The Best Emergency Food Supplies To Help You Prepare For The Unexpected

Servings: 12o | Shelf life: Up to 25 years | Weight: 18.4 pounds

Pros:

• Long shelf life
• Large serving quantity
• Lots of meal options to choose from

Cons:

• Preparation instructions aren’t easy to read from one meal to the next

If you’re stocking up on food to serve family and friends—or if you just want to have a long-term supply for yourself—ReadyWise’s Emergency Food Supply Bucket is a great option. Not only does it contain 120 servings of freeze-dried meals, but it also packs neatly into a bucket that weighs just shy of 20 pounds. Hopefully, you won’t need to rely on your stash of emergency food any time soon, in which case this kit’s 25-year shelf life will come in handy. But if you find yourself preparing meals, simply add water (cold or hot), let the food sit as it soaks up the liquid and you’re good to go. Noteworthy meals include cheesy lasagna, tortilla soup, teriyaki and rice, savory stroganoff and of course, cheesy macaroni.

Servings: 40 days/nights | Shelf life: Up to 15 years | Weight: 36 pounds

Pros:

• Variety of grains and legumes
• Over a month’s worth of food

Cons:

• Supplies are packaged in large, non-resealable bags; food isn’t divided into servings
• Expensive

Whether you’re fully plant-based or just looking for a healthier alternative to the traditional bulk emergency food ingredients, consider stocking up on the Survive2Thrive Vegetarian Preparedness Pail. At 36 pounds, it’s slightly heavier than other options on the market, but its contents are fully organic and consist of legumes and grains like quinoa, oats, lentils, chia seeds, brown rice, garbanzos and sprouted buckwheat groats. The food is separated into different packs—some meals cook in warm water while others need to soak overnight. This kit costs a bit more and its contents require more preparation than others, but if you’re looking for organic, vegetarian options (or if you need to avoid common dairy and egg allergens), it’s the way to go. The kit provides a 40-day supply of food and has a shelf life of 10 to 15 years—less than other options on this list, but the contents aren’t packed with preservatives that are often used to extend the shelf life.

Servings: 22 | Shelf life: Up to 30 years | Weight: 6.15 pounds

Pros:

• Strong shelf life
• Meals taste surprisingly good
• Mountain House has decades of experience making dehydrated foods

Cons:

• 22 servings won’t last as long as other food kits

It can be hard to find a gluten-free survival kit when so many of the best long-term emergency food supply options rely on gluten due to its affordability and availability. But if you or someone in your party requires gluten-free foods, you’ll be happy to know that longtime meal prep label Mountain House provides an assortment of gluten-free breakfast, lunch and dinner meals in its Essential bucket kit. A preferred label among campers and travelers since the late ‘60s, Mountain House has been crafting freeze-dried foods for decades, and their gluten-free kit includes 22 servings to feed one person for approximately four days. Every meal can be prepared by adding hot water and letting it sit for ten minutes, and the kit has an impressive shelf life of 30 years—the longest in the industry.

Servings: 307 | Shelf life: 25 years | Weight: 24 pounds

Pros:

• Great number of servings for the price
• Strong shelf life
• Variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner options

Cons:

• 25-year shelf life is under ideal conditions

Survival meal kits are designed to last for years, but as you may have noticed, some last longer than others. For example, a vegetarian kit may only last 10 to 15 years because it lacks specific preservatives, but if you’re truly looking for a “buy it and forget it” meal kit, odds are you’ll prefer one with a longer shelf life. And that’s where the Augason Farms Emergency Food Supply Kit comes in handy.

With a shelf life of 25 years, this kit keeps for decades, and because it contains 30 days’ worth of food for one person, there’s enough nutrients inside to split it up between family members if you’re only hunkering down for a few days. Inside, you’ll find not only comfort foods like mac and cheese and homestyle mashed potatoes, but oatmeal, broccoli rice and banana chips too.

Servings: 9 | Shelf life: Up to 5 years | Weight: 1.6 pounds

Pros:

• Packable size for on-the-go energy
• Calorie-dense formula
• Strong shelf life for a bar

Cons:

• A bit pricey for a two-pack of bars

Hot meals are undeniably comforting and satisfying, but a hot meal might not be practical (or possible) in the midst of an emergency, and that’s where emergency food bars come in handy. These U.S. Coast Guard-approved ration bars come in a variety of flavors and feature a shelf life of five years “under all climatic conditions,” so it’s reasonable to assume they may last a bit longer under ideal storage conditions, like those found in a dry bin or cupboard. Though certainly not as nutritious as a bowl of organic grains and beans, they make for a calorie-dense option (each bar contains 3,600 calories) and, because they don’t require any preparation, you can pull one from the pack and eat it on the go whether you’re hiking or relocating in the midst of an emergency.