In a survival situation, your prep could be the difference between life and death. And three of the most important essentials that you need to survive are water, shelter and food.
So increase your family’s chance of survival by making sure you have all three of these things covered. After reading this article covering survival food, make sure you check out our articles that cover cold weather survival tents and emergency water storage tanks.
But for now, let’s stay focused on the best survival foods that you should keep stocked in your survival store. This list will focus on foods that you can purchase from a store. If you are looking for a great long-life survival food you can make at home, read our article about how to make pemmican. Pemmican is an age-old survival food that you can make at home with the correct knowledge and can be a real life-saver.
Survival foods are foods that either won’t spoil with age or have a very long shelf-life. Having them at your disposal is crucial for survival as it will ensure you and your family will have no difficulty finding food and nourishment in an emergency situation.
In this article, you will find a list of non-perishable food items that I strongly recommend you keep stocked in a safe and secure emergency food storage area. Make sure you choose this area wisely as storing the food items correctly is absolutely vital to ensure they stay fit for consumption. The best place to store your emergency food supply is in a dark area that is both dry and cool, as well as being free from humidity and direct sunlight and extreme temperature changes. A basement or even better, an emergency bunker, are where most people choose to store their non-perishable food items. Make sure you also keep these food items in air-tight or vacuum-sealed containers to ensure they stay consumable.
You may find that over time, non-perishable food changes color, texture and flavor but the key to these food items is that although they may change appearance, they will remain edible and safe to consume over a long period of time.
Just keep in mind that no matter how well a food is stored, it still has the potential to go bad. Although with correct storage, this is rare, use your common sense before eating any of you stored survival food – if it looks and smells off or is contaminated with mold it’s probably better to avoid eating it. Use your best judgment.
The following non-perishable food items are divided into 7 sections to help you plan your emergency food storage stockpile.
So, what are the best long shelf-life, non-perishable foods you can buy?
Non-Perishable Staple Survival Foods
These foods should form the core of your survival food stock as they are unlikely to change texture, color or taste as they age.
- Rice: white, jasmine, Arborio, jasmine and wild (don’t store brown rice as it does not keep as well as white rice)
- Hardtack biscuits/crackers
- Dried cranberries
Remember that it’s vital that you keep these foods stored in air-tight containers to ensure they keep.
Other Non-Perishable Survival Foods
Over time, these foods may change in appearance and taste but they will not spoil and will remain safe to eat for an incredibly long time.
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- Molasses
- Dried beans and lentils
- Dried split peas
- Dry Jello mix
- Gobstopper candy
Foods That Are Non-Perishable If Frozen
These foods items will still last quite a long time if left at room temperature but if you are able to freeze them, their shelf-life will be almost indefinite.
- Noodles
- Dried pasta
- Dried fruits: cherries, blueberries, plums, dates, cranberries, raisins, mangoes, figs and banana chips.
- Instant/freeze-dried coffee
Non-Perishable Base Ingredients
Keep these base ingredients unopened and in an air-tight container and you’ll have them at your disposal for as long as you will need them.
- Baking soda
- Cornstarch
- Corn syrup
Non-perishable Seasoning
Seasoning is a great non-perishable food to have stored in an air-tight environment because not only do seasonings and spices allow you to flavor your food and help you to keep your meals from becoming bland and repetitive, they also provide your body with vital minerals and vitamins.
- Salt
- Pepper
- Spices (turmeric is a great source of minerals and vitamins)
- Dried herbs
- Pure flavor extracts such as vanilla extract
- Sugar
Non-Perishable Condiments
Condiments will more than likely change taste after a while but importantly, they remain safe to eat for an extremely long time. Condiments, like all other foods on this list, should be stored in an air-tight, moisture-free space that is cool, dark and free from direct sunlight.
- Vinegar: white, balsamic, apple, rice wine, red wine, raspberry
- Worcestershire sauce (unopened and sealed)
Non-Perishable Survival Drinks
Everyone’s favorite non-perishable – alcohol! But don’t get too excited. You aren’t planning a survival party after all. Alcohol serves as a great disinfectant, so it’s always a great idea to keep some stocked in your emergency store.
Alcohol over 10% ABV that does not contain milk, dairy products or eggs will last a lifetime or more if stored correctly.
- Spirits
- Wine
- Liqueurs
Final Thoughts On The Best Survival Food To Stockpile
Keeping a well-stocked and well thought-out survival food store is an essential survival prep strategy. It will allow you to focus your time and energy and other important survival elements as you are safe in the knowledge that you have your family’s food source secured and prepared before an emergency situation arises.
Just remember to keep your non-perishable food items stored correctly at all times in an air-tight, cool, dark and moisture and humidity free environment. And don’t forget to check out our article and learn how to make great tasting survival pemmican for your store.