Gas prices are climbing, unemployment is surging, and tempers are flaring at grocery store checkouts. These are some very good indicators that survival food storage needs to become an immediate priority.
For every diligent ant who prudently acquires survival food storage, there are several sarcastic grasshoppers that mock and ridicule such preparation as a form of clinical paranoia. You don’t have to be paranoid to conclude that survival food storage is a good idea; you just have to be observant.
Consider this: The U.S. Federal Government is poised on the brink of a credit crisis. If its credit rating declines – as it should, by any rational reckoning – the short-term credit markets will seize up. This means that people who rely on short-term financing to do business will be thrown into crisis. This includes the independent truckers responsible for getting food to your local grocery store. It may also apply to the people who run the grocery store chains where you buy your food. And it should be remembered that the typical retail grocer keeps only a few days’ worth of food in stock. A survival food storage plan doesn’t seem like a bad idea, does it?
Here’s something else to consider when thinking of survival food storage: Our access to adequate supplies of healthy food depends on factors unaffected by human stupidity and corruption. Think of the earthquake and tsunami that led to Japan’s ongoing existential crisis. Japan is among the world’s most modern, sophisticated countries; although mired in a prolonged economic slump, the country was getting by because its population saved much of what it earned. Yet within hours large segments of the country where thrown into chaos, some of them emerging in pre-industrial conditions. Although rioting and looting didn’t ensue, food flew quickly from grocery store shelves and wasn’t replaced. And all of this began with a natural disaster over which no mortal being had any control.
Once again: Is survival food storage a good idea, or merely a paranoid preoccupation?
A good baseline for survival food storage would be two-week supply of nutritious packaged foods, in addition to fourteen gallons of fresh water per person. Freeze-dried food would be marginally preferable to dehydrated food items where there are concerns over access to an independent supply of potable water. Very helpful guidelines for storage quantities of basic food items – such as grains, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, and fats – are available on-line at food storage-oriented websites. For long-term food security, nothing beats a garden and a working knowledge of home canning.
It planning survival food storage preparations, it’s important to focus on necessities; they form an indispensable foundation for crisis readiness. Clean water is the first priority, then filling out a supply of healthy protein, carbs, and essential fats comes next. Don’t neglect salt, either; although it’s gotten a bad rap for diet-related chronic health problems, salt is an irreplaceable nutrient and natural preservative. Take into account as well your location, available storage space, and your individual or family eating habits. Store what you can use, and use what you store.
