#1 Emergency Food Storage
Everyone should have at least a month's worth of emergency food stored away in their home or someplace they can easily get to (like a shed or garage).
Depending on where you think things are going, you may want more than that. Many people I know are storing a year's worth of food.
Even if you don't need all of it, in an emergency situation you'll be able to barter with it for other things you may need like medications or tools.
A cache of emergency food in your home will help protect you from man-made or natural disasters like riots, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and civil unrest. It can also help you in extreme situations like a terrorist attack, nuclear incident or hyperinflation.
#2 Backpacking, Camping or Other Outdoor Activities
Backpackers or other outdoor enthusiasts like hikers, campers, hunters or fishermen usually choose to take survival foods with them on their trips instead of "regular" food. Survival meals have several advantages:
They're lightweight and compact. You can fit a lot more of these foods into your backpack or camping gear than you could regular food.
They don't spoil. These foods usually have a long shelf life (5 - 30 years) and they don't spoil as easily as if you take meats, fruits or other foods that really should be refrigerated.
They're hardy. Foods like MREs are built to be tough and withstand conditions like being bumped around. You don't have to worry about your sandwich getting soggy or your chocolate melting.
They're high calorie. Many outdoor adventures are strenuous and require a lot of energy. And some survival meals give you a lot of calories in a small package.
For example you can find MRE's that give you 1200 - 1700 calories per meal. So instead of lugging a fridge full of food, you only need to pack a few emergency food rations and MREs and you're set.
For more information on the best outdoor foods and where to buy them see backpacking food
#3 Survival Kits
If you're building a survival kit like a 72 hour kit or a hurricane survival kit for your car, one of the most important things you need is food. Most emergency experts recommend you have at least 72 hours worth of food - and preferably more.
So you need foods that are lightweight, high calorie and compact with a long shelf life (so you don't have to keep replacing them every few years).
That's where survival emergency food comes in. For example, you can easily fit a week of freeze dried meals into a backpack. You can also buy a block of emergency food ration bars that will last you for 3 days and take up almost no space at all.
Plus most of these foods are either already prepared or simple to make. This is ideal in an emergency situation since you probably won't have time (or energy) to cook gourmet meals.
So those are 3 areas you would need to store survival food. What kind of foods you choose really depends on your goals and preferences. Take your time and remember to get foods you'll enjoy eating. Even in an emergency situation, food enjoyment is important.
For more information on where to buy and save on survival emergency food, visit our page on emergency survival food.
