When disaster strikes, there’s a pretty good chance your local grocery stores will be stripped bare in a matter of hours. From panicked people trying to stock up on last-minute supplies to those who failed to prepare for even short-term disasters and now find themselves facing the prospect of starving, your local grocery store will look like a battleground in a post-apocalyptic movie.
Most grocery stores have a maximum three-day supply of goods on hand before they run dry. That means even short-term disasters like hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes can cause supply chain problems that will quickly wipe out their inventory. Now throw in a long-term disaster that cuts off supplies for months, and you have a real recipe for disaster.
To be prepared to face an emergency situation where supply chains fail and food deliveries are blocked, you need to invest in a long-term food supply. This supply should be made up of at least six months’ worth of emergency food with a long shelf-life – preferably something that you already eat.
From Supermarket Shelves to Survival Pantry: Building Your Emergency Food Stockpile with Long-Lasting Food From The Grocery Store
In the face of so many uncertainties, it’s important to ensure you and your loved ones’ survival by stocking an emergency pantry with long-lasting food supplies. While many so-called survival experts try selling commercial ‘survival food’ as the answer, we advocate for building your stockpile with familiar foods you probably already eat – all from your local grocery store or farmer’s markets.
During an emergency situation, the last thing you want to do is eat a bunch of weird survival foods that you’ve never eaten before – from possible allergy concerns to the stuff just downright tasting like crap, now is not the time to start experimenting. On top of that, we don’t like wasting money, so buying foods you already eat and running them on a rotation system that ensures you don’t find yourself years from now with a pantry full of expired food!
With the help of suggestions that have come in from our readers, we have compiled a list of the top food items and emergency supplies that you can buy at the grocery store. The list contains foods with a long shelf-life, items that have multiple uses, and supplies that are great for bartering.
Survival Foods that add flavor & comfort:
Comfort foods can be a huge morale booster during a stressful survival situation, something that needs to be kept in mind when starting to stockpile food. These four things can be stored for over 10 years, and are a great way to add a little bit of flavor to your cooking. If stored properly they will probably last indefinitely.
- Salt: From food preservation to maintaining proper electrolyte balance in the body to enhancing the flavor of your food, salt is an an essential part of your food storage stockpile!
- Sugar: – Brown or White sugars can be stored for quite some time and during emergencies or high-stress situations can help boost energy levels and provide a quick source of fuel. It can also be a huge morale booster when things start getting tough.
- Raw Honey: Honey has an incredibly long shelf life contains numerous vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Honey has also been used for centuries as a natural remedy for wound healing due to its antimicrobial properties.
- Alcohol – Whiskey, Vodka, etc.: From bartering to health and medicinal uses, alcohol is one of those items that should be part of any good preparedness stockpile. Check out our article on which liquors are best to stockpile for preparedness.
Base cooking ingredients with a long shelf life
Many people today lack the ability to cook anything from scratch, relying heavily on prepackaged and processed foods. This trend is unhealthy, but it could prove deadly during a long-term survival situation. Learning how to cook from basic ingredients is crucial for successfully preparing for emergencies and ensuring self-sufficiency in food storage.
The following categories of food make up the foundation of most recipes and are all things that store well.
Hard Grains: Stored properly hard grains have a shelf life of around 10 – 12 years.
- Buckwheat
- Dry Corn
- Kamut
- Hard Red Wheat
- Soft White Wheat
- Millet
- Durum wheat
- Spelt
Soft grains: These soft grains will last around 8 years at 70 degrees, sealed without oxygen.
- Barley,
- Oat Groats,
- Quinoa
- Rye
Beans: Sealed and kept away from oxygen the following beans can last for around 8 – 10 years.
- Pinto Beans
- Kidney Beans
- Lentils
- Lima Beans
- Adzuki Beans
- Garbanzo Beans
- Mung Beans
- Black Turtle Beans
- Blackeye Beans
Flours and Mixes and Pastas: 5 – 8 years
- All Purpose Flour
- White Flour
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Cornmeal
- Pasta
- White Rice ( up to 10 years)
Oils: It’s important to include fats in your stockpile. Fats are a concentrated source of energy and are crucial for overall health and well-being.
- Coconut oil – Unrefined, virgin coconut oil has one of the longest shelf lives of any kind of oil. It can last for over 2 years, has numerous health benefits, and is a great item to add to your survival food supply list.
- Clarified butter (Ghee): Clarified butter, also known as ghee, is butter that has been heated to remove moisture and milk solids. The process increases the fats stability and extends its shelf life. Ghee can last for several months to a year when stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil has a decent shelf life and can be stored for up to a year or more if kept in a cool, dark location.
For more information on cooking from scratch, check out these articles and books:
- Important Homesteading Preparedness Skills: Learn how to cook from scratch
- Best War Time Recipes: A Look at Preparedness Cooking Skills from the Past
- Fanny Farmer Cookbook
- Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook
- The Pioneer Woman’s Cookbooks
What About Buying Canned Goods for your Survival Pantry?
Proper Storage and Shelf Life of Canned Goods
We get a lot of questions on canned goods and how long they can safely be stored. To ensure the quality and safety of canned goods, it’s important to store them correctly and be aware of how long the manufacturer recommends they be stored. And remember, most best-by dates are placed there to protect the manufacturer from lawsuits, The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that most shelf-stable foods are safe indefinitely. In fact, they say canned goods will last for years and that dating is for quality, not safety.
Here are some guidelines to follow when dealing with store-bought canned goods and most shelf-stable foods:
1. Storage: Keep commercially canned foods and other shelf-stable products in a cool, dry location. Avoid placing them above the stove, under the sink, or in areas prone to high humidity or temperature fluctuations, such as a damp garage or basement.
2. Shelf life: The shelf life of canned goods varies depending on the type of food. High-acid foods like tomatoes and fruits maintain their best quality for up to 18 months, while low-acid foods such as meat and vegetables can maintain their original quality for 2 to 5 years. But again, if cans are undamaged (no dents, swelling, or rust) and have been stored properly in a cool, clean, dry environment, they can remain safe indefinitely.
3. Safety precautions: While extremely rare, the production of toxins by Clostridium botulinum bacteria poses the most significant risk when dealing with canned goods. To minimize the risk, make sure your cans are in good condition and show no signs of damage or contamination. If any cans appear compromised (bulges or leaks), it’s best to get rid of them to avoid any potential health hazards.
For more information on canning your own foods at home, check out our article on Canning your own food!
Survival Foods that are great during short-term disasters
The following items are great for short-term emergencies, and will stay fresh for a long period of time. During most disasters, you’re going to want to have food that requires very little cooking, or can be eaten without any preparation at all. Make sure some of your stockpile includes these types of food.
Other good survival foods: 2 – 5 years of shelf life
- Canned Fish: Tuna, Salmon, Sardines
- Canned Meats: Chicken, Beef, Pork, Spam & Sausages
- Canned Vegetables & Fruits
- Peanut Butter
- Coffee
- Tea
- Ramen Noodles – not the greatest food in the world but they are very cheap so they made the survival food list.
- Hard Candy
- Powdered milk
- Dried herbs and spices
- Canned soups (a variety of flavors)
- Canned pasta sauces
- Canned broth or stock (chicken, beef, or vegetable)
- Crackers or rice cakes
- Dried fruits (raisins, apricots, cranberries)
- Nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts)
- Granola bars or energy bars
- Cereal or granola
Items that can be used for more than cooking:
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Cleaning, cooking and has antibiotic properties
- Baking Soda – Cleaning, cooking, etc…
- Honey – Mentioned again for its antibiotic properties and wound healing.
Nonfood items to stock up on at the grocery store:
- Bic Lighters
- Toilet Paper
- Soaps
- Bottled Water
- Multi-vitamins or supplements
- Medicines
- Bandages
- Peroxide
- Lighter fluid
- Canning Supplies
- Charcoal
More Emergency Food Resources
While we always advise the DIY approach to stockpiling food, this way you have the things that you would normally cook and eat and can then rotate them in and out of your normal life, there are some circumstances where commercially made survival food supplies might make sense. Here are some of the top emergency survival foods that can help you quickly bulk up your emergency supplies.
One of the most important “things” you will need is friends and family. Hungry people will try to invade your house looking for food, it is inevitable. Today, many (if not most) people live in indefensible big-glass-window houses. Shelter in place will be very dangerous unless you are in remote wilderness. The less able you are to defend your house, the sooner you should go to stay with friends or family. Whether you are 16 or 75, the most valuable thing to have are friends and family, because if/when you do need to bug out, a larger group is safer than a smaller group. If you don’t have friends or family, perhaps you should store trade items as a buy-in; gems, silver, gold, and shotgun shells are good.
good to know this stuff coffee last 2-5 years? someone this week said it goes bad! buy green beans coffee, and toast your own with a popcorn poper the rest of stuff ive gotten and put away!
You know reading most of this, not all, I was laughing to hard and my sides couldn’t take it. :-)
But I had a thought while reading it. How about adding a Old Folks Say page on your site and let’s get some of the elders to comment on what they learned from long ago. I’m sure we all could learn a thing or two, or three from all the instruction. Love the site! After I recover I will read the rest. Thanks!
I would love to see a site like that. It would teach us so much. I remember the things my grandma (92yrs old when she die) told me and I hope to never forget them.
hi! does without oxygen mean vacuum packed? or just sealed in an airtight bag? thanks!
This list sounds like my pantry. (of course I grew up dealing with Hurricanes and Power Outages). Canned meats and vegetables, coffee, tea, ramen, flour, rice, beans (dried), salt, sugar, honey, pasta, these are all things I like to keep stock on in case of emergancies, or those times when the cash is tight.
This video is too darn long. Shorten it up. Get to the point and offer your product.
While it was enjoyable reading all the frank bashing going on, I would like to add some reality. When TSHTF, run for the hills. There will be NO community, NO respect for each other, NO warm fuzzies. We kill each other for pennies TODAY, What makes you think anyone will give a crap about ANYONE when times get rough? Unless your a part of a militia, small groups will be VERY easy to pick off, because of their visibility. Unfortunately our society is based on those who have, and those who don’t. But when TSHTF all will be equal, and those who have will be the hunted. Also FEMA will confiscate all large stock piles of food,(yes they know who is stock piling} Obama has passed that into law. FEMA will have the right to ” HOUSE” Americans for their own good. Am I just paranoid? What health insurance were you forced to buy? To make this more pleasant, let me just say, most people won’t see it coming.
Franks mommy just didn’t love home enough when he was a child therefore resulting in him turning out to be a complete waste of space and piece of shit…i honestly hope that whatever comes of the end times that you are one of the first to endure it first…godspeed to the rest of you and good luck…lord knows we will need it …
It’s sad that this whole blog response is about one arrogant idiot’s response, and not much to answer the kind lady with an actual logical question.All I’ve read is negativity and little else, by the way, nice starting list of items needed. I would add an extra set of glasses or a magnifier and prescription drugs if you use those items.
All of you slamming Frank for his comments really need to grow up and start using your heads instead of speaking out of your asses! The point he was eluding to is VERY SIMPLE, even for you single brain-celled organisms! WTSHTF there will VERY LIKELY be a complete breakdown of civil society which will leave the elderly, the frail, and the weak at a serious disadvantage. YOUY WILL NOT KNOW WHO CAN BE TRUSTED outside of those you already know! Many younger and stronger people that are not prepared will be looking for such targets to take advantage of and will not hesitate to take whatever they want. If you believe otherwise, YOU’RE AN IDIOT and deserve to be eliminated! Frank made no comment as to the moral standing of the lady he was responding to, merely suggesting that her best option would be to seek out others NOW instead of waiting until it’s too late. All of you that believe the the altruistic nature of man will win out in the end are seriously out of touch with reality. In EVERY natural disaster there are those looking for victims to take advantage of, look it up! I’m sure Larie is a very nice lady and I’m equally sure Frank isn’t Satan! He gave an accurate depiction of a likely scenario that ALL OF YOU should be aware of and consider, lest you become a casualty as well!
We have a farm where can go with a large food cache. I have canned pumpkin and other home canned goods to rely on. What about light and dark corn syrup for sweeteners. It’s cheap
Has anyone mentioned bleach, or clorine tablets to make a bleach mix ? 1 tablespoon of bleach, to 1 gallon of strained, or filtered water, (if it is coming out of a creak, or surface water of any kind, given it’s not septic, meaning bad, full of bad bacteria, which will smell rotten, or sour), no visible solids. Water can also be boiled to kill most bacteria. If there is no water, and it hasn’t rained, here are some tricks. Go to a healthy, nontoxic tree, with green leaves, and low enough branches, take a large baggy, or a black trash bag, as it absorbs sun light, and creates heat, a large rubberband, or string, and put as much of the end of the green, healthy, leaved branch in the saleable plastic, wrap the string, or rubberband fairly tight at the top, sealing in the leaves. Make sure it is in the sun, and natural perspiration will collect water from the tree’s leaves. This obviously doesn’t collect a lot, but it will help keep you alive !
Another way, is to dig a hole in moist soil preferably, put a short bowl, or omething simular to collect water, put it in the middle of the hole. Then take a square of celafane, put it flat over the hole, put some of the soil over the edges, keeping flat, once its secure, carefully take your finger, and make a point downward to the center of the collection bowl, a couple of inches, and as the day goes on, he ground will perspire. You’ll see water collecting on the inside of the plastic. This will then drip into the collection bowl. This will be fresh water, as long as you keep dirt out of the bowl, and off the under side of the celafane.
Good luck.
A few drops of clorox 5% or so will purify a gallon of questionable water be carefull .also potassium permangenate crystals,can be found at lowes or a swimming pool supply store,dissolve one at a time until water becomes pink,if purple you need to dilute some.also potassium permangenate when mixed with glycerine will chemically react and make fire even in wet conditions.to all vets and active,Thank you for your service.
Thank for all this information. I am new to prepping. I serve 11 year in the military. And I take seriously my family survivor in case of emergency. Thank for all you guy help and information.
Good info. Can someone answer my question about corn syrup? I know my parents used it In place of maple syrup. I don’t care about the Frank comments. I just want to survive!
Jill, it may be cheap but it’s crap. The more they learn about high fructose corn syrup, the more they question its safety. Save your money and buy honey (raw is better but be aware that all honey can carry trace amounts of botulism toxin – not enough to hurt most people but can be harmful to infants). Also, the reason people moved away from whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat, etc.) was because the germ, the “healthy” part, has oils that are beneficial but also go rancid quickly and greatly reduce shelf life. This is why commercially white flour and rice took over for a very long time. For short term storage and daily use please use the healthier and more nutritionally complete whole grains. However, for long term storage processed (vs. whole) grains would be your best bet. Hence, make sure you store up some multivitamins in a cool, dry place to combat the deficiencies the consumption of these products can lead to. Btw, my parents grew up in post WWII Europe. They said a Steinway or a Stratavrius sold for a bag of potatoes and armed wealthy farmers ruled. Best of luck to everyone. For an interesting read, check out “The Great Comtroversy”. Interesting view on the U.S.’s role in end time events written in the 1800’s. Be patient as it covers history from a Judeo-Christian (read “Biblical”) perspective. Good piece of Americana.
I’ve put in a few years in foreign lands fighting for this great country of ours. This is probably the closest I’ll ever come to a “survival situation”. What is the average age of an enlisted Marine? What is the average age of an officer? Braun and brain. War is a young mans game. Rude or polite, reality is reality.
1st we know Frank is a fool to a point. Why do I say to a point, most folks over 50 think a weeks worth of food etc. Is just simply normal, we’ve been there done that, don’t really want a repeat. Unless you are urban and really don’t have a clue.
2nd A repeat of getting a old Boy Scout handbook. Was reading a military survival book that covered less things in less detail.
3rd Buy block salt from your nearest farm store for preserving food. It’s in block form, takes up little space, and cheap.
4th Google Dakin’s Solution for a wound care, cheap and every effective.
5th and final rant get anything fully manual you can that needs no power or batteries. Power is still new tech for humans, we’ve dealt without for far longer than with it. Just my 2 cents worth.
i take empty beer cans with the screw on air tight lids and fill them with oatmeal and grits pack them real tight then close them up..not sure how long they will last but ill find out later
Great list. We were so relieved to have canned tuna in the house (along with some leftover bread) when our electricity went out. Really a great way to have a nice meal with no cooking or warming up of any sort.
What about beef jerky
For the flammable/explosive items such as lighter fluid and Bic lighters, I would recommend getting a few surplus ammo cans. Keep those items in the ammo cans to reduce the risk of fire. The added bonus for the Bic lighters is longevity. Disposable butane lighters are prone to losing their butane over time because of changes in the atmospheric pressure. If you keep them in an air tight container, you eliminate those changes.