What you need to know about building a 2 week food supply

In light of recent events, I have been receiving emails asking about building a 2 week food supply. I have an article on 5 easy steps for beginning preppers. (Click here if you missed it) In that article I talk about building up your food stores slowly over time. This helps to not negatively impact your budget.

But the emails I’ve received recently have had a sense of urgency to them. Several have even mentioned having a few hundred bucks to spend on food storage right away. They wanted to know what to pick up.

So in this article, I will list what I would purchase to build up a 2 week food supply. Whether you buy this over time, or want to pick all of these items up in one trip, this is what I recommend. I’ll also list a few more items that would help extend your 2 week supply even longer. In addition, I have a handy reference guide to the average shelf life of many common food storage items at the end of this page.

For the purposes of this article, I break down this group into 5 elements of emergency food storage:

• protein
• carbs
• fruits/veggies
• water
• “extras”

I chose the contents listed below for a couple reasons. The first is that the food listed here will generally last a long time if stored properly. The second reason is that these items should be fairly easy to cook. In addition, these items will hopefully be food that you are either already eating, or should be fairly easy to accommodate into your daily life. This means that you won’t be stockpiling food you won’t eat.

Please note, the amounts listed here are for a typical family of 4. Two adults and two kids is the model I am using. So adjust this list according to your family size and needs.

I recommend storing your food in a cool, dry, dark area. For more on long term food storage, please click here.

I will also assume that while you do have some extra cash available, you will be shopping at your local grocery store. In reality, the easiest way to build a 2 week supply is to simply order several weeks worth of emergency food stores. Companies like Valley Food Storage specialize in producing emergency food storage that stores for many years. I did a review on their food, which you can read by clicking here. I highly recommend them if this is the route you want to take. The food tastes great and it will last for many, many years.

However, many of you will take the grocery store route. This is what I did, and I actually prefer it because I can buy and store food I normally eat. This allows me to rotate my food stores, which prevents waste. It is also cheaper, as freeze dried food is more expensive.

Even if you decide to order your food supplies online, I would encourage you to read on. Things like water, and the “extras” are still things you will probably want to procure locally.

Protein

When it comes to emergency food storage, I break protein down into 3 categories: beans, canned meats, and powdered milk/eggs.

Beans are a great source of protein, and also have several vital nutrients like amino acids. You can buy beans in cans, or dry bulk. Each have their advantages and disadvantages. Canned beans will be easier and faster to cook. This means needing less fuel if you find yourself in a grid down situation.

Dried beans will typically last longer. (Especially true if you seal them in air tight containers.) If stored correctly, dry beans can easily last for several years. (Although I would rotate them about every 3 years.) I recommend having either 20 cans, 18-20 lbs of dried beans, or some combination of both. I would get a variety of different beans too. You want to avoid appetite fatigue as much as possible.

The second category I mentioned is canned meats. This includes things like tuna, chicken, SPAM, etc. I recommend have about 18-20 cans. Be sure to check the use by dates. The shelf life of canned meat can be anywhere from 1 to 5 years.

I personally am not a big tuna fan. So I have chicken, corn beef hash, and canned ham. Again, I recommend getting canned meats that you will eat normally. If you and your family hate Spam, having 10 cans of it won’t be of much help. You won’t eat it normally, so you won’t rotate it. Eventually it will go bad. That is a waste of money, resources, space, etc.

Finally, I would recommend 3-5 lbs of powdered milk and 3-5 lbs of powdered eggs. Both have a shelf life of around 5 years or so, though it can go longer. Some articles I have read said that both are usable even 5 years after the “due date” when stored correctly. I personally do not like powdered milk or eggs. But I have found that I can use both for cooking and baking. So rotating it isn’t that hard for me as long as I remember I have it.  LOL

BONUS: I would also include a few containers of peanut butter. Peanut butter is a great source of protein, is filling and will “stick to your ribs”. It also has additional nutrients like essential fats and oils. Unopened peanut butter can last for a few years when stored properly, depending upon how much preservatives are in it. Once opened, peanut butter will last at least 3-4 months past the “due date”. If you can refrigerate it after that, you can get another 3-4 months out of it.

Carbs

Carbs helps to give your body energy in an emergency situation. The items listed here will not only do that, but also have a long self life.

Rice is a staple all over the world. So I recommend having around 20 lbs or so. While I prefer the wild and brown rice, which is healthier; the white rice will last longer if stored properly. So shop according to your preference. I would also have about 20 lbs of dry pasta stored away. Like the rice, it has a shelf life of many years when unopened.

You also want to have about 10 lbs of pancake/biscuit mix. Grocery stores sell 5 lb boxes of things like Bisquick, so grab 2 boxes. When stored correctly, a box of biscuit/pancake mix will generally stay fresh for about one year. To maximize the shelf life of biscuit/pancake mix once the package is opened, I would put the mix to a covered airtight container or place original biscuit mix bag in a resealable plastic freezer bag.

Rolled oats have a shelf life of around 2 years or more, and are easy to cook. I would have about 3-5 lbs stored. The regular oats will last much longer than then instant oats. But then again, the instant oats will be quicker to prepare. So decide which works for you.

BONUS: Cornmeal is great for emergency baking. Unlike regular flour, it doesn’t require yeast and oil. Cornmeal makes corn bread and tortillas without much hassle. It will last for about a year once opened, and even longer when unopened and stored correctly.

Fruits/Veggies

While I much prefer fresh fruits and vegetables, they unfortunately do not have a long shelf life. So I would have about 20 cans of vegetables stored. You should mix it up with things like green beans, corn, etc. When purchasing these, check the dates on them. Try to get cans that have at least a year out expiration. Also, make sure that the cans are not dented. Dented cans can lower the shelf life of their contents.

I would also purchase about 20 cans of fruit. Like the vegetables, mix up what you pick up. You will want some variety to help avoid appetite fatigue as mentioned above. And the “dates and dented can” rule equally apply to this as well.

I am going to add pasta sauce into this category. I would have around 10-12 cans/jars of pasta sauce. The sauce and pasta makes a quick and filling meal. I prefer the meat sauce myself, although I have not noticed much of a difference in the shelf life between those and other pasta sauces.

BONUS: Dried fruit will typically last a year or so. Although it does not require refrigeration, doing so will help increase its lifespan. It makes a great comfort food with providing vital nutrients like vitamin C.

In addition, go ahead and grab a heavy duty manual can opener. You don’t want to rely solely on an electric opener. Even if you already have a manual one, grab another. The old adage about “2 is 1 and 1 is none” is true. You want a backup.

Water

The rule of water is 1 gallon per person per day. So using the family of four model, you will need at least 55 gallons of water for your 2 week storage. (Add more if you have pets!) This is a lot of water…over 440 lbs worth. That is over 7 cubic feet of space not counting the containers. You can purchase 1 gallon bottles of water at your grocery store. They cost around a dollar a piece. But 55 of them is going to take up a hell of a lot of space!

5 gallon containers from the grocery store aren’t that much more in price, and might be easier for you to store. And as long as it is stored in a cool, dry, dark place, the water can last for years.

What I recommend (for long term storage) is purchasing several 5 gallon containers, like the one pictured here. Fill it with tap water, which is safe to store. (Although you don’t need to, you can add a little bleach to the water containers if it gives you peace of mind. 4 to 6 drops of non-scented chlorine bleach will treat 1 gallon of water). If you have an area like a spare closet, or a storage area under your stairs, you can hopefully store water there safely. Wherever you store water, make sure it is out of sunlight, and in a climate controlled area.

A few things to remember when it comes to storing and purifying water; when using bleach to purify water, make sure it is unscented, has NO dyes, perfumes, other additives or cleaners, and is NOT color safe. Also, do NOT use recycled milk or juice containers. Milk and many types of juices have proteins and sugars in them that will absorb into the plastic. This in turn can contaminate your water with bacteria. NO amount of soap or bleach will completely remove them from the plastic. So simply discard these containers when they are empty.

In addition to several single gallon bottles of water, I also have a 35 gallon water container stored in my house. I keep this in a dark, cool room. I also cover it with a cheap blanket. This blocks out sunlight, which helps prevent the growth of bacteria.

ADDED INFO: I know there will be some folks out who have a swimming pool and will want to think they can use their pool as their emergency water source. Please, DO NOT think this is an option! I would recommend NOT using pool water for long term drinking purposes. Many of the chemicals such as algaecides that are used to keep the water clear are not safe for general human consumption.

Just because you can safely ingest small amounts of pool water doesn’t mean it is healthy in larger quantities! Nothing short of distilling that water will remove those chemicals. (No, just boiling won’t work.)

In addition, sunlight denatures the chlorine. Even covered with a tarp or pool cover, within a week or two your pool’s chlorine levels will be at or close to 0 ppm. And while you might have spare chlorine on hand to continue to mix, if you have no electric power to run the pumps, filtration, and agitation, then its effectiveness will be diminished because it is not dispersed adequately throughout the pool. So even if you have a pool, build up your water storage!

I have written extensively on long term water storage. For more information on this, please click here.

“Extras”

While everything listed above will keep you and your family fed for at least 2 weeks, it will quickly lose its appeal if that is all you have. Beans and rice day after day will make even the most hungry people lose their appetite. So being able to keep extra spices and comfort foods is something I strongly recommend. Variety is the spice of life!

A pound of salt goes a long way to adding some flavor to (and can help preserve) food. Salt can last indefinitely, so be sure to get some. Sugar (white) can also last indefinitely, so I would add a pound or two of sugar to your list as well. In addition, you should have a large container of spices like cinnamon (3 to 4 year shelf life), bouillon cubes (about 2 year shelf life), garlic powder (3 to 4 years), onion powder (3 to 4 years), etc in your food storage. Your taste will determine which spices you will want to store. But I’d certainly have a few large containers of them set back.

Vegetable oil or shortening could be vital for cooking. It can last for months or even longer if stored correctly. You can also use something like Crisco to make an emergency candle!

I have at least 20 or so boxes/cans of what I call “quick foods”. This includes things like macaroni and cheese, dry cereal, cans of soups, cans of Spagettios and Chef Boyardee etc. These will be easy to prepare and can act as a comfort food. Most people have no issues eating them normally, so they should be easy to rotate. And while it isn’t the greatest, you can eat stuff like the Chef Boyardee cold should you need to conserve fuel sources for cooking other things. I have done it before and it was palatable.

Pure maple syrup and pure honey can last indefinitely, and will help satisfy a sweet tooth. Just make sure both are 100% pure. Otherwise they will go bad over time. Jams and jellys will last a few years, and can also be added to your pancakes, oatmeal, as well. Speaking of sweet tooth, I have a few bags of hard candy set aside. Hard candy can last a year or more, and can certainly be a morale boost. In a SHTF event, it can help reassure kids, who might be having a hard time coping with their new environment.

I have a large container of cocoa mix. While is is generally used for hot cocoa, (another great comfort food) you can mix it with other things to add some flavor. I have added it to cooked oatmeal before and it wasn’t bad.

Freeze dried coffee will last a life time or longer when unopened. Once opened, it will still be good for years when stored correctly. So if you are a coffee drinker, you might think about grabbing some.

I love ketchup and mayo as much as the next guy. And if stored properly they can last for several months. But the condiment with the longest shelf life is hot sauce. Some hot sauces can last for 5 years or more. Your preference will dictate this, but be sure to grab some extra condiments.

If you have pets, grab an extra bag or two of their food. Or several extra cans if that is what you buy. Either way, estimate how much they typically eat in a 2 to 3 week period, and grab that amount extra in addition to what you usually buy.

And finally, although it isn’t food, you might think about grabbing some extra hygiene items. An extra tube of toothpaste, deodorant, toilet paper, couple extra bars of soap, etc. You should also include a few extra small bottles of over the counter medicine. Just like food, these items will be next to impossible to find if there is a run on the grocery stores!

Final List

To save you from having to go back and find everything that I listed in the article, I have made a condensed list of what to grab for your 2 week supply:

• 18-20 lbs/cans beans (various)
• 18- 20 cans of meat (various)
• 3 lbs powdered milk
• 3 lbs powdered eggs
• 2 jars of peanut butter
• 18-20 lbs rice
• 10 lbs biscuit/pancake mix
• 18-20 lbs dry pasta
• 5 lbs oats
• 3-5 lbs corn meal
• 18-20 cans of veggies (various)
• 18-20 cans of fruit (various)
• several large bags of dried fruit (various)
• 12 cans of pasta sauce
• 50 plus gallons of water (minimum)
• 20 quick foods – cereal, mac & cheese, soups, etc
• container of 100% pure maple syrup and honey
• sturdy manual can opener
• preferred spices and condiments
• freeze dried coffee
• couple extra weeks of pet food
• extra hygiene and sanitation items
• extra over the counter medications

And as promised, here is a handy reference guide of the shelf life on various food storage. I will say that when it comes to determining shelf life, it is not an exact science. A lot of factors can come into play. The individual packaging, the ingredients and preservatives used, etc. So when it comes to using food well past it’s “due date”, use your best judgement. If it looks, smells, or feels wrong, it probably is. So toss it. And finally, a 2 week supply is a GREAT start. That puts you ahead of 95% of everyone else. But don’t rest there. Two weeks worth of supplies is a start, it shouldn’t be the end result.

Here are some other links associated with this general topic to help you get prepared:

• How to start prepping in 5 simple steps
• Priorities for prepping on a tight budget
• 7 things to remember about cooking in SHTF scenario
• An off grid cooking method we recommend
• 8 ways to fight off boredom during a grid-down event
• Emergency Preparedness for your Pet(s)
• 5 Tips you SHOULD do Every Day to Stay Prepared
• Long term power outage? What to eat first
• 7 kitchen tools that don’t need electricity
• What you need to know about long term water storage
• 10 items you should stock long term

Are there other 2 week food supply items that might be overlooked or not listed here? Let us know in the comments below.

Stay safe out there!

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