Being prepared for emergencies means having a plan, and a crucial part of that plan is securing an adequate supply of emergency food. Disasters can strike unexpectedly, leading to power outages and disruptions in access to regular food sources. Stocking up on Emergency Food Supplies is a proactive step to ensure your family has sustenance during and immediately after an emergency situation. This guide will walk you through creating your essential emergency food supplies, ensuring food safety, and managing your food resources effectively when power is out.
Building Your Essential Emergency Food Supplies
When assembling your emergency food supplies, keep in mind a few key considerations to meet your family’s needs effectively. It’s recommended to store at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food. Prioritize choosing foods that your family enjoys eating to avoid waste and ensure they will consume the supplies when needed. Also, remember to account for any special dietary needs within your family, such as allergies or medical conditions requiring specific diets.
Recommended Non-Perishable Food Items
Many readily available non-perishable items can form the backbone of your emergency food supplies. You might already have several of these items in your pantry.
- Ready-to-eat canned goods: Stock a variety of canned meats, fruits, and vegetables. Canned goods are shelf-stable and provide essential nutrients. Remember to include a manual can opener as part of your supplies, as electric openers will be useless during a power outage.
- Protein or fruit bars: These are convenient, require no preparation, and offer a good source of energy and nutrients. They are ideal for quick meals or snacks when cooking is not possible.
- Dry cereal or granola: Opt for whole-grain cereals and granola for a longer-lasting energy source. These can be eaten dry or with non-perishable milk.
- Peanut butter: A versatile and energy-dense food, peanut butter provides protein and healthy fats. It can be spread on crackers or eaten directly.
- Dried fruit: Dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, and apricots are lightweight, offer vitamins and minerals, and have a long shelf life.
- Canned juices: Choose 100% fruit juices in cans or shelf-stable containers to provide hydration and essential vitamins.
- Non-perishable pasteurized milk: Shelf-stable milk in boxes or cans is a good source of calcium and protein.
- High-energy foods: Include foods that are high in calories and provide quick energy, such as nuts, seeds, and trail mix.
- Food for infants: If you have infants, ensure you have an adequate supply of ready-to-feed formula and baby food.
- Comfort/stress foods: Include some comfort foods like crackers, cookies, or chocolate. These can help boost morale during stressful times.
Ensuring Food Safety and Sanitation During Emergencies
Maintaining food safety is critical during emergencies, especially when electricity is unavailable. Without refrigeration, food can quickly become unsafe to eat due to bacterial growth. Bacteria multiply rapidly at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and consuming contaminated food can lead to serious illness. Remember that even thawed food can be unsafe; however, if food is still “refrigerator cold,” it can usually be eaten. If thawed food still contains ice crystals, it may be refrozen. When in doubt about food safety, it’s always best to discard it – “When in doubt, throw it out.”
Food Safety Dos
- Keep food in covered containers: This helps protect food from pests, dust, and potential contamination.
- Keep cooking and eating utensils clean: Wash utensils with soap and water if available. If not, use moist towelettes or clean cloths to wipe them down before and after use.
- Throw away any food that has come into contact with contaminated flood water: Floodwater can contain sewage and harmful bacteria. Any food exposed to floodwater should be discarded, even canned goods, as cans can be compromised.
- Throw away any food that has been at room temperature for two hours or more: Perishable foods left at room temperature for over two hours may have bacterial growth and should be discarded. This timeframe is reduced to one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Throw away any food that has an unusual odor, color, or texture: These are signs of spoilage. Trust your senses and discard anything that seems off.
- Use ready-to-feed formula: For infants, ready-to-feed formula is the safest option during emergencies as it requires no water for mixing. If you must mix infant formula, use bottled water or boiled water as a last resort to ensure it’s safe from contamination.
Food Safety Don’ts
- Don’t eat foods from cans that are swollen, dented, or corroded: These are signs that the can’s seal may be broken, and the food could be contaminated with bacteria, including botulism, which can be fatal.
- Don’t eat any food that looks or smells abnormal, even if the can looks normal: If the food inside looks or smells spoiled, discard it, regardless of the can’s condition.
- Don’t let garbage accumulate inside: Dispose of garbage properly and regularly to prevent pests and maintain sanitation. Accumulated garbage can also pose a fire hazard.
Alternative Cooking Methods for Emergency Situations
During a power outage, your usual cooking appliances will be unavailable. However, several alternative cooking sources can be used in emergencies. These include candle warmers, chafing dishes, fondue pots, or a fireplace. Charcoal grills and camp stoves are also options, but these are strictly for outdoor use only due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning indoors. Commercially canned food is already cooked and can be eaten directly from the can without warming if necessary.
Safely Heating Food in a Can
If you wish to heat canned food when other cooking methods are limited, follow these safety steps:
- Remove the label: Paper labels can burn and create a fire hazard when heating the can directly.
- Thoroughly wash and disinfect the can: Clean the outside of the can to remove any dirt or contaminants. Use a diluted solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water for disinfection if possible, then rinse thoroughly with safe water.
- Open the can before heating: Always open the can before heating it. Heating a sealed can can cause pressure to build up, leading to bursting or explosion.
Managing Food Storage Without Power
Power outages can compromise refrigerated and frozen food. Knowing how to manage food without power is essential to minimize food loss and prevent foodborne illness.
Maximizing Food Preservation in a Power Outage
- Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible: This is crucial to maintain the cold temperature inside. Every time you open the door, cold air escapes, and the temperature rises.
- The refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours if it is unopened: This is a general guideline, but the actual time can vary depending on how full the refrigerator is and the ambient temperature.
- Refrigerated or frozen foods should be kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below for proper food storage: This is the safe temperature to inhibit bacterial growth.
- Use a refrigerator thermometer to check temperature: Keep a refrigerator thermometer in your fridge and freezer to monitor the internal temperature accurately during a power outage.
- Refrigerated food should be safe as long as the power was out for no more than four hours: If the power outage extends beyond four hours, you need to take extra precautions with perishable foods.
- Discard any perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or leftovers that have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours or more: These foods are particularly susceptible to bacterial growth and should be discarded if they have been at unsafe temperatures for too long.
Utilizing Dry Ice for Extended Cold Storage
For longer power outages, dry ice can be used to keep your freezer contents frozen for an extended period.
- Know where you can get dry ice prior to a power outage: Plan ahead and identify local sources of dry ice. It’s not always readily available everywhere, especially during emergencies.
- Twenty-five pounds of dry ice will keep a 10 cubic foot freezer below freezing for three to four days: This is a general guideline, but the amount of dry ice needed may vary based on freezer size and how full it is.
- If you use dry ice to keep your food cold, make sure it does not come in direct contact with the food: Dry ice can cause freezer burn and damage food if placed directly on it. Wrap dry ice in paper or cardboard and place it on top of the food in the freezer.
- Use care when handling dry ice: Dry ice is extremely cold and can cause frostbite. Always wear dry, heavy gloves when handling dry ice to avoid injury.
For more detailed information about food safety during an emergency, visit FoodSafety.gov.
