Having a deep stockpile of food can protect you if an emergency strikes. But creating a long-term food storage plan and finding places to store everything can be difficult. And if you are thinking about creating an emergency supply of food to ensure you are prepared, it can be hard to know where to start. In this article, we will look at several tips for long-term food storage so you get it right.
What should I include in long-term food storage?
It can be hard to determine what foods to store in your emergency stash. Here are some of the best foods that you can store in the long term.
White rice can last up to 25 years when stored properly with oxygen absorbers. Brown rice will go bad a lot faster, so it is not recommended to use brown rice in your long-term food storage, though it can last a few years in most cases.
Dry beans and lentils that are stored properly with oxygen absorbers can last up to 25 years, too, making them an excellent choice for long-term food storage. But they can be difficult to cook as years pass. Try to use them up within a handful of years and rotate as necessary.
If you store your honey in an airtight container and keep it in a dry, cool place, it can last indefinitely. Even if the honey crystallizes, it is still good and useable. The only time to consider honey “bad” is if it’s covered in ants or some creature has made its way into the bottle.
Sugar is another food that can last 25 years when stored correctly.
White vinegar can last indefinitely as long as it is stored in a cool, dry place. Other types of vinegar typically have a shelf life of five to ten years.
[Editor’s note: vinegars, especially white vinegar, is useful for so many applications, not just food storage. I suggest you keep several bottles on hand at all times.]
When storing canned goods, make sure you rotate your supplies regularly, using cans with older expiration dates before using items you purchased recently. Different canned goods have a different shelf life. For instance, vegetables and fruits might only last a few years, whereas meat might last up to five years.
[Editor’s note: I believe that canned foods, stored in a relatively cool place, should last for several years, though some canned food, like tomato-based products, should be used within a few years of purchase. Get yourself a Cansolidator or something like it and you shouldn’t have any trouble using the oldest cans first.]
Salt should last you indefinitely, and you will want it to season your food. Same goes for most other seasonings.
Cooking Oil
Virgin and extra virgin oils will not last as long as refined oils since refined oils can last up to five years when they are stored in a cool, dark place. But, health experts suggest refined oils aren’t the best to consume, so stick with cold-pressed or unrefined oils where possible. Examples include olive oil and coconut oil, both of which should last years.
You can store popcorn kernels for up to ten years. These are good to store in a Mylar bag for added longevity, but kept in the bottle or jar should be fine.
If you store powdered milk in an airtight container, it can last five to ten years. Kept in a sealed #10 can with oxygen absorber and it can last twenty years.
Instant Jello mix can last 20 years when stored correctly.
Many dry pastas have a long shelf life as long as they are stored correctly. Remember the pasta sauce to go with it.
Other grains to consider storing are wheat, barley, and oats.
You will need yeast for baking, but it doesn’t last long. Consider other ways to cook food, such as making flat breads.
Having both baking soda and baking powder in your emergency food supply is a good idea as they are both often necessary for cooking from scratch.
Dried fruits can last a long time and are a healthy and sweet treat to have in an emergency.
Most seasoning packets have a half-life of one to two years. So long as you rotate your supply regularly, these are good to have on hand.
Having some sweet treats on hand in an emergency is a great idea, so having some cake mixes your family will use in your long-term food storage is a good idea. These have a shelf-life of at least a few years.
You absolutely have to have a good supply of clean water in your emergency food supplies. According to the CDC, you should have at minimum one gallon of water per person per day.
[Editor’s note: I suggest five gallons per person per day as a better goal because water is so crucial to everything we do, from drinking and cooking to cleaning, personal hygiene, for pets, and so much more. Plus, if your neighbors come calling, you can help them, too.]
You do not want to end up having a caffeine headache during an emergency situation, so ensuring you have some extra coffee and tea in your food supplies can be a total lifesaver. Coffee and tea store well, so you will not need to worry about them going bad while in storage.
If there is an emergency situation that requires you to break into your long-term food storage, you are going to be stressed. Make sure you have some treats that you and your family enjoy that will keep well in your supplies. Being able to break into a bag of chips you enjoy or having some chocolate in the middle of a situation can be a welcome treat.
[Editor’s note: I wrote a book on the best survival foods to stockpile, if interested.]
Containers for Long-Term Food Storage
No matter how much food you have for your emergency supply, if it is not stored in the right containers, it is not going to last long. There are a few options that you can choose from to store your food long-term.
For bulk foods, one excellent choice for a storage container is bins with gamma seal lids. The gamma lids seal well, so you can keep your bulk dry goods fresh. They are easy enough to open, too, which makes them a wonderful choice for foods you use regularly. These are also great for rotating your bulk food items since they do not take up too much space, and they are easy to label and open without compromising the seal.
PETE bottles, made from polyethylene terephthalate, are plastic bottles that you can use with oxygen packets to store some of your dry goods.
Mylar bags can be a good option for food storage if you are putting the bags into another container. When using these easy-to-seal bags, put oxygen packets in them to keep the food fresh. However, you have to make sure that they are in an area that is completely safe from rodents because mice can chew through a mylar bag, which could be devastating!
[Editor’s note: Don’t underestimate the determination of rodents and other wildlife to get into your food storage. By all means, store susceptible food containers, like Mylar bags, in a sturdier option, like totes and steel cans. You’ll thank yourself later.]
Glass jars come in a lot of shapes and sizes, making them a good choice for long-term food storage. They are also great for keeping pests out of food. However, if you use glass jars, make sure you store them so they are less likely to fall over and get broken, such as in a sturdy box or tote bin.
Cooking Utensils to Store
There are several key cooking utensils you will need to make sure you have in stock with your stored food, including:
- Solar oven: If there is no electricity, this is a great way to cook, especially since it also does not require fuel.
- Sharp kitchen knife
- Cutting board
- Mixing bowls
- Mixing spoons
- Spatulas
- Can opener that isn’t electric
- Cast iron skillet
- Set of camping plates, bowls, and utensils
Planning Your Long-Term Food Storage
There are a few things to keep in mind when planning your long-term food storage. Let’s take a look.
You can’t predict the future, and there is no way to know what kind of crisis you will encounter that will lead to you needing to get into your emergency food stores. Therefore, it is a good idea to assume the worst and stock up accordingly.
What foods will you actually use?
When you begin stocking up on your long-term food storage, do not just buy things because they keep well or because a blog post said to. If you will not actually use the food, there is no point in taking up valuable space storing it or, worse, wasting hard-earned money on something nobody will eat!
As part of assuming the worst when you stock up on foods, it is safe to assume that you will not have power, so your fridge and freezer are not going to work. While having frozen food stored for an emergency is a useful idea, unless you have a backup power system to keep that freezer running, you cannot bank on having a big supply of frozen foods and not having enough shelf goods. Stick with shelf-stable foods in most cases.
As soon as you buy anything that is going to be in your long-term food storage, put it in the long-term storage containers and label it clearly. Include what it is, when it was purchased, and the best by date on it. Make sure you have a clear label system from the beginning so you don’t into problems down the road.
Where to Keep my Emergency Foods?
There are a few places that can be good to store your long-term food supplies. You want to make sure that you keep your emergency food in a cool, dry place that is dark and away from light sources. Let’s take a look at a few good options for where to store your long-term food supplies.
Basements are typically cool and dark, making them a good choice for storing your emergency food supplies. However, basements often have moisture issues, so it is important to ensure that those will not affect your storage. Typically, however, properly stored food, such as in Mylar bags, won’t be affected by high humidity.
The pantry or extra closets are a great place to store your long-term food stores. You just need to make sure that the room you keep them in does not have extreme temperatures.
While most sheds are hot and humid, making them not great for food storage, you can custom design a steel shed that is insulated, keeping your food stores at the right temperature. A steel shed can also be kept more secure than your average garden shed.
[Editor’s note: Interesting idea, especially for those with limited space indoors or if you’re looking to add “extra” food storage somewhere. Just ensure that wherever you choose to store your food won’t be subjected to extreme temperatures or you’ll lose it all.]
Get Creative with Food Storage
Sometimes, you have to get creative when finding places to store your emergency supplies. You can store things under beds and furniture or pull the couch away from the wall a little bit to store things behind them. If you have a wooden chest as a table or decoration or some vintage suitcases as decor, you can easily use them to store some of your emergency foods.
[Editor’s note: Yes! We often don’t realize just how much space we waste. Get creative and you’ll find plenty of useful places to store food, supplies, and more.]
What about my garage or attic?
Garages are not good places to store your emergency food supplies because they are often not well insulated. They tend to be hot and humid in the summer and too cold in the winter. It is not recommended to use your garage as storage space for long-term food storage unless you design it to be well insulated with temperature control. Attics are also not recommended for this reason unless it is in an air-conditioned space.
The Benefits of Long-Term Food Storage
Putting together a long-term food supply can be a significant investment that requires commitment. To stay motivated as you begin your journey of emergency food storage, let’s take a look at the benefits.
You truly can’t put a price on having peace of mind. By putting together long-term food storage, you know that you have a backup plan to ensure you and your family will stay fed in case of an emergency. This alone can be a good reason to put together a long-term food storage plan.
When you first get going, putting together a long-term food supply can be expensive, but eventually, you will begin to save money. Since you are buying food in bulk for your supplies, you can end up saving a lot of money compared to buying smaller quantities at the grocery store as needed.
Everything you have in your food storage is things that you can eat and use at any time. This means you might not have to run to the store if you run out of something in the middle of cooking. You can save a lot of time by putting this food supply together. You also may not have to go grocery shopping as often.
About the Author
Auz Burger is a freelance writer and an expert in steel buildings. She has a BA from Washington State University and has been writing and editing professionally for over a decade.
[Note: This was a guest post.]
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