Ok, so we all know we should have food stored away in case of an emergency, right? Right? So, how many of you actually do? If not, why haven’t you started on this essential part of your family’s protection? Perhaps it’s because you just aren’t sure what type of food you should be storing. I admit, it can be a very daunting task. As a mother of 5 young children, adding this to my plate (no pun intended!) was not something I was very willing to do. I had 7 people to take care of every day! How in the world was I supposed to plan for the future on top of that? Well, after getting snowed in to my house for 2 solid weeks during a dreadfully stormy winter, I decided to make emergency food storage a priority on my list. And believe it or not, you can too! I am here today to help you get started on your food storage journey by informing you about three different types of emergency food.

MREs (Meals Ready To Eat)- MREs are packaged in a plastic/foil pouch that are sealed and are air tight until opened. The food inside the pouches is already cooked, and can be eaten cold or hot. They usually have a 5 year shelf life, but can be kept up to 10 years in ideal storage environments. (Cool and dry.) They do not need water to cook, and can be eaten straight from the pouch. They are light weight and can be taken with you easily.

Food Bars- These are a kind of “cookie” if you will. The great thing is that, unlike a real cookie, they are made specifically to be eaten without making you thirsty. They are extremely high in protein and exceed the normal daily requirements for vitamins and minerals. They can usually be stored for 5 years. These are great to store if you live in a climate where high or low temperatures are a factor, as they can be stored in -40 degrees to 300 degrees Fahrenheit without disturbing the integrity of the nutrients!

Freeze Dried Food - This type of food is usually stored in #10 can, but is also available in smaller pouches like MREs. Freeze dried foods taste great because the foods retain their taste, texture, and shape of fresh frozen foods. It also locks in the freshness, vitamins, nutrients, color, and aroma of fresh frozen foods while providing an amazing 30 year shelf life. They might be hard to carry around with you, since they are in cans, but for long-term food storage, these are wonderful. Your family will thank you for them when an emergency strikes and they aren’t stuck eating dry peanut butter crackers and stale granola bars all day!

There are other food storage options, but these are the big three. Think about what would be best for your family and the environment in which you live, and plan accordingly. Hopefully, this information will get you on a good road towards making emergency food storage easier to think about and get!

This entry was posted on Monday, February 11th, 2008 at 1:33 am and is filed under food storage. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.