With all the TV commercials and ads for emergency food kits out there, choosing the right one may seem a like a daunting task. It doesn’t have to be if you know what to look for! Just make sure that your food kit can deliver on a few key requirements for you and your family’s well being. Below are the top 5 things to consider when purchasing an emergency food kit.
Shelf Life
The shelf life of your emergency food kits should be a very important factor to consider before making your purchase. The longer the shelf life, the less worry there is about your food kit going bad on you. Most of the better companies that are producing emergency food are delivering on a shelf life upwards of 10 years, some even lasting for 25 years. Products with little shelf life will require rotation and will just have to be thrown out if not used within that time. That in itself is a waste of time and money. Also remember that where you store your emergency food kits will play a role in how long they last. Even though these food kits will last in almost any location, the optimal place of storage should be in a cool, dry place with a consistent temperature around 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re gonna protect your family, do it for as long as you can!
Serving Size
Knowing the amount of servings that your trying to accumulate will go a long way when making your emergency food kits purchase. You should first determine how many people you’ll be trying to feed, as well as how often these meals will occur. Having these numbers in mind will help you in your food choices. Typically they’re more variety of meal choices and entree’s available in smaller serving sizes , and less variety in the larger serving sizes. But as demand for better and more gourmet options grow, the larger and reputable producers are filling this void and offering numerous tasty choices for the consumer in larger bulk servings. Know the amount of emergency food that you need, and purchase accordingly!
Ingredients
When purchasing emergency food kits for your loved ones, don’t buy food that they don’t like or won’t eat. Emergency food has come a long way and you’re sure to find meals that bring smiles to your family. Just because it’s eaten during times of crisis doesn’t mean it has to taste bad. From soups and tasty appetizers to Cheesy Lasagna and Chicken Alfredo, from steak and potatoes to sweet desserts, you can have it all if you want. Even if a loved one has food allergies, you can find Vegan and Gluten Free meals for them. Make sure that whatever food kits you buy provide plenty of protein to keep your family energized and at optimal health during whatever emergency or disaster that you find yourself in.
Ease of Use
This concept should be easy enough to grasp. Make sure that your emergency food kits don’t require a gourmet restaurant’s entire kitchen to prepare. Keep it simple, because depending on what situation you find yourself in, resources could be scarce at best. Be sure to purchase food kits that can be prepared by just adding boiling water. Hopefully you have access to clean water and a way of heating it up. If not, you might want to check out other sections of this website that can point you in the right direction for such emergency and survival supplies. Most of the emergency food out there today can be prepared right in it’s own package, which makes it super simple and convenient. Some of the larger kits may require you to separate portions before cooking. If this is the case, make sure that you have the supplies to do this, like camping pots, pans, etc… . It needs to be easy enough for anyone in the family to be able to make food on their own if need be.
Portability
Make sure that you can take your emergency food kits with you if disaster strikes. What good will it do you if you have to leave it behind because it’s too bulky to transport. Unless you have heavy equipment on hand to load in a flash, your kits shouldn’t be larger than 5 gallon buckets. Many of today’s smaller meals will come in pouches and the larger serving meals will come in 5 gallon buckets. Of course the larger food kits will contain more food, but they’re only gonna benefit your family if you have access to them and don’t need to leave your dwelling for any long period of time. Take portability of your emergency food kits into consideration and you’ll be ahead of the game.
Conclusion
The top 5 things to consider when purchasing emergency food kits are shelf life, serving size, ingredients, ease of use, and portability. If you make sure that your food kits meet your criteria in each of these 5 categories, you’ll have more time to spend on other important decisions like shelter and protection. You can’t predict emergencies, but you can prepare for them!