They have upped it from just three days to now 3-7 days (and even upwards, "if you feel comfortable..."). Also "suggesting" that you have food packed up and "ready to move" - meaning evacuation.

http://www.redcross.org/services/di...pared/food.html

Food Supplies in Case of Disaster

How long can food supplies be stored?

To judge how long you can store food supplies, look for an “expiration date” or “best if used by” date on the product. If you can not find a date on the product, then the general recommendation is to store food products for six months and then replace them.

Some households find it helpful to pull food products for their regular meals from their disaster supplies kit and replace them immediately on an ongoing basis, so the food supplies are always fresh.

What kinds of food supplies are recommended to store in case of a disaster?

Try to avoid foods that are high in fat and protein, and don’t stock salty foods, since they will make you thirsty. Familiar foods can lift morale and give a feeling of security in time of stress. Also, canned foods won’t require cooking, water or special preparation. Take into account your family’s unique needs and tastes. Try to include foods that they will enjoy and that are also high in calories and nutrition.

Store supplies of non-perishable foods and water in a handy place. You need to have these items packed and ready in case there is no time to gather food from the kitchen when disaster strikes. Sufficient supplies to last several days to a week are recommended.

Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little or no water. Foods that are compact and lightweight are easy to store and carry.

Try to eat salt-free crackers, whole grain cereals and canned food with high liquid content.

Recommended foods include:

- Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables. (Be sure to include a manual can opener)

- Canned juices, milk and soup (if powdered, store extra water).

- High energy foods, such as peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola bars and trail mix.

- Comfort foods, such as hard candy, sweetened cereals, candy bars and cookies.

- Instant coffee, tea bags.

- Foods for infants, elderly persons or persons on special diets, if necessary.

- Compressed food bars. They store well, are lightweight, taste good and are nutritious.

- Trail mix. It is available as a prepackaged product or you can assemble it on your own.

- Dried foods. They can be nutritious and satisfying, but have some have a lot of salt content, which promotes thirst. Read the label.

- Freeze-dried foods. They are tasty and lightweight, but will need water for reconstitution.

- Instant Meals. Cups of noodles or cups of soup are a good addition, although they need water for reconstitution.

- Snack-sized canned goods. Good because they generally have pull-top lids or twist-open keys.

- Prepackaged beverages. Those in foil packets and foil-lined boxes are suitable because they are tightly sealed and will keep for a long time.

Food Options to Avoid:

- Commercially dehydrated foods. They can require a great deal of water for reconstitution and extra effort in preparation.

- Bottled foods. They are generally too heavy and bulky, and break easily.

- Meal-sized canned foods. They are usually bulky and heavy.

- Whole grains, beans, pasta. Preparation could be complicated under the circumstances of a disaster.

What is the basis for the Red Cross recommendation to store supplies to last several days to a week? Red Cross recommendations to have food, water, and other emergency supplies on hand are not new, and are considered reasonable in case of any disaster. Our recommendations are to have supplies to last several days to a week. Most reasonable people would not consider such quantities of supplies as a "stockpile" or "hoarding."

Some families may choose to store supplies to last several weeks or more. Certainly, if they wish to do so, they may. It is always wise to have sufficient food and water supplies on hand in case access to such supplies may be disrupted by a disaster.

For more information, please contact your local Red Cross chapter. Ask for a copy of the following brochures: “Your Family Disaster Plan” (A4466); “Your Family Disaster Supplies Kit” (A4463) and “Food and Water in an Emergency” (A5055).

Fair use, for educational purposes.

-- Anonymous, October 20, 2001

Answers

Good, useful info, thanks, Deb.

I do disagree with the Red Cross, though, when it comes to expiration dates. The director of our local community kitchen said that canned foods usually last much longer than the dates on the cans and he accepted from us some food in cans and jars that we could no longer eat (because of new medical problems or we simply bought too much) and which were six months out of date. (Pasta sauces, pinto beans, navy beans, green beans, etc.)

We regularly eat canned food which is up to a year out of date and have eaten dried food that is older, and have noticed no difference in flavor. Coffee, in particular, providing it is vacuum-packed, is still excellent after more than two years. I would guess that canned coffee lasts indefinitely. I'm also using some two-year old olive oil that was canned.

Most dried foods, providing they are packed in foil pouches or other airtight, moisture-proof containers, should last up to five years or perhaps more. I have rice, dried beans, lentils, etc., in tightly capped jars in a dark cabinet and would have no hesitation in using them after several years. We have recently eaten Noodle-roni and Rice-a Roni-that's a couple of years old--tasted fine. Herbs and spices, kept in airtight containers in a cool, dark place, last up to five years at least. Perhaps powdered garlic might not, but the dried chips keep well. Oh--I wouldn't trust stale-dated dried milk, although I do have some in a can that I wouldn't hesitate to use.

I've heard that "old" food loses vitamin content, and that may be true. So take a multi-vitamin/mineral every day!

-- Anonymous, October 20, 2001

We have food that is dryed and in cans from 1991 that I recently opened and it is just fine. Dryed beans, rice, wheat and other grains are fine indefinately if stored right. You probably all know about Walton Foods. If not I will post a website. We have used their dryed veggies before we started drying our own and found them to be a good quality. IMHO it would not hurt to have several months worth of food etc. stored in the event we had a real bio-terrorist attack. Anything anyone can do to take themselves out of the "needy" equation if we had such an event would not only be serving themselves but their country.

-- Anonymous, October 20, 2001

I think most of us got in the habit of stashing after Y2K. Some people donated all their supplies to food banks and community kitchens, but we donated only a small percentage (we remember Hurricane Fran). Personally, I think three weeks is an ABSOLUTE minimum. Over that, people should store as much as they feel makes them secure. I do NOT advocate going into debt to accumulate a stash. If you buy things on sale or at places likeBig Lots, then you should be able to accumulate three weeks' worth of stuff in no time. I bet most non-Y2K people already have about a week or so on hand anyway, more of some stuff, less of others.

We shouldn't forget a water filter, either.

-- Anonymous, October 20, 2001

I'm looking into large-scale filering systems. Right now, I have one of those PUR units on the kitchen tap.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

I had a couple of water filters from Realgoods.com, donated them to Indian earthquake, friend was gong over there. Haven't replaced them, but intend to--British, hand-pump type, do about a thousand gallons, I think, not that expensive, take out just about all the nasties, including crypto. Will search later, post pic and info.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

I went down to SportsMart right before the rollover and bought two types of filers: one is a carbon filer in a sport bottle, which I keep in the car, and the other is one of the pump type backpacking filters for cleaning water from a stream. In the fall, SportsMart often has several different types on sale, and their prices frequently beat many of the internet deals I've seen. That's why my next step is looking into a larger system for the home. I think the city water will continue to be available, I'm just not sure how clean it will remain.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001