72-Hour Kit Food

Alright, so now that we've got IDs and a container for our 72-hour pack, we're going to spend the next two weeks working on getting our food supply!

As with everything we will talk about, there are several options for what you can store in your 72-hour kits for food. We've detailed some of the pros and cons of some different options so that you can determine what is best for you and your family's needs:


MREs
One of the easiest items to store for food is the MRE, or Meal Ready to Eat. These are meals designed for the military that can be eaten without any water or preparation. This comes in handy when water sources are scarce (and you won't be able to reconstitute dehydrated food), or when there is no way to cook due to lack of fuel, electricity, or other means to cook. The convenience does come with a trade-off: expense. MRE's are more expensive than their counterparts, but have a long shelf life and are ready to go no matter what the emergency is.

Cans/Boxed Goods
A cheaper and more familiar alternative is to use canned or other non-perishable goods. The food items should be easily edible, meaning little to no preparation required. Cans of soup, chili, or other prepared canned meals are good starting points. These items are also convenient since they are easy to rotate. If you check these items every 6 months, then you can be assured that the food in your 72-hour kit is always fresh. One of the biggest downsides to cans is their weight - if you plan to carry your 72-hour kit anywhere, the weight of cans definitely adds up. As for boxed goods, one of their biggest downsides is their lack of durability - they aren't as strong as cans and are very non-waterproof. However, boxed goods are much better if the goods are inside a plastic bag that is in the box.

Remember, IF YOU ARE USING CANS, YOU WILL NEED A CAN OPENER! Go to the dollar store and buy a cheap can opener that you can just keep in your 72-hour kit, that way you will never be stuck in a situation of having canned food but no way to open it. The other option would be to have pop-top cans. That would mean you wouldn't need a can opener, but pop-top cans are also slightly less durable and the tops could come off with enough force. 

Emergency Rations/Calorie Bars
These 3-day Calorie Bars come in a small brick and have enough calories to sustain life for 3 days. With a 5 year shelf life and little cost, these are an effective way to make sure you will at least survive for 3 days since they provide the basic nutrition you will need. The main trade-off with these is taste. In an emergency, many people would prefer to be opening a can of soup or something similar as compared to eating a 400 calorie protein bar, but again it is a cheap and effective way to insure survival.

The bottom line, it is vital to have enough food to survive for 72 hours. No matter what option you choose, make efforts to collect 3 day's worth of food for each member of your family over the next 2 weeks.