Now that the weather is beginning to change and warm up a bit, I figured I would post a friendly reminder for you to change out any food and water supplies that you’ve had stored away.
Specifically, I’m thinking about the food and water in your bug out bags, vehicle kits, as well as any you may have elsewhere such as at a friends house, in buried caches (if they’re not too much trouble to get at), and so on.
Even if you think they’re still good you should consider replacing them (in my opinion) twice a year if you can to ensure that they’re edible, nutritious, and safe to consume if/when you need them.
Why do this?
Sometimes it may seem like too much trouble to replace your food and water twice a year. After all, it’s both work and an expense that may seem unnecessary but I beg to differ. If there’s any of your preps that you’re guaranteed to use during an emergency it’s going to be your food and water.
No doubt that these will go bad over time, certainly faster in hot weather and vehicle kits are a prime location for being exposed to hot weather. Similarly, freezing weather can cause trouble with your food stores.
Wait a minute. Isn’t it going to be hot soon?
Yes. It may seem counter-intuitive to replace your food and water stores BEFORE it gets hot. Honestly, if there’s anytime that you’d want to change out your water and food it would be AFTER the summer heat has passed for sure.
But, seeing as though an entire six months of being exposed to cold weather (even freezing temps) prior to also being exposed to very warm weather for six months *could* be just the thing that made your emergency food go bad or perhaps be less nutritious.
Longer term food and water stores that aren’t subject to extreme heat (or cold) are probably fine to not worry about it the proper precautions have been taken but the food in vehicle kits, in particular, are a concern.
What to do with the food you’re replacing?
Use them up! If they’re meals then make your life easy once or twice a week for a while and eat them instead. If they’re shelf-stable snacks then eat them before getting into the freshest snacks you probably also eat.
That’s my two cents, anyway.
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