Monday 24 March 2014

Understanding More About Emergency Food Rations

By Linda Cantrell


Some situations can force you not to be able to buy food for a whole year. At such times, survival tactics come in handy, but you can barely survive without foods. Emergency food rations are the way to go when such situations arise. The UK and other parts of the world are frequently hit by natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes, storms and disease outbreaks. Such situations call for disaster preparedness by way of food supply around the clock.

An emergency food-stock is needed for circumstances of that nature. They enable you to keep foods fresh for long and be in a position to get all the dietary requirements in your meals. For a start, you should strive to always have a continuous ration supply for three days. The store should contain sufficient water and foods for all your family members. You can choose to have a stock that can go for a week, a month or more.

You also require good storage equipment. Necessary hygiene requirements should also be met. The foods stored here should require no refrigeration and should have low salt content. Do not put your store very far as to avoid inconveniences when retrieving the items. Remember a prolonged search is inconvenient in an emergency situation. Humidity and pests are dangerous to stored food and should therefore be kept at bay.

When you go for shopping, you do not need to buy everything at once. You can start with those that are on stock or on offer. Consider the prizes also. Some are very expensive while others are cheap. Depending on your pocket, go for what fits you. However, it is advisable to purchase items from reputable and trusted manufacturers.

The stock is only meant for emergencies. You should not yield to any urge whatsoever to turn to it. Continue purchasing your daily food as usual. If you are forced to borrow from your stock pile, replenish it as soon as possible. However, the ideal is not to touch it at all unless in an emergency situation.

You need to refresh and alternate your stock pile from time to time. Some items can expire before they are used thus the need to discard them. Alternating means placing recently purchased articles at the bottom. This allows you to use those that have stayed for long to prevent from damage or expiry which can be a great loss.

In order to taste whether your foodstuff items are still edible, you have a range of options. You can begin by checking their expiry dates. If an item has not expired then it can still be consumed. Rotate the stock of your bottled water every six months the expiry date notwithstanding.

Fruits and other foods that have high acid content should be stored for a maximum of a year to eighteen months. Meat, fish and most vegetables can be stored for two to five years since they have low acid content and thus last longer. Storing the foods for too long should be avoided.




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