Stocking for Contingency: Foods That Last Longer
Disasters and calamities are unpleasant surprises that once in a while come knocking at your door. It is hard to predict when one will happen. However, you can react better and recover faster should any mishaps happen when you have prepared for it. It is always a good idea to have a back-up plan.
It is important to enumerate all the possible things in your area when designing your emergency preparedness plan and consider stuff like the best foods for years. This will allow you to store the necessary and only relevant things for whatever might happen.
Food is the body's fuel that keeps humans going. You can go for days without changing your clothes or staying in the dark for several nights. But going without food for just a few days will already distress you. So this is a priority in your survival stash.
The usual practice is to stock food that is good for at least a week and then go out again to replenish the stocks. But what if disaster strikes just when your supplies are running low? It would be wise to have something that does not easily spoil on standby in an emergency.
Food items that are available and affordable vary in every region. Regardless of what you plan to store, what is important is that they stay good for a long time. Below are the best foods that last for years which are widely available in most places throughout the globe, read on to know:
- Energy Bars. It is said that these food items will basically not spoil forever. It is among the food with the highest shelf life.
- Alcohol or wine. These liquids will never spoil as long as they are stored properly.
- Uncooked rice. Keeping it in a cool, dry place can make it last up to 5 years. Putting it in an oxygen-free container will make it last for 25-30 years.
- Oats. This cereal grain is among the foods with the longest shelf life, lasting up to 30 years when stored properly.
- Cheese. Depending on the type of cheese and its storage, this food item can last up to 10 years.
- Canned goods. Most food and drinks can have a long shelf life when stored properly, lasting for up to 5 years.
- Dehydrated meat. When packed with sodium nitrate, it can last for up to a year.
- Dried fruits. When kept in a cool and dry place, these will not get spoiled for up to 12 months.
Best foods that last for years that are readily available in your area should be your priority when stocking your survival stash.