicting to last until the summer), this pandemic has made me realize that it’s never a bad idea to stock up on extra food.
How much food makes sense to have stored on-hand is a personal preference to some degree, but the biggest challenge in storing food has always historically been that food expires. Even canned goods that most people assume can last years (soup, vegetables, etc.) are usually only guaranteed to be safe for about two years after processing. Now two years is certainly a long time, and if you already are stocked up on canned goods, maybe it makes sense to cycle out your supply every two-three years, but this can quickly get expensive. Luckily, certain food processors and farmers have developed food solutions that last well over the two year period mentioned above. And this food isn’t just all soup either.
Below, we have included three long-term food options (guaranteed to be good for at least five years) that will not only serve as great emergency options, but may also be affordable than their grocery counterparts.
1. 30 Days Worth Of Premium Food Option
Photo via Amazon
Augason Farms has been in business for a while now, and their particular focus has always been on long-term food solutions. That’s why it should be of little surprise that their 30 day emergency kit (filled with enough food for 30 days for one person) has a 25 year shelf life! A quarter-century is a very long time to have peace of mind, and while you may think a month’s worth of food for one person that doesn’t expire for 25 years would be expensive, but you can actually get this emergency kit for less than the average weekly trip to the grocery store. With about 1,854 calories a day included in a watertight pail, the food is easily transportable and super easy to prepare on the go by adding water.
2. Long Grain Brown Rice
Photo via Amazon
If you aren’t too concerned about variety and are instead concerned about efficiency, then you can’t get a much more affordable option. With 242 servings and 38,720 calories, you can get about 80 days worth of rice (at three servings a day). If instead you were to calculate by calories (if you plan on your entire caloric intake being rice), you could still manage around 20 or so days of 1,600 calories worth of rice. The real benefit however of this rice over your local grocery store’s, is that this long grain brown rice has up to a 7 year shelf life if properly stored. This is an impressive shelf life for any grain, and considering rice is one of the most flexible starches or sides to use for meals, this could be a real emergency preparedness value buy!
3. Sliced Strawberries
Photo via Amazon
You often see canned vegetables or frozen fruit, but very rarely do you find find freeze-dried fruit with up to a 30-year shelf life! Perfect for emergency preparedness and food storage or even everyday camping or use, getting 18 servings worth of sliced strawberries for around $20 is a bargain, and having tried Augason Farms freeze dried fruit before, I can confirm they are a tasty snack to provide some much needed variety to heavier meals in the event you actually have to use your emergency food.
Finally, if this article has convinced you to get serious about preparing for an emergency situation (be it another pandemic, a natural disaster, a military conflict, etc.), I highly recommend that you visit OutbreakProvisions.com to learn more medical supplies and survival kits you may also need to shelter in place or evacuate quickly. Outbreak Provisions is a relatively new vendor, specializing in provisions needed specifically in the event of a crisis, pandemic, or disaster, and their website includes a plethora of helpful pre-made tool and supply kits that you can order, store, and forget about until an emergency situation arises!
Photo via Amazon
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