Ensuring that you have a long-term food supply is a huge part of prepping – one that requires a lot of careful planning, hard work and investment. The goal of building up a survival food stockpile is not just to keep your family from starving when SHTF, but to make sure they get proper nutrition and energy from the foods they eat so they can stay strong and healthy.
In a survival situation, being physically and mentally fit is a great advantage and is just as important as being prepared. Without proper nourishment, your mind becomes dull and you feel constantly low on energy, which decreases your ability to respond effectively to emergency situations. Worse, poor nutrition makes you more prone to illness and your body takes longer to make a full recovery. [1]
To avoid these problems and more, you need to learn how to prepare your survival food supply in a way that benefits your family the most. While there is no right way of building a survival food stockpile, you can tailor your preparations to suit your family's needs. To help you in your food storage journey, we're debunking 10 popular myths about emergency food storage so you can avoid these mistakes and prep wisely.
The truth behind these 10 Emergency Food Storage myths
When prepping for their family or their own survival needs, every prepper wants to be efficient, on point and smart about their choices and way of doing it. When assembling your long-term food supply, the last thing you want is to end up buying too much or too little, exceeding your budget or worse, accumulating resources that end up being wasted.
To help you avoid common mistakes preppers make while trying to stock their survival food pantry, we've compiled and debunked these 10 common misconceptions about emergency food storage to help guide you in the right direction.
Myth #1: Building an emergency food stockpile is too expensive
While the price of sturdy, high-quality emergency food containers is nothing to scoff at, they will prove to be a worthy investment in the long run. The same is true for building an adequate survival food pantry for long-term use. Once you see how long foods can last when stored under optimal conditions, you will realize the value of having these containers and how cost-effective having a good long-term food storage pantry is. [2]
These days, you'll find plenty of stores that offer long-term storable foods in #10 cans and food buckets. These reusable containers not only make storage much easier, but they also provide adequate protection from pests and elements that accelerate food spoilage. For reasonably priced, lab-verified survival foods that come perfectly packaged and sealed inside food-grade buckets, check out the Health Ranger Store's Ranger Buckets collection.
If you're just starting on your survival food stockpile and you're on a tight budget, stocking up on necessities is still doable because you can do it slowly instead of all at once. Start small by adding just one or two items whenever you go out to get groceries. Make sure you get only foods you normally consume and whose expiration dates are a long way off. Keep at it and in no time, you'll find yourself with enough food to sustain your whole family for months.
To prevent any of your stockpiled food (and investment) from going to waste, keep tabs on expiration dates and make sure you consume older items to make room for new ones.
Myth #2: You need to follow the exact recommendations listed in food storage calculators
A food storage calculator is a handy tool that can help you figure out the minimum amounts of common survival foods that you'd need to store for your family for an entire year or less. [3] While these recommendations can help you prep and buy supplies wisely, they are not set in stone. One important thing you need to remember is that each of your family members, including yourself, has specific needs.
For example, one or two members of your family may be intolerant to wheat. If that is the case, you should store less than the amount of wheat recommended by the food storage calculator. Or, better yet, stock up on wheat alternatives like millet, quinoa or amaranth instead. Don't be afraid to adjust according to your family's preferences and needs so you can maximize your food supply. [4]
Myth #3: People will eat anything, even the foods they hate, if they're hungry
A common mistake many preppers make is prioritizing convenience over preference. While some food items may seem the better choice in terms of storability, cost or some other factor, they could end up being wasted if no one wants to eat them. It is not true that people will eat anything, even foods that they hate, just because they're hungry. If you wish to avoid wasting food, store only food items you and your family enjoy eating.
Be careful not to stock large quantities of a single item. If you keep eating the exact same food or dish, you and your family will eventually get tired of it. So make sure you stock up on a variety of foods and learn how to combine them into simple yet appetizing dishes. The keys to a well-balanced survival food pantry are careful planning, a wide culinary repertoire and a diverse supply of ingredients. [5]
Myth #4: Stocking up on canned foods is enough
When thinking about survival foods, the first thing that often comes to mind is canned foods. Canned foods are known for their long shelf life, which makes them a practical choice for long-term storage. But what many people don't realize is that these foods lose their color, flavor, nutrients and other appealing qualities over time, so they're not the ideal survival foods to fill your long-term food storage pantry with.
Some canned foods may also contain additives that can harm your health. While some would argue that canned foods don't require preservatives because the heat treatment involved in the canning process is enough to preserve the food, manufacturers often add high amounts of sugar or sodium to these products to enhance their flavor. [6][7] As you know, consuming too much of these additives can lead to serious health issues.
Another problem with canned foods is that high-acid foods like tomato products or fruit juices can react chemically with the metal container, causing can corrosion. After several years in storage, you'll notice changes in the taste and texture of these foods that could make them inedible. These changes can also affect their important components and lower their nutritional value. [8]
If you're stocking up on certain canned products, make sure you rotate them so you can use old ones before they lose their nutritional quality or their cans begin to rust. For a safer and more nutritious food supply, stock up on freeze-dried foods as well.
Myth #5: You can store food anywhere
Store-bought foods come with storage instructions for a reason: No matter how well they are packaged, environmental factors such as heat, light and humidity can cause food to deteriorate. This means that storage conditions dictate how long the foods in your survival stockpile will last. [9] So if you want to prolong the shelf life of your survival foods, don't just leave them anywhere there's space; follow the storage instructions provided on food labels!
Before buying food for your stockpile, make sure you have an appropriate storage space ready. Most foods (except those that require refrigeration) need to be stored someplace cool, dark and dry so they can remain edible and with their nutrients intact for as long as possible. If you lack space in your home, consider decluttering first to make room for your survival food stockpile.
Myth #6: Food will always last as long as the label indicates
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Services, most food products are still safe to eat past the date indicated on their labels, provided they are kept under optimal storage conditions. [10] This means that foods, even canned and freeze-dried ones, can go bad ahead of their expiry date if they're not properly stored.
In the case of canned foods, storing them in temperatures above 75 F can lead to nutrient loss, while prolonged storage in temperatures above 100 F increases their risk of spoilage. On the other hand, storing canned foods in moist or damp places can lead to rusting. Rust can eventually cause holes in the metal, resulting in leaks and/or exposing the food inside to agents of food spoilage. [11]
Similarly, freeze-dried foods can spoil quickly when exposed to heat, light or moisture. It is recommended to keep freeze-dried foods in airtight containers to prevent them from absorbing moisture from their surroundings, as this also accelerates food spoilage. [12]
Myth #7: All you need are just-add-hot-water meals and MREs
While freeze-dried pouch meals and meals, ready-to-eat (MREs) are useful in certain situations, such as when bugging out or during emergency evacuations, they are not good for everyday consumption. Aside from issues with palatability, emergency food rations like MREs often contain plenty of additives that may harm your health in the long run.
MREs are also not intended for long-term use. In fact, research discourages people from eating only MREs for more than 21 days. Because they are generally high in protein and carbohydrates but low in fiber, consuming MREs for extended periods can cause nutrient deficiencies and constipation. MREs are also high in sodium, which can raise your blood pressure and cause dehydration. [13]
Freeze-dried pouch meals and MREs are inflexible, meaning you can't use them for anything else other than their intended purpose. While having a few days' worth of these is great for emergencies, it's best to stock up on individual ingredients (preferably freeze-dried) that you can use to cook different recipes for your long-term emergency food supply.
Myth #8: Your job is done once you've stockpiled a couple of years' worth of food
Stocking up on food is just one aspect of prepping; all your hard work and money will go to waste if you don't know what to do with all the food you have accumulated. At the end of the day, having a year's worth of wheat in your pantry is meaningless if you don't know how to make bread or lack the other ingredients to make it. When building your survival food stockpile, you need to be strategic and plan ahead so every item has a purpose and nothing goes to waste.
Learning how to make a variety of dishes is a great way to maximize your food supply. At the same time, knowing which ingredients to prioritize can make stockpiling so much easier. To keep track of the items you've used and need more of, use the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method and do an inventory of your food storage pantry every six months. So you see, your work doesn't end with just a well-stocked emergency food pantry or stockpile; in fact, it's just beginning.
Myth #9: Water does not expire
Bottled water from stores may not come with an expiration date, but stored water from your tap does. In fact, for your safety it is highly recommended that you replace the water you've stored in self-sealed containers every 6 months. [14] While water itself does not spoil, your water storage can get contaminated by bacteria and other microorganisms, compromising the safety of your water supply.
Chemical leaching may also occur, especially if you use plastic containers and fail to store them properly. Exposure to heat and long-term storage can accelerate the release of plastic chemicals into water, with one of these chemicals being bisphenol A (BPA). [15] Exposure to BPA has been linked to negative effects on the brains of children and health problems like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, infertility and cancer in adults. [16][17]
Myth #10: Freeze-dried foods are less cost-effective
Compared to their fresh counterparts, freeze-dried foods may cost a bit more, but if you take note of how many servings one pack of freeze-dried food contains, you'll realize that they are far from expensive. In fact, considering how convenient, shelf-stable and nutritious they are – freeze-dried foods retain about 97% of their original nutrient content [18] – you're actually getting more bang for your buck when you buy freeze-dried fruits, vegetables and meat.
Freeze-dried foods are also meant to be used as ingredients, so you'll be using only small amounts at a time. This means you won't use them up too quickly, and you can use them in various recipes. Freeze-dried foods are some of the best and most economical survival foods you can add to your long-term emergency food pantry.
Where to get lab-verified Organic Emergency Foods for long-term storage
Most emergency storable foods you'll find on the market are filled with pesticides, GMOs, MSG, heavy metals and heavily processed ingredients. But here at the Health Ranger Store, we believe that emergency storable foods should be loaded with NUTRITION instead of POISON. That's why we're proud to offer a wide selection of clean, lab-verified organic survival foods that come in high-quality, long-lasting food buckets.
Our Ranger Bucket Organic Emergency Storable Food Supply is the WORLD'S FIRST emergency food supply that's certified organic and laboratory verified. Offering great value for your money, each bucket contains a variety of nutritious long-term storable foods that are individually vacuum sealed to preserve their freshness. You can trust that all the food items in our Ranger Buckets are non-GMO, MSG-free and lab tested for glyphosate, heavy metals and microbiology.
If you're looking for individual food items that are packaged the same way, check out our extensive collection of Health Ranger Select Organic Emergency Storable Foods. We offer a wide range of pantry essentials from organic fruits, vegetables and whole grains to nutrient-dense nuts and seeds, condiments and superfood supplements like spirulina and chlorella. These products are all carefully packaged and stored either in mega buckets or #10 cans for your storage convenience.
Stock your long-term food storage pantry with our lab-verified emergency storable foods and rest easy with the assurance that all our products are non-GMO, China-free, certified organic and extensively lab tested for glyphosate, heavy metals and microbiology.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose any diseases.
References:
[1] https://www.monarquehealth.com
[3] https://www.familysurvivalplanning.com
[4] https://foodstoragemadeeasy.net
[5] https://thesurvivalmom.com
[9] https://www.theepochtimes.com
[10] https://www.fsis.usda.gov
[11] https://www.unlockfood.ca
[12] https://extension.umn.edu
[14] https://survival-kompass.de
[15] https://www.goldengrailtech.com
[16] https://www.mayoclinic.org
