Food that needs no cooking
In a power cut you may have no fridge, no cooker and no microwave. The food in your emergency kit should be safe to eat cold, straight from the packet or tin.
Start with food you already eat
The best emergency food is food your household likes. A stressful few days is not the time to discover nobody will eat the meals you bought. Look at what you already buy and pick the long-life versions.
What to keep
- Tinned meat and fish: tuna, salmon, sardines, chicken and ham. Ring-pull tins are easiest.
- Tinned vegetables, beans and soup: baked beans, chickpeas, sweetcorn and most soups are fine cold.
- Ready-to-eat pouches and pots: check the label says they can be eaten without heating.
- Dried fruit, nuts and cereal bars: lots of energy in a small space, and popular with children.
- Crackers, oatcakes and breakfast cereal: they keep for months once sealed.
- UHT milk: lasts for months unopened. Use it within a day once opened, because the fridge won't be cold.
- Peanut butter, honey and jam: filling, and they keep well.
- Comfort food: chocolate or biscuits really do help morale.
And don't forget a manual tin opener. Without one, a cupboard full of tins is no use.
How much
Aim for 3 days of meals and snacks for everyone at home. You don't need a precise plan: count roughly three meals a day per person and add some snacks.
Dietary needs
Think about allergies, intolerances, diabetes, and anyone who needs soft or special food. If someone in your home has a medical diet, ask your doctor, dietitian or pharmacist what to keep in reserve.
Shelf life and rotating
Tins and dried food last a long time, but not forever. Check the best-before and use-by dates when you buy.
The easy way to keep stock fresh is to eat it and replace it. Every few months, use the oldest items in normal meals and put new ones at the back of the cupboard. Check everything properly every six months.
Throw away any tin that is bulging, badly dented, rusty or leaking.
Food in the fridge and freezer
In a power cut, eat food from the fridge first, then the freezer, and save your emergency food for last. Keep the doors closed as much as you can to keep the cold in. When in doubt, throw it out.