I spend a fair amount of time helping people with food storage and I am seeing three common problems. The first problem is that many people have no concept of what a one year’s supply of food looks like. They consistently underestimate the amount of food that they will need. I have seen cases in which their one year supply won’t last more than a couple of months.
Here is a prior post that will help you to determine how much food you should store.
The second big problem that I see is people purchasing dehydrated and freeze-dried foods without understanding how much they need. There are many problems with understanding the labeling on many of the cans. The cans will show a number of servings; however, you need to take a good look at the serving size and how many calories it contains. Many of these serving are ¼ to a ½ cup in size and only contain 100-200 calories. These servings are designed to only be a part of a complete meal.
Also, beware of all the new companies that are showing up on the market. Stay with companies like Mountain House that have a proven track record.
Personally, I like to have both dehydrated and freeze-dried foods in my food storage. Correctly packaged that can store for 30 years or more and still retain taste and nutrition.
In addition to the three problems that I have discussed, storage condition are another thing that affects your food storage shelve life. Take the time to learn how to correctly store your food.
Howard
I carry a ferro rod fire starter in my pocket. I have a magnesium and ferro rod fire starter in my day pack. I use these when we camp to start the campfire (I’m retired so our camping is more like three months a year vs two weeks for working folks). In good conditions and bad I use one of these two fire starting choices rather then matches or a lighter. The advantage is I know how to use them and I know what I need to make it successful.
I store food. Freeze dried, bulk rice, wheat, sugar, flour, etc, canned both home and store bought. I use these on a regular basis. The advantage to that is I know how to use them and what I need to have or do to make it successful. I can and do sprout wheat for a breakfast cereal and grind wheat for breads. The single most beneficial thing any prepper can do to help him learn to store food is to use his stored food. It is good feedback and a learning tool. One useful thing I have learned is I love white rice. It is the easiest stored food to turn into a meal or a component of a meal. Wheat; not so much. Don’t get me wrong, wheat is a great storage food and has so much going for it. But with rice and primative conditions I can make a meal in 20 minutes, you simply can’t do that with wheat. I take many of these things with me when camping. My go to breakfast while camping is either a 7 grain mix or oatmeal. I put half a cup in a baggy with two tablespoons each of sugar and powdered milk. The night before I put in a half cup or more of water and seal the bag. By morning it is soft and ready to eat.