Learning About Emergency Food Rations

By Linda Cantrell


Have you ever imagined what would happen if you were not allowed to buy food for a whole year? How would you survive? It is in the search of answers to these questions that you need some basic tips about emergency food rations. Natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes, storms and disease outbreaks are common in the UK just like elsewhere in the world. You therefore need to be prepared for such emergencies so that your ration supply is not cut short.

An emergency food-stock is vital as a precautionary measure. There, you can keep foods that can remain fresh for long, meeting all your basic dietary needs. At any given instant, you should at least have an uninterrupted supply for three days. The water and food therein must be sufficient for all your family members. Depending on your ability, your stock can go for a week, a month or more.

Good storage equipment is also required. Ensure you meet all the necessary hygiene requirements. Foods that do not require refrigeration are preferable. They should also have low salt content. Your store should be easily reachable to avoid hassles when you need to use the stock. Remember it will be used in an emergency situation where a long search is not convenient. The items should also be free from humidity and pests as these are destructive.

When you go for shopping, you do not need to buy everything at once. You can start with those that are on stock or on offer. Consider the prizes also. Some are very expensive while others are cheap. Depending on your pocket, go for what fits you. However, it is advisable to purchase items from reputable and trusted manufacturers.

Use the stock for emergency only. Avoid reverting to it in tempting non emergency situations. Instead, daily ration supplies should be purchased as usual. Replenish the stock pile as soon as possible once you are forced to borrow from it. However, try not to use it at all unless for emergency.

From time to time, replenish and reshuffle your stock pile. Discard the items that will have expired before their use. Reshuffling implies interchanging the items so that those recently purchased ones are kept at the bottom. It enables you to utilize the ones that have neared their expiry date to avoid the great loss that comes with disposing them off.

There are many ways of testing the palatability of your stocked items. One way is to check their expiry dates. The nearer the expiry date the faster you should use the item to beat the deadline. For bottled water, you have to rotate the stock every six months even if the expiry date is not pinned on the bottle.

Fruits and other foods that have high acid content should be stored for a maximum of a year to eighteen months. Meat, fish and most vegetables can be stored for two to five years since they have low acid content and thus last longer. Storing the foods for too long should be avoided.




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