Strategies for Long-term Food Storage

Long-Term Food Storage:  There are three approaches:  1) Store larger quantities of short-term canned/packaged items; 2) No. 10 cans or 5-gallon buckets of bulk ingredients; or 3) Freeze-dried or dehydrated foods; or a combination. 

For canned and packaged long-term storage, you will need some way to organize the food so that you can rotate it into your regular meal planning.  Use organizers designed for a FIFO system (first in, first out) to aid rotation.  Put in the newest can(a) at the top and take out the oldest at the bottom.  A browser search for “canned food organizers” will net you lots of choices.  Mine are cardboard and arrive flat, requiring some easy folding assembly.    

Bulk food is the most economical way to approach long-term food storage. Common bulk items are rice, beans, wheat, oats, honey, dried milk, sugar, salt and items needed to bake from scratch.  You will need to supplement bulk items with some canned/bottled fruits and vegetables.  Home canning of yard garden harvests is an economical and satisfying way to have nutritious vegetables and fruits in your storage, but may not be right for every family. 

If dehydrated or freeze-dried food is your long-term strategy, I urge you to do some research on the various companies, including meal selections offered and portion sizes, before you buy.  Packagers generally measure a portion at ½ cup.  Is that a realist portion size for your family?  If not, what is?  Once known you can evaluate cost/per serving, how many packages you want to purchase and how much storage area you will need.  Shelf life is generally 25 years.  

Storage of safe drinking water is important.