Prepper Food List: How to Build Your Emergency Food Supply

How to Build Your Prepper Food List  

There are guidelines for food and nutrition needs developed by UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO for monitoring the nutrition needs of people during emergencies. Four factors are considered: environmental temperature, health and nutritional status, demographics, and physical activity level. During periods of nutritional rehabilitation, energy requirements increase; hence, some steps should be taken while you build your prepper food list:

Planning For Space

Instead of designating a single shelf for your pantry, you can find a separate storage space for your prepper pantry. To do this, you can evaluate the unused space at your home, like the basement, unused closet, or a cool and dry location. You can choose oxygen-absorbing storage containers or Mylar bags and labels to organize the pantry and keep it free of chemicals. Considering the shelf life, determine which food you will eat first.

Nutrition Foundation

While preparing food for emergencies, ensure it has enough nutritional value. You and your family should get the right amount of protein, fats, and carbohydrates into your daily regimen. You can also stock supplements to compensate for a lack of macronutrients.

Canned Food

If you live in an area at high risk of a natural disaster, you can buy pantry items in cans. Canned food is less likely to be contaminated by flood waters, although this is not the case with jar food. Distilled vinegar and mayonnaise can remove stains caused by water damage. Canned food has a long shelf life, is easy to open and eat, is affordable, and can provide essential nutrients whenever needed.

Freeze Dried Food

Freeze-dried food is another excellent option for long-term food storage, along with dehydrated food. Dried food is lightweight, easy to store, and can retain its original nutritional value. These are excellent choices for food storage for surviving and thriving. You can also pick up a bulk fruit basket or choose individual fruits such as apples, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, mangoes, etc., as these are excellent sources of fiber and antioxidants.

Dehydration

Preservation methods like canning, vacuum sealing, and dehydrating can maximize the longevity of your food supply. Dehydrated food can be a great option due to its extended shelf life, but also loses some of its vitamins. To avoid this, you must balance the nutritional value and ease of storage of food.

According to the USDA, shelf-stable foods can be safely stored at room temperature, including jerky, country hams, canned food, pasta, rice, flour, spices, oils, and other products that do not require refrigeration after opening. However, it is important to remember that some canned foods, such as canned ham and seafood, are not shelf-stable and are not safe to keep at room temperature.

Non-perishable foods have a long shelf life and are favored by campers and backpackers on the trail. Many charitable organizations also favor non-perishable foods in emergencies such as food insecurity or people facing homelessness. Some of the healthiest non-perishable foods include dried and canned beans, nuts, butter, dried fruits and vegetables, canned fish and poultry, nuts and seeds, grains, jerky, and more.

Prepper Food List  

During an emergency, people skip the part where they consider consuming the proper quantities and variety of food to meet their daily nutrition. It is advisable to stock a variety of nutrient-rich food in your pantry and keep a countable amount of food from food groups, including meats, beans, vegetables, fruits, milk, grains, and water.

• For example, in the food group meats and beans, you can count protein-rich foods such as canned meat, turkey, chicken, seafood, legumes, etc., which provide five and a half ounces or 2000 calories per person per day. One can of meat/fish/turkey/chicken can provide five ounces.
• One can of beans can provide 15 ounces, and one tablespoon of peanut butter with a handful of nuts is equivalent to 1 ounce of meat. About two and a half cups of canned vegetables and vegetable juice are enough to provide the required daily calories.
• Three cups of powdered milk and processed cheese provide around 2000 calories daily. One can have 12 ounces of evaporated milk to provide three cups of fluid milk.
• Another option is one quart of shelf-stable milk and two ounces of processed cheese or ⅓ cups of dry milk, which can provide eight ounces. In grains, you must have cereal, crackers, oatmeal, granola bars, and other non-perishable grain products.
• This amounts to six ounces of grain per day. One ounce is one cup of breakfast flakes or five whole-wheat crackers. Keep one gallon of water on hand per person per day. During hot weather, you may require more fluid.

In case you want to have some extra food in your pantry, you can see the below list of some short and long-term prepper food:

Short-term Prepper Food List

• Canned meat, fruit, and vegetables.
• Canned juice, milk, powdered soup, extra water.
• Sugar, salt, pepper.
• Peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola bars.
• Food for infants/elderly people/allergic/diabetic.
• Cookies, candy, cereals, instant coffee, tea bags.
• Dried fruits
• Jams and jellies
• Baby formula
• Pet food

Long-term Prepper Food List

• Water
• Canned food
• Legumes, lentils, rice
• Energy bars
• Peanut/nut butter
• Survival bread
• Powdered milk
• Vegetable oil
• Honey
• Freeze-dried meals
• Freeze-dried meat, fruits, and vegetables
• Condiments

Families can eliminate worry and stress by planning for emergency essentials and food needs. It depends on the members of your household, your ability to use food in emergencies, your preferences, and how much food you want to store. While planning for short-term emergency food, you must increase the quantities of non-perishable and some staple food.

For most disasters, a three-day emergency kit will be helpful and will help you and your family through the worst days. A short-term kit should include food, water, personal hygiene items, flashlights, blankets, and more. The food should be non-perishable and require no refrigeration, cooking, or water. Pack a grill or camping cook stove if you need to heat the food.

Many people rely on their local grocery store to have what they need on any day of the week. A well-stocked pantry for the prepper can be a lifesaver for many people as it is essential for maintaining food security and having something to prepare and eat. While creating a long-term prepper food list, you must consider the shelf life of food, foods you enjoy, diet/nutritional needs, easy-to-cook food, and more.

PDF Checklist

How to Make, Store & Preserve Prepper Food

You should always use perishable food first during an emergency. Remember to carry a portable freezer to store food that requires refrigeration. For emergency cooking, you can use a charcoal grill or camp stove.

If you have raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs, you may need an electric induction or grill to cook them, as they require long cooking hours. While there might be a power outage during emergencies, a portable power system such as Jackery Solar Generators can be your reliable companion in powering your electric cooking appliances, such as an electric cooktop or grill. It can even charge your portable freezer to store perishable items longer.

Here are some tips to store food during an emergency:

General Food Safety Tips

Before storing your food, following basic safety practices to avoid and prevent food poisoning and keeping kids, pregnant women, and elders safe is essential. According to four simple food safety tips from the CDC, always wash your hands, utensils, and the surface where you cook. Keep the meat products away from cooked and fresh food. You can use a food thermometer to check the cooked food and refrigerate the perishable food within two hours in winter and one hour in summer.

Storing Your Emergency Food Supply

Once you prepare an emergency food supply, ensure proper storage conditions to increase the shelf life of dried food. Store the food in cool and dark places between 40°F (4°C) and 70°F (21°C). Always check the expiry dates of canned food. If the canned food is homemade, throw it out after a year.

You can use or replace the food before the expiration date arrives. Store the food in a waterproof and airtight container and wrap it heavily to increase its shelf life. During a hurricane, store food on shelves and avoid storm waters.

Each family member should have at least a 72-hour food and water supply during an emergency. Here are some methods to preserve food during an emergency:

• Including the inventory of food you already have, planning the menu, and deciding how much you will need. In short, consider the variety, value, and moderation of food items.
• The food storage area should be dry and ventilated to prevent moisture from forming on packaging material. Avoid keeping food on the floor; store it in portable containers such as large ice chests or garbage cans with wheels.
• There are food-grade containers that will prevent food contamination from harmful chemicals. You can also contact the manufacturer for safety information on packaging material. Food products that are not dehydrated or canned should be rotated after every six months.
• At room temperature, avoid vacuum packaging raw or cooked food such as meat, fish, or poultry. These are easy to contact with bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum and can produce a deadly toxin in the food. You can store vacuum-packed food in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. Vacuum sealing is suitable for packing dried and frozen food such as fish.

Jackery Solar Generators for Preppers

Jackery is a leading US-based brand that manufactures sustainable next-generation solar generators, portable power stations, and solar panels. The Jackery Solar Generator is a solar power system combining the Jackery Portable Power Station and Jackery SolarSaga Solar Panels. The power station has an in-built inverter, and when the solar panels are placed outside on a bright sunny day, they capture solar radiation through their photovoltaic cells. It then converts the sun's energy into electric energy and transfers it to the power station. The built inverter in the power station converts direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). You can use this AC to power your devices when cooking food during emergencies.

Jackery Solar Generator 3000 Pro

The Jackery Solar Generator 3000 Pro is a large-capacity generator ideal for home emergencies. It can power various essential cooking devices such as outdoor grills, microwaves, refrigerators, etc.  It has a portable design with a pull rod and double wheels for easy transportation. Even if you want to leave your place during an emergency and switch to a safer one, you can carry the solar generator and fulfill your power needs.

Appliance Working Hours

• Microwave (960W): 2.7H

• Induction Cooktop (1500W): 1.7H

• Kettle (850W): 3.0H
• Electric Oven (800W): 3.2H
• Refrigerator (400W): 6.4H

Customer Review

“I recently got an in-home consultation for a built-in generator estimate. While I wanted to prepare for hurricane season, I was not ready to pay $15K for a generator and installation. The Jackery 3000 Pro with solar panels meets our needs and is much more economical, easy to use, and convenient to store.” -- Mark Zais

Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit (4kWh)

The Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit (4kWh) is suitable for off-grid, home backup, RV, and professional power. It supports additional battery packs and solar panels and is hence expandable. It can charge 99% of devices, including heavy-duty and medium-sized. The power generator has long-lasting reliability and is sufficient to provide clean and safe power to your cooking appliances while you are surviving and thriving in an emergency.

Appliance Working Hours

• Microwave (960W): 3.6H

• Induction Cooktop (1500W): 2.3H

• Kettle (850W): 4.0H
• Electric Oven (800W): 4.3H
• Refrigerator (400W): 8.6H

Customer Review

“ The 2000 Plus battery pack is an excellent way to expand your storage if you already have one of the Jackery Solar Generators in the ‘Plus’ line. No frills, easy-to-use connections, and charging times were reported. Built-in handles make carrying simple.” -- Patrick Walz

Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit (6kWh)

The Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit (6kWh) can be valuable to your power needs if you live in an area frequently affected by natural disasters. With a capacity to expand, the solar generator lets the power become fully independent, charging with solar energy. Moreover, unlike traditional generators, the solar generator is noise-free and does not emit toxic fumes. It can power essential devices to cook food quickly and stay connected during emergencies.

Appliance Working Hours

• Microwave (960W): 5.4H

• Induction Cooktop (1500W): 3.5H 
• Kettle (850W): 6.1H
• Electric Oven (800W): 6.5H 
• Refrigerator (400W): 13.0H

Customer Review

"After a boatload of research, I recently purchased the Jackery 2000 Plus system, with two 200-watt solar arrays. I’ll use this when living off the grid in our more giant 5th wheel in the summer months." -- Randall MacPherson

Prepper Food Strategies

Renewable food sources always take the spot no matter how much food you stock in your pantry. On average, a person needs around 75,000 of food over their lifespan, and sometimes, storing such a hefty amount may be challenging. Here are some strategies you can consider to store prepper food sources:

Gardening

Gardening is one of the excellent ways to be prepared if you have one or maintain one. To reduce your reliance on food storage, you can continue to grow food through emergencies. With time, if you learn to deal with problems that make the garden susceptible, the practice will prepare you more as a person, both physically and mentally.

If you do not have a survival seed kit, you can also start a garden using one, as seed vaults are familiar for emergencies, even in the Arctic (to preserve plants through an apocalypse).

Hunting/Trapping/Fishing

Hunting and trapping are other food survival strategies for as long as man has been around. There are many ways to hunt and trap animals using various tools such as a hunting rifle, takedown rifle, bow and arrows, and slingshot. Before you consider trapping, be aware of the regulations of a specific place. You can use snare wires, fish traps, or conibear traps. To cook food outdoors, you can carry a portable Jackery Solar Generator, which can provide power to charge your cooking essentials safely and reliably,

Foraging

You can find plenty of wild edibles without a garden. These include dandelion, mushrooms foraging, and more. Foraging can be done even in a desert, and you just need a local mushroom and plant foraging guide or a foraging bag.

Animal Husbandry

Eventually, it is not necessary to kill animals when there are other options, such as raising them on a farm. Some survival-focused animals include chickens for eggs, goats and cows for milk, and more.

The safety of animals during an unpredictable disaster is as important as your own. Ensure you follow these tips to protect your pet animals:

• An identification pet collar with a tag including its name, address, and contact number.
• A supply of pet food for at least a week, including canned food, dry food, water, purification tablets, etc.
• Remember to keep a first aid kit, medication, vaccination records, and comfort items.

Prepper Food FAQs

What size of solar generator do I need for prepping?

A solar generator is a solar power system that provides clean, green energy to power essential cooking devices during an emergency. To determine the size of the solar generator you will need for prepping, you must consider all the essential devices you will be charging and for how long.

For example, a Jackery Solar Generator 3000 Pro can charge a kettle (850W) and electric grill (1700W),

Working Time = Capacity of Jackery Solar Generator 3000 Pro in Wh × 0.85 / Operating wattage of the appliances.

So, Working time = 3024Wh × 0.85 / 2550 = 1H

Note: While charging the devices, there will be some power loss. Hence, we have multiplied by 0.85.

What plans should I make for water on my survival food list?

To plan for water and food on your survival food list, ensure you get the total number of calories daily and store food accordingly. Keep non-perishable and perishable food and at least one gallon of water per person daily.

What are the best foods for long-term survival?

Rice, legumes, ready-to-eat cereals, pasta mix, canned food, powdered milk, fruits, vegetables, etc., are some of the best foods for long-term survival.

What food do I need to survive three months?

For three months, you should have non-perishable food that can be stored for years, including oatmeal, peanut/nut butter, rice, etc.

What foods never expire?

Some foods, such as honey, rice, flour, vinegar, soy sauce, pickles, and dried beans, do not need expiration dates as long as they are kept dry.

Wrap up

Keeping a separate stock of prepper food is essential, especially if you live in areas frequently affected by natural disasters or calamities. Prepper food includes canned, dehydrated, water, poultry, and more. You can also learn gardening, hunting, or poultry farming strategies or always stay in stock. While you pack food for yourself and your family, remember to keep a separate stock for your pets. Jackery Solar Generators provide sustainable and green energy to charge your cooking devices to cook food you cannot store for long.