9 Best Foods to Stockpile for Your Pantry: My Top Picks Revealed
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*All information in this post is my opinion and gathered through my own research. Please do your own research before following any information in this post. This is for information purposes only. Also consult your doctor before taking any supplements*
**This post contains affiliate links. I receive a commission from any purchases that are made. This in no way changes the price for you. I am paid directly from the manufacturer.**
Today I want to go over my list of top 9 foods to store for an emergency/ survival situation. Keep in mind that this isn’t an exhaustive list and these are for my particular situation.
This list may differ for you and your situation but will get you thinking about what are the best foods to stock up on for you personally.
Let’s dive into the 9 foods to stockpile for your emergency food plan…..
1. Coffee
If you are an avid coffee/caffeine drinker then I want you to think about a time when you woke up and realized you were out of coffee.
Now imagine there is no coffee available for the foreseeable future. Let the headaches, lethargy, and crankiness begin.
I have been here a few times and it definitely isn’t a fun place to be. So if you are a coffee or caffeine drinker, for your sake and everyone’s sake around you stock up on some coffee or caffeinated beverage of your choice.
What I personally do is keep several bags of whole bean coffee in our basement pantry and I also have several bags of a survival coffee that I reviewed here.
Coffee That Can Be Stored Long Term For Emergency Situations.
One of the things that I mention in the above review is that coffee can also be used as an awesome bartering tool. Imagine the above scenario. You haven’t had coffee in a couple days. You have a pounding headache and feel lethargic.
What do you think you would be willing to trade for a cup of coffee to get rid of your withdraw symptoms? Food for thought. Pun intended…..
2. Peanut Butter
We personally keep several large jars of peanut butter in our basement pantry storage. This is a very good and satiating food.
It is very easy to scoop out a couple spoon fulls and it keeps me full for a long time. It is packed with fat so it helps cut down on my hunger and I personally like the taste.
You can use any other kind of nut butter that you prefer. I use peanut butter because I like the taste and it tends to be the cheaper option.
What we try to do is pick up a couple jars when we do our routine grocery shopping and let them pile up as an addition to our food survival plan.
We then just use them, rotate our stock, and replace them as we go. This way we know it won’t go to waste.
3. Protein Powder
I like to keep a few containers of protein powder in our pantry in case it is needed. I like this because it is very easy to store and all you have to do is scoop out a couple scoops into the fluid of your choice and you have a nice snack to take away your hunger.
The other thing I like is that there are several different kinds and flavors so you can find one that taste good to you and your family.
I have 3 kids and they all will drink this from time to time because the one we use tastes pretty good. I personally like the Quest brand chocolate and vanilla flavors.
4. Honey
Oh honey. What an awesome food. It is sweet, natural, and very tasty. Best of all, to go along with the title of this article, if honey is stored properly with, no moisture in the container, it has a shelf life that never expires.
It is also nice if you have people in your community that raise bees and produce honey. We are blessed to have several people around us that do this.
I have even at one point taken a teaspoon of honey a day to help with my seasonal allergies. It has to be honey that is local to your area to be able to use it for this purpose.
If you do your research there are tons of uses for honey.
So grab a couple large jars of local honey and add it to your emergency/survival food supply. It will make for a great, sweet pick me up in an emergency situation. Also just like coffee it can be used as a great bartering tool.
5. Canned Meat
If you are like me the sound of this sounds gross but this is a real problem. If the power goes out then you need another way to store meat.
There is a company called Survival Cave Food that has come up with a solution to this problem. That is where this canned meat comes in.
What is the shelf life of these meat products?
This is the information that I got from the companies FAQ page on their website:
- The packaging of our can meats is monitored by the USDA and there is no expiration date on the can.
- Our meats are considered to have an indefinite shelf life. All of the meats do have a production date on the bottom of the can.
- We DO NOT give a pre-determined expiration date, however meats packaged with this process have been eaten as long as 30 years later.
As you can see above the shelf life of these meats is indefinite as long as they are not opened. This would be a great addition to add to your emergency/survival food supply.
This would give you peace of mind knowing that even if the power goes out you will have a nice supply of meat. For more information about this company you can check out their website by clicking here.
I was thinking too that this would be a good product not only for your physical needs but also for your phycological needs.
Meaning that if you are in the middle of an emergency situation your stress is probably pretty high.
Now imagine being able to pull out a can of meat and make some sloppy joes or some awesome pulled pork. I know that would definitely lift my spirits and help me get through whatever situation we were going through.
6. Other Canned Foods
Building off of number 5 we are moving on to all other types of canned foods. This can include vegetables, fruits, soups, and all kinds of canned products.
There is some interesting research out there that basically concludes that if a canned food is unopened then it is good indefinitely. Here is a youtube video below explaining this theory.
Of course do your own research but this makes since to me. With that being said I think it is a good idea to a have decent stockpile of all kinds of canned foods of your choosing.
You may even be able to get some of these canned foods that have ”expired” pretty cheaply from your local grocery store.
If you have space in your house you can pair all of these things with your canned meats and you will have a nice stockpile in place if the need for it arises.
If you didn’t want to shell out the money all at once you could begin picking up a couple extra cans every time you do your normal grocery run.
7. Freeze Dried Foods
There are tons of freeze dried emergency food companies out there. They come in all kinds of different food selections and some offer gluten free options.
What exactly you need will depend on your families size and personal needs.
Check out this article where I compare 8 different companies:
In short do your research and find the company and products that will work out best for your personal situation. These products can be an easy way to add to your emergency/survival food plan.
Keep in mind that they can be a little more pricey than putting together your own stash of food but you also have to account for the time and energy you have to put into buying a bunch of different foods.
With this you just order, it shows up at your front door, and then you tuck it away and know you will have food available if it is needed.
I personally would purchase six months of food for my family if I had a bigger budget. Currently I will have to settle for what we can afford.
8. White Rice
Adding to the list is white rice. According to my research rice is a main food source for over half of the people in the world today.
One of the appeals of white rice is that it has a long shelf life if store properly. It is recommended to store your rice in a food safe plastic container or any other food safe container that can be made air tight.
It is also recommended to use food safe oxygen absorbers in your containers. This will help insure that all oxygen is removed from your sealed container.
These containers and oxygen absorbers can be found on amazon or food supply stores. Having air tight container will also help with keeping out unwanted pests.
As said above, if you follow the correct storing instructions your rice could last 30 yrs. Rice can be relatively cheap and can make a great source of energy and calories in an emergency/survival situation.
It is recommended to store 25 to 60 lbs of rice per person for a years worth of food. Of course this can be adjusted depending on your families preference, storage space, and budget.
In conclusion, you can go out and buy several large bags of rice and the supplies you need to store it and be able to add quite a bit of food to your emergency supply for fairly cheap.
Again, things to consider are your preferences( does your family like rice?, will I have a way to cook it in an emergency situation?, and do I have the storage space to put it?)
9. Sugar!!!!!!!
Last but certainly not least we have sugar. Oh sugar……. It can be used in so many ways and just like the white rice above if stored properly it can last for a very long time.
Actually in the research I have done it says that sugar can last indefinitely if it is stored without moisture in it.
So just like above you can get some food safe storage containers and oxygen absorbers and fill them up with some good old sugar. On top of that, just like the coffee, sugar can be used as a great bartering tool.
Also just like the coffee, sugar can be a great spirit lifter. So order you up some storage containers and oxygen absorbers and go to town on your sugar/rice packing party.
It will definitely be nice to know that you have these things set aside incase they are ever needed.
In Conclusion……..
These are my top 9 picks to have stored away in case of an emergency/survival situation. Like I have talked about in previous posts, think of this like insurance. You hope you never have to use it but it is there just in case.
Unlike insurance, which you pay for and don’t get the money back if you don’t use it, the food will be there to use anytime if you need it.
I hope this article got you thinking about the things that will benefit your family personally in preparation for life’s circumstances.
See the article below to see how you can keep the critters out of your food supplies:
