Ready For Unsteady

Ready For Unsteady logo – emergency preparedness for everyday life
Ready For Unsteady logo – emergency preparedness for everyday life

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Food

Having a well-stocked supply of food is essential for any emergency preparedness plan—but it’s equally important to keep food safety in mind. Proper storage, handling, and rotation help reduce the risk of food-borne illness and ensure your supplies remain safe and usable when you need them most.

Food Preparedness

  • One-Week Supply: Aim to have a minimum one-week supply of non-perishable food for each person in your household.
  • Variety: Include a variety of foods to ensure nutritional balance. Consider canned goods, dried fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
  • Water: Store at least a gallon of water per person per day for at least three days.
  • Pet Food: Don’t forget to store pet food and supplies.
  • Rotation: Rotate your food supply regularly to ensure freshness. Use a “first in, first out” system.
  • Deep Pantry: Have extra items you regularly consume in a separate location (storage/basement), and rotate these when you go shopping (grab items from storage for your pantry, add items purchased to storage)
  • Non-Perishable Items: Focus on non-perishable items that have a long shelf life.
  • Bulk Purchases: Consider buying in bulk when possible to save money and reduce the number of trips to the store.
  • Local Sources: Support local farmers’ markets and food co-ops for fresh produce and other items.
  • Gardening: If possible, start a garden to grow your own food.
  • Food Preservation: Learn how to preserve food through canning, freezing, or dehydrating.
  • Wash hands thoroughly: Wash your hands with soap and water before preparing food.
  • Cook food thoroughly: Cook food to recommended internal temperatures to kill harmful bacteria. 
  • Avoid contaminated water: Do not drink tap water for cooking if it is suspected to be contaminated. If tap water is unsafe, use bottled water for drinking, cooking, and brushing teeth.
  • Check expiration dates: Check expiration dates on canned goods and other non-perishable foods.
  • Avoid damaged packaging: Avoid food with damaged packaging or cans with dents or bulges.
  • Inspect food for signs of spoilage: Look for signs of spoilage, such as mold, discoloration, or an unpleasant odor.
  • Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed: As long as the power is out, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed to maintain cold temperatures. 
  • Use insulated coolers: If the power is expected to be out for an extended period, transfer perishable foods to insulated coolers filled with ice. 
  • Discard perishable foods: If the refrigerator or freezer has been open for more than four hours, discard perishable foods, including meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and eggs. 
  • Remember the three F’s: Food, Flies, Feces – keep your food storage/prep area far away as possible as your bathroom area. Ensure waste stays covered to avoid flies – flies landing on feces, and then food will spread disease.
  • For Your Emergency Kit: Include a manual can opener and a cooking stove in your emergency kit.
  • Dietary Needs: Consider the dietary needs of everyone in your household, including infants, children, the elderly, and those with specific dietary restrictions.

Food Safety During Power Outages

Cold temperatures slow bacterial growth, but only for a limited time.

As a general guideline:

  • Refrigerators stay cold for about 4 hours if unopened
  • Full freezers stay cold for about 48 hours
  • Half-full freezers last closer to 24 hours

Keeping doors closed is one of the most effective ways to protect food.

  • Outdoor grills or camp stoves
    Use propane or charcoal grills, or portable camp stoves, outdoors only and away from doors and windows. Best for gently warming prepared foods.
  • Electric kettle (short outages or backup power)
    Efficient for boiling water quickly when limited electricity is available. Useful for rehydrated meals, soups, and hot drinks.
  • Generator-powered appliances
    If you have a generator, you may be able to run a microwave, hot plate, or kettle briefly. Always operate generators outdoors and follow load limits.
  • Canned heat or Sterno (with caution)
    Can warm small portions or liquids when used in well-ventilated areas on stable, heat-resistant surfaces. Never leave unattended.
  • Hot water bath for sealed containers
    Place sealed cans or heat-safe containers in hot water to warm food evenly. Do not place cans directly over open flames.
  • Solar cooking (weather dependent)
    Use sunlight and a reflective surface to gently warm sealed containers or take the chill off food on sunny days. Slow, but fuel-free.

Including ready-to-eat options removes stress when utilities are unreliable.

Good examples include:

  • Canned foods with pull tabs
  • Shelf-stable meals
  • Nut butters
  • Crackers and dry snacks
  • Protein bars and shakes
  • Ready-to-eat soups and beans

These foods can be eaten safely without heat or electricity.

  • Never use grills, camp stoves, propane heaters, or fuel-burning devices indoors or in enclosed spaces
  • Do not cook inside garages, even with the door open
  • Always cook outdoors and away from doors, windows, and vents
  • Never leave cooking equipment unattended
  • Keep refrigerated food below 40°F whenever possible (if perishable food rises above 40°F for more than 2 hours, it is safest to discard it)
  • Do not rely on smell or appearance to judge food safety
  • When in doubt, throw it out