72-Hour Emergency Kit Food

Emergency Preparedness Class – FOOD

During a crisis, you will be under more stress than usual and will need lots of energy, so the food you put into your emergency kits should be high in calories. Good nutrition is important too, but calories are the most important factor in short-term survival.

Besides nourishment, the eating of “meals” during an emergency has a positive psychological effect too. It helps people feel that they do have some control over a difficult situation. Food is provided in an evacuation center during an emergency, but there may be some lag time before that food is available. Also, food in a center is usually donated by individuals, restaurants, and canneries. This presents a problem for diabetics, and others on dietary restrictions (such as food allergies). Infants and small children may not be able to eat this food either. Nursing mothers may need liquid formula for their babies, in case they are not able to nurse. Trying to feed babies and small children is one of the greatest problems in a major crisis.

Our bodies need roughly 1700 calories to sustain ourselves for 24 hours at rest at comfortable temperatures. During stressful or emergency conditions, we can expend a lot more calories. For example, Military personnel out in the field need: 2,800-3,600 calories for men and 2,000-2,800 calories for women. But we can survive on half of our usual food intake for an extended period and actually without food for up to a month (as long as we have water). Food, unlike water, can be rationed safely except for children and pregnant women.

In your emergency kits, include food that your family will enjoy, that is high in calories and that will provide adequate nutrition. Choose foods that are lightweight and compact and that require no refrigeration, preparation, or cooking . Consider also the size and weight of your 72 hour kit container.

Come up with a Menu so that you know exactly how much food you need in each kit. You can put each meal together in a Ziplock plastic bag to keep it waterproof.

Remember to rotate the food items according to their shelf life. You can start a new tradition every 6 months at General Conference Time to go through your kits, eat up the old food while watching Conference and then buy new food for your kits. Your kids will love it!


Practice Sessions:

Before a critical situation forces you from home, practice preparing and eating meals from the kind of food you have included in your 72 hour kits. You may want to find out what a normally hot food tastes like prepared with cold water. A practice session might seem more real if it is held outside your home. Also, no one should be able to go home and eat some more after the practice session. As your family eats, you will quickly learn what tastes good and what doesn’t and what works and what doesn’t. This will help you make adjustments to your kits. If you are including a small folding stove in your kits, try cooking your meal on it. This will help you learn how to use the stove before you have to do it in an emergency. Every member of your family should be taught safety precautions in using the stove. (For example, the instant a lit match touches a heat tab, the tab will ignite, although you may not be able to see it burning). Be sure to put the stove on a stable, level surface.

Foods Suitable for Emergency Evacuation Kits (use a variety):

* Strongly Recommended

Compressed food bars: granola bars, trail bars, energy bars – store well, lightweight, taste good, nutritious and high in calories. Rotate every 6 months.

Trail mix & granola: taste good, high in calories & nutrition; but can become rancid if stored for a long time. Rotate every 6 months.

Dried Foods (meat & fruit): Jerky, raisins, etc. Need to drink water with these. Taste good, nutritious & satisfying; but can make you thirsty if salted – especially jerky; Rotate every 6 months.

Freeze-dried foods or Meals: Excellent; lightweight & tasty but water is needed for reconstitution; More nutritious than canned foods. Can be reconstituted with cold water. Tend to be pricier than other foods. Shelf-life: 10-15 years!

Instant meals: Such as cups of noodles, Ramen, cups of casserole, instant cereal (like oatmeal), instant soup packets, etc. Usually freeze-dried and will reconstitute immediately with hot water. In dire straits, cold water will work; Rotate every 6 months.

*Stress Foods -- hard candy, Life-Savers, jelly beans, energy bars, sugared dry cereal, chocolate survival bars, gum, etc.: Are a necessity! In stressful situations, people require an increased caloric intake. Stress foods meet the requirements for survival, not for a balanced diet. They are small and compact and should be literally tucked into small spaces throughout your evacuation kit. They also help boost morale. If you are on a Diabetic Diet, use diabetic candies. Avoid candy which may melt.

Snack-sized packaged goods: Crackers, Snack-pack cheese and crackers, animal crackers, graham crackers, snack-pack peanut butter and crackers, vacuum packed nuts, sunflower seeds, or small variety–pack dry or sugared cereals, etc. Unsalted and unflavored nuts and seeds are less thirst provoking which may be critical if water supply is short. Rotate every 6 months.

Canned & Sealed Food: Use food items in small, single-serving containers – such as Tuna, chicken, Vienna Sausages, Pork-n-beans, fruit cups, pudding cups, canned milk, etc. It is best to have easy open tops, such as pull tabs. Otherwise, you will need to pack a can opener. Replace canned goods yearly.

Drink Mixes: Drink mixes add nice variety and can be helpful to use with stored or treated water to improve the taste. Try hot chocolate mix, Tang, instant breakfast mixes, powdered milk and pre-sweetened powdered fruit drinks. These usually come in foil envelopes, so they fit easily in the kit.

Liquid Beverages: These count as part of your “water” needs. Juice boxes and even shelf-stable milk are available. You could also use small cans of juice that open with a pull tab.

Flavorings/Condiments (if desired): Barbecue sauce, mustard, ketchup, pepper, salt, etc. (use the little packets from the restaurant or store).

Food for Pets (canned or dried) - Don’t forget about your pet needs!

*Baby Foods (if applicable): Cereal (just add water), solid food (ready to eat in containers), fruit juices, Formula (ready to feed), powdered formula.

*Other Foods for Elderly persons or persons on Special Diets

Instant Liquid Meals (Ensure, Pediasure): full of protein, vitamins and calories – meant to be a full meal replacement; the Pediasure is excellent for very young children since it is in a liquid form that they could sip with a straw. Let your children taste it beforehand, though, to be sure they like it. They come in a variety of flavors – vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, etc.; They are a heavier food item, but do include the water needs for a meal too. They also have a nice shelf life of 2 years.

*MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat) – These are absolutely wonderful – full meals that have a shelf life of 6-10 years! They can be eaten cold if needed, but taste best when heated up. MRE’s do weigh more because they are all ready to go – no liquid needed. (You can buy MRE heaters, too, if you want a quick way to heat them up. The heater bags require ¼ cup of water. MRE’s can also be boiled in water for 5-7 minutes or put on a hot engine of a car for 10-15 minutes or any other heat source.) They cost $2-$3 each from Emergency Essentials. They are available at other camping stores as well.

*Emergency Food Compressed Ration Bars – These are commercially available in 2400 or 3600 calorie bars. They are non-thirst provoking and can withstand temperature extremes, making them ideal for the trunk of your car. The bars taste like a shortbread cookie, or a crunchy cookie with a slight coconut flavor. The bars are fortified with vitamins and minerals. They will store up to 5 years in any environment.

Storage:
Label your food with the date of purchase & “Use by” date so you can easily rotate it. Your food will stay at its best if your emergency kit is stored in a cool dry place 40-60 degrees F. is ideal).


Additional Supplies:
Mess kit: paper cups, plates, & utensils for each meal, can-opener (if needed), multi-vitamins, calcium supplement, paper towels or napkins, baby bottles, and cooking pots, matches, canned Sterno heat, aluminum foil & hotpad (if you must heat food).

If the Power Goes Out But You Don’t Need to Evacuate:
First, eat food from the refrigerator. Food will last 4-6 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Second, eat food from the freezer. A fully stocked freezer will keep food frozen for 2 days after losing power. A half-full freezer can maintain freezing power for about 1 day. (Keep a list of freezer contents on the outside of the freezer so you can cut down on opening the door). Fire up the barbecue!

Finally, eat non-perishable staples or canned foods in your homes or food items in your 72 hour kit.

Note: You can maintain fresh food in a small ice chest for several days by thawing frozen food inside it. If you have too much fresh food, share it with your neighbors.


How to Cook if the Power Goes Out:
For emergency cooking you can use a fireplace, wood stove, gas stove (if gas is not turned off and there are no leaks), charcoal grill (used outdoors) or camp stove (used outdoors). Canned heat can be safely used indoors. You can also heat food with candle warmers, chafing dishes and fondue pots. Canned food can be eaten right out of the can. For simple outages, plan a favorite “black-out” meal: such as hot dogs roasted on the grill with a can of heated baked beans or soup. Your preparedness could help turn the situation into a fun, memorable one for your family.

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Here’s something fun to try:

Homemade Emergency Bars
(From New Era, March 1977, p. 27) – you can look up the article on www.lds.org
3 cups rolled oats, barley, or wheat
2 ½ cups powdered milk
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp honey
½ package citrus-flavored gelatin (I used one small pkg)
3 Tbsp water

Place all dry ingredients, except the gelatin, an a bowl. Add the water to the honey and bring to a boil. Dissolve the gelatin in the honey-water mixture; then add it all to the dry ingredients. After mixing well, add water a tsp at a time until the mixture is barely moist enough to be molded. Shape into 2 bars.

Each bar will be about the size of a large matchbox and will be sufficient food for one day. The bar can be eaten dry, or cooked in about a pint of water. It may be dried in the oven under low heat, wrapped in foil, and placed in a covered container for indefinite storage.