Survival Food List - What Are Your Choices?

On this page we will discuss the top choices of emergency foods that you can add to your survival food list. We will explain the different types of survival foods, the difference in taste, convenience, and storage requirements of each.

We also include on this page (right side column), a simple grocery-store survival food list. We recommend you print the list and start stocking up the items to add to your emergency food supply.

Choose from one, several, or all of the different types of survival foods listed below.

Each option outlines the advantages, and disadvantages, some will fit into your personal lifestyle better than others.

No matter which types of survival foods you choose to purchase for your emergency food supply or grow in your survival garden ... GET STARED so that you HAVE a food supply ready when you need it.

1. Grocery Store Foods: survival food list

Commercial grocery store goods - canned foods, boxed foods, grains, and bottled water, (recommended by many government agencies) for your shorter-term emergency survival food list.

This choice actively requires storing and maintaining a "inventory cycle" of these commercial goods: As you buy new food you use up the old food, so that the product is not stored beyond the expiration date.

Advantages:

·       If done ahead, easy and convenient for short term emergencies.

·       Can be done in a few hours or less for a 72-hour up-to 1 month emergency food reserve.

·       Canned foods work well as an addition to the other Survival Foods.

·       Study shows nutritional value is quite high on several types of canned foods. Read more on our Canned Food Storage Page Here

Disadvantages:

·       Must be stored in proper conditions to keep optimal storage life of up to 2 years.

·       Have to rotate and check the expiration dates on canned goods and check grains for mold infestations, rodent invasions, etc.

·       Canned foods can be a bit bulky, space is often limited. Many people will not be able to store a large supply.

·       Grains need a lot of water to cook and water may be unavailable or scarce in a disaster.

2. MRE’s (Meals ready to Eat): survival food list

Advantages:

·       Easy to store and lasts up to 5-7 years in a cool dry place.

·       Easiest and fastest preparation time possible and can be heated fast with “MRE heaters”

·       Can be ordered online in minutes, and delivered to your house. Doesn't take much time to store it.

Disadvantages:

·       Relatively expensive per meal.

·       For extended reserve of 6 weeks, 3 months, or a year, a lot of space required to store.

·       Tastes similar to canned food in flavor.

3. Freeze Dried/Dehydrated Meals: survival food list

Advantages:

·       Easy to store and can last up to 30 years.

·       Fast simple preparation just add water. Requires only water that is needed to hydrate the food, (much less than cooking).

·       Freeze dried foods, because of the process, retain very close to the original amount of nutritional value as fresh foods.

·       Once hydrated, freeze dried food taste is very close to original food taste.

·       Light weight, easy to store large quantities of food for reserves of 6 weeks, 3 months, or a year.

·       A 6 week food reserve can fit under a bed.

·       Can be ordered online in minutes, and delivered to your house. Takes less than 30 minutes to store it.

·       Good economical choice - cost per meal can be the same or less than your average home cooked meal.

Disadvantages: (one ?)

·       Must learn to budget your money to purchase a supply.

As you can see there are a lot of benefits to adding commercial Freeze Dried & Dehydrated Foods to your survival food list over the other options. Thus making it the superior emergency food choice from the "prepared" survival foods list above.

NOTE: The "dehydrated" foods that we are referring to in the above example is "commercial-packaged" foods, not dehydrated foods that you do-yourself at home. Follow the link if you would like to learn how to dehydrate your own food.

4. Grow Your Own Food Garden: survival food list

Growing your own food is a completely differentmethod of adding to your survival food list, than the commercial survival foods above.

It is the most nutritious and self sustaining option. If you have the means to grow a survival garden, it can improve your self sustainability greatly, and can be very rewarding mentally and physically.

GROCERY STORE Survival Foods List: Note: sodium (salt) makes you thirsty - try to choose low- sodium products Bottled Water Canned juice Canned or Boxed Milk Canned Fruits and Vegetables Canned Beans: Pinto, Black... Canned Chili Fruit Cocktail Peanut Butter and Jelly Canned Pasta or Spaghetti Crackers (low-sodium) Canned Meats and Fish: Chicken Turkey Tuna  Salmon Peanut Butter Rice & Grains Soups (low-sodium) Dried Fruits Protein Drinks Granola/Energy Bars Cereal (Cream of Wheat, etc) Oatmeal Sugar Honey (there will be a shortage) Molasses (Excellent source of B vitamins) Nuts (unsalted, preferably) Cookies, Hard Candy Instant Coffee - Best (coffee beans can go rancid, ground requires electricity) Tea Bags/Boxes of Tea Ketchup (Lasts forever) Mayonnaise (Lasts well in a cool place) Cooking Oil (olive is best won't go rancid) Vinegar: White Distilled - cooking, preserving, first-aid, cleaning