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One-Year Emergency Food Supply For One Adult
(3,000 Calories per Day)

 Copyright © 2008 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.


The following retail Cost of a "One-Year Emergency Food Supply" is based on prices as of September 1, 2008.
The total cost of the following one-year emergency food supply increased in price by 13.4% in eight-months from January 9, 2008 to September 1, 2008.
This equates to an annualized 20.1% increase in food prices.

Quantity Calories Cost Item (Number In Parenthesis = Total Calories per One Bag, Jar, or Can)
70 Pounds 105,000 $ 52 Long Grain White Rice in 10 or 20 pound Bags (15,000 Calories per 10 lbs.)
70 Pounds 105,000 $ 26 Whole Wheat Berries or Flour (Not self-rising) (7,500 Calories per 5 lbs.)
30 Pounds 48,240 $ 14 5 lb. Bag Corn Meal (8,050 Calories per 5 lb. Bag)
36 Boxes 60,480 $ 36 16 oz. Box Spaghetti Noodles (Angel Hair or Thin) (1,680 Calories)
36 Boxes 9,360 $ 18 7 oz. Box Macaroni and Cheese (260)
4 Boxes 18,000 $ 12 42 oz. Box Quaker Quick 1 Minute Oats (4500)
4 Boxes 31,720 $ 10 5 lb. Box Quaker Quick Grits (7930)
4 Boxes 12,800 $ 8 32 oz. Box Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Complete Pancake/Waffle Mix (3200)
48 Cans 10,800 $ 48 6 oz. Can Bumble Bee Brand Tuna in Oil (Water pack has fewer calories) (225)
24 Cans 8,640 $ 54 12.5 oz. Can Chicken (360)
12 Cans 9,600 $ 31 16 oz. Can Dak Brand Canned Ham (No refrigeration required) (800)
24 Cans 24,480 $ 51 12 oz. Can Spam (1020)
24 Cans 9,000 $ 12 5 oz. Can Vienna Sausage (375)
24 Cans 9,000 $ 58 12 oz. Can Roast Beef (375)
48 Cans 10,080 $44 15.5 oz. Can Sloppy Joe Complete (210)
48 Cans 30,240 $ 109 24 oz. Can Armour Brand Beef Stew (with Potatoes & Carrots) (630)
48 Cans 33,600 $ 63 15 oz. Can Chili with Beans (700)
96 Cans 35,520 $ 61 15 oz. Can Beans (Assorted Different Varieties) (370)
180 Cans 25,200 $ 104 15 oz. Can Mixed Vegetables (Note: Green Beans have few calories) (140)
12 Boxes 41,280 $ 29 32 oz. Box Instant Potatoes (Add water only preferred) (3440)
48 Cans 15,120 $ 56 15 oz. Can Fruit Cocktail (315)
24 Cans 3,000 $ 13 6 oz. Can Tomato Paste (125)
36 Cans 15,120 $ 35 26.5 oz. Can Hunt's or Delmonte Spaghetti Sauce (420)
12 Cans 480 $ 8 4 oz. Can Sliced Mushrooms (not pieces) (40)
12 Cans 3,600 $ 13 10.75 oz. Can Cream of Chicken Soup (To eat if you get sick) (300)
12 Boxes 76,800 $ 201 64 oz. Box Powdered Instant Non-fat Dry Milk (6,400)
24 Cans 11,520 $ 22 12 oz. Can Evaporated Milk (480)
3 Boxes 7,680 $ 15 32 oz. Box Velvetta Brand Cheese (short shelf life) (2,560)
4 Jars 32,160 $ 35 34 oz. Jar Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (8,040)
4 Cans 49,720 $ 19 3 lb. Can Crisco Shortening (12,430)
12 Boxes 38,400 $ 31 1 lb. Box Butter (Shelf Life is short unless Frozen) (No Margarine) (3,200)
12 Cans 10,800 $ 30 8 oz. Container Hershey's Cocoa Powder (900)
8 Cans 9,600 $ 10 16 oz. Can Hershey's Cocoa Syrup (1200)
6 Boxes 10,080 $ 5 16 oz. Box Corn Starch (1,680)
25 Pounds 42,500 $ 11 5 lb. Bag White Granulated Sugar (8,500)
12 Pounds 10,200 $ 10 1 lb. Box Light Brown or Dark Brown Sugar (1,700)
12 Pounds 10,800 $ 10 1 lb. Box Confectioners Sugar (1,800)
12 Boxes 26,400 $ 17 20 oz. Box Brownie Mix (or Cake Mix) (2,200)
6 Jars 11,520 $ 9 18 oz. Jar Light Corn Syrup (1,920)
6 Bottles 21,600 $ 12 36 oz. Bottle Log Cabin Syrup (3,600)
8 Jars 10,240 $ 24 16 oz. Jar "Sue Bee Brand" Clover Honey (1,280)
12 Jars 36,480 $ 20 18 oz. Jar Peanut Butter (3,040)
12 Jars 15,600 $ 11 16 oz. Jar Jelly or Preserves (1,300)
24 Pkgs. 0 $ 12 5/16 oz. Package Hodgson Mill Brand Yeast (Store in Ziplock in Freezer)
12 Cans 0 $ 11 10 oz. Can Baking Powder (Store in Ziplock Bag in Refrigerator or Freezer)
12 Boxes 0 $ 9 16 oz. Box Baking Soda
6 Bottles 0 $ 23 2 oz. Bottle Vanilla Extract
50 Each 0 $ 4 Beef Bouillon Cubes
50 Each 0 $ 4 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
24 Pounds 0 $ 7 4 lb. Box Salt (Morton Brand Canning and Pickling Salt) (Pure Salt)
12 Jars 0 $ 12 2.6 oz. Ground Black Pepper (or Whole Peppercorns) (Walmart)
12 Jars 0 $ 6 3.12 oz. Onion Powder (Walmart)
2 Jars 0 $ 1 0.9 oz. Oregano (Walmart)
2 Jars 0 $ 1 2.5 oz. Garlic Powder (Walmart)
2 Jars 0 $ 1 2.37 oz. Cinnamon (Walmart)
1 Jar 0 $ 1 0.4 oz. Parsley Flakes (Walmart)
1 Jar 0 $ 3 1.5 oz. Cayenne Red Pepper
2 Jars 0 $ 11 2.62 oz. Cream of Tartar
2 Bottles 0 $ 4 15 oz. Bottle Lemon Juice (Short shelf life)
1 Jug 0 $ 4 1 Gallon Jug Apple Cider Vinegar
------------------------
Totals = 1,107,460 $1,571One-Year Emergency Food Supply for One Adult

The above list contains 60 different food items. However, you should also purchase some Kool-Aid, Tang, Coffee, Tea, Soft Drinks, Beer, Wine, Miniature Tootsie Rolls, Caramels, Assorted Hard Candies, or whatever else appeals to you. These are referred to as "comfort foods" and they can definitely help make the hard times more bearable.

You should have enough food for each member of your family for at least six-months. If you are an experienced farmer or rancher living on your own land, then you should also have enough seeds to replenish your food supplies on an annual basis. You will also need your own canning jars and lids or a "root cellar." If you have no previous experience with farming then you would probably be better off with a two or three-years supply of food for each family member.

You should carefully consider where you will keep your emergency food stored for the following reasons:
  1. It takes a lot of space to store a one-year supply of food.
  2. It will take a significant amount of time and effort to move all the food between locations.
  3. The food should not be located where it may be accidentally discovered by anyone.
  4. Absolutely no one, except your spouse, should know about your emergency food reserves.
  5. The above recommended foods need to be stored in a temperature controlled environment for a variety of reasons.
  6. If a disaster unfolds rapidly and unexpectedly, you will need to be able to get to your food without drawing attention to your family.
An active adult engaged in normal physical labor can burn 3,000 calories per day without gaining weight. However, an adult who has a desk job would gain weight. Therefore the concept of a "One-Year Food Supply" is based on the average physically active adult. If you were not very active during a disaster event then you could easily reduce your calorie intake to 2,000 calories per day and still maintain your weight. Therefore, the above food reserves would last a non-active adult for 18 months with no weight loss. If you wanted to lose a little weight, then the above food could last for 24 to 30 months. (Note: For an investment of approximately $1,571 one adult could stay alive and in good health for two and one-half years. Or the above food could feed two adults for 15 months.)

All the above foods are generic brand or store brand except where brand names are specifically indicated. For example, in my opinion Armour Brand Beef Stew is pleasant to eat but the cheaper brands are disgusting. Therefore, purchase and eat one can of each of the above food items to see if the flavor of that brand is agreeable to you before you purchase a year's supply of that item and then discover it tastes horrible.

Taste is a very personal experience. Two people can have entirely different opinions about the same exact food. The limited number of brand name foods I recommend are based on my individual taste preferences and I do not have any financial interest in any of those food companies. You will need to make your own decision about which brands of food you prefer.

If you are already happy with a specific name brand then it would probably be a better investment than a generic brand you are not familiar with. However, if there is a big price difference between the brands, such as 52 cents for the generic and 94 cents for your brand, then it would be a good idea to buy one can of the generic brand and take it home and eat it to see how it compares to your preferred name brand food item.

All the above prices are the average retail price in United States Dollars in the southeast United States. None of the prices are special temporary sale prices. If you can find any of the above items offered at a really good discount, then you should stock up on that item during the week it is on sale.

If possible, always purchase your food on cardboard flats for easy convenient stacking when you put it into a storage area. In other words, purchase canned goods in multiples of 6, 12, or 24 depending on the number that fit onto a standard cardboard flat. Take the cardboard flat with you through the check-out line when you pay for the food. If your store cuts one side off the front of the cardboard flats then take two cardboard flats and turn them end-to-end one inside the other to make one new cardboard flat that will hold your canned goods without collapsing.

When items are on sale at your local grocery store they sometimes leave them on cardboard flats at the end of an aisle. Just pick up an entire cardboard flat of food and put it into your shopping cart. If appropriate, put two, three, or more flats of food into your shopping cart and then pay for them at the cashier station. It would not hurt to have a little more food than you think you might need.

Usually it is much easier to buy large quantities of food at a place like Sam's Club or Costco. You can pick up entire cases of food already enclosed in plastic wrap and put them on your flatbed cart and take them to the checkout area. However, food items are very, very heavy so resist the temptation to purchase an entire year's food supply in one trip. Your vehicle may not be able to move 2,000 pounds of food in one trip. The only disadvantage of purchasing at a "Membership Warehouse" is that the store keeps a permanent record of all your purchases in its computer, even if you pay with cash. On the other hand, if you pay with cash at a grocery store and do not use a "Store Shopping Card" then there will be no permanent record of your food purchases. The lack of an electronic trail to your emergency food supplies may allow you to keep your food if the government decides to collect all the food purchased by "unethical hoarders" who made their food purchases just prior to a worldwide food shortage. If you need to use a credit card to finance your food purchases, then you should consider going to your local bank and asking your bank teller to give you a "cash advance" against your credit card. Most banks will do this regardless of which bank issued the credit card.

If you are allergic to a food then do not buy it. If you do not enjoy the taste of one of the above recommended foods then do not buy it. Feel free to substitute any food item and name brands you prefer. However, you should try to keep a reasonable balance of meat, carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy products. For example, instead of buying 48 cans of Fruit Cocktail you may wish to buy a few cans of apples, peaches, pears, cherries, and pineapple based on your own individual taste preferences. The important issue is to have some canned fruits in your food storage plan.

You should also adjust the recommended quantities based on your family's actual needs. If you have several family members who drink a lot of milk, then you should purchase more dry powdered milk than suggested.

Each time you go to the store it is usually better to purchase food in more than one food category instead of investing all your money in only one food item. This way you could gradually build your emergency food reserves. If a disaster were to occur before you finished, you would still have some food in each major food group, instead of having lots of rice and no vegetables, as an example.

Either write or tape a simple label onto each cardboard flat of food indicating the date you purchased it.

It is very easy to forget what you have already purchased so you should keep a written list of all the food items that you have added to your reserves. This list will help you to strategically build your food stores without overlooking something or buying too much of something else.

The shelf life of most of the above items is five years or more, regardless of the expiration date printed on the package.

Store food at temperatures between 40ºF to 70°F if possible. Higher storage temperatures shortens the shelf life, reduces the vitamins and calories, and changes the taste.

Long-term food storage advice usually includes the recommendation that you use your emergency food on a regular basis and replace it as you use it by employing a first-in first-out inventory strategy. This is good advice but it is very difficult for most families to execute. The sheer volume of any reasonable emergency food supply makes it very difficult to rotate your food without a tremendous investment in time and energy. Therefore most families simply buy their emergency food, put it into a suitable storage area, and then forget about it. May I suggest a compromise between these two extremes. Most of the recommended long-term storage food items have a shelf life of five-years or longer. The major exceptions are yeast, baking powder, spices, lemon juice, fresh butter, Velvetta Brand cheese, flour, and corn meal. If you will store these items where you can easily get to them then you could gradually use these items and replace them as they are consumed. If you discover that two or three years have passed and some of these items have not been used then you should consider replacing them with fresh food. However the balance of your emergency storage food should still be safe and enjoyable to eat, even though you did not rotate it the same way you did your short shelf life foods.

Larger packages are usually a little cheaper per ounce, but if half the package spoils after you open it and before it can all be used, then you lose. Therefore resist the temptation to buy the large one-gallon size cans of food. If you need more food per meal than one regular size can then you can always open two cans. However, instead of opening two cans of the same thing you might consider opening one can of two different food items to provide more variety during the meal.

At the current time you may not use some of the food items in the recommended food list. However, in the event of an emergency you will probably discover you will need all the foods in the list, including the spices. I recommend that you access the recipes on my web site and print a hard copy of all my recipes. Then store those recipes in a three-ring binder with your emergency food supplies. During an actual emergency those recipes will help you to prepare an interesting and pleasant variety of meals using the basic staple foods and spices in the above recommended list of foods.

Carefully ration your food at the beginning of hard times. Don't wait until half your food is gone before you consider rationing.

If you have the money and the space, then purchase extra white rice, beans, and wheat. Dry beans are a good substitute for canned beans because they could be planted as seed and produce a new crop of beans at the end of the summer growing season. Dry beans are sold at most grocery stores inside 1, 2, and 4 pound plastic bags.

The above food list recommends the purchase of more salt than you would need in one-year because almost all the canned and processed foods already contain adequate salt. The reason salt is on the list is to provide the option to cook, season, and/or preserve any fresh vegetables or meat that you may be able to obtain during a long-term disaster event. Salt is one of the basic ingredients that the human body requires to maintain good long-term health. At the present time salt is very cheap but during a disaster event it may become very difficult to acquire.

Freeze-dried and dehydrated foods are also an outstanding choice for long-term food storage and you should include them in your food storage plan if you can find them available at a price that you can afford. Occasionally these items are on backorder and it may take weeks or months before the food is delivered to you. That is one of the advantages of buying food at your local grocery store. You take possession of your food immediately and you don't have to worry about receiving a very polite notice at some future date that your order has been canceled and it will not be shipped to you for reasons beyond the control of the seller.


Revised August 9, 2008 - Updated all food prices for the month of August 2008.
Revised July 4, 2008 - Updated all food prices for the month of July 2008.
Revised June 2, 2008 - Updated all food prices for the month of June 2008.
Revised May 2, 2008 - Updated all food prices for the month of May 2008.
Revised April 4, 2008 - Updated all food prices for the month of April 2008.
Revised March 1, 2008 - Updated all food prices for the month of March 2008.
Revised February 6, 2008 - Updated all food prices for the month of February 2008.

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