How Do You Store Your Emergency Food Supply?

September 21, 2021

So, you’re finally on board! You’ve bitten the bullet, grabbed the bull by the horns, you’ve dipped your toes in the holy water of emergency food storage! But...now what? Where do you store this stuff? How do you store an emergency food supply? How long can you store it for? And what else should you be putting on your emergency food supply list?

Think of this post as your basic how-to for storing your emergency food supply! Read on to find the answers to the most important questions about keeping your food storage safe, edible, and as convenient and accessible as possible for you and your family.

Where Is The Best Place To Store Emergency Food Storage

First things first when it comes to where and how to store an emergency food supply—you’ve got to make sure each type of food is stored safely and in proper, pest-proof containers. Whether it’s in perfectly sealed glass canning jars, completely intact metal cans, food-grade plastic buckets, or oxygen-absorbing mylar bags inside another container—each type of emergency food storage you choose will have its own set of requirements. And that’s okay! Just make sure you’ve read up on each type of food you choose to store for your family to make sure it will be safe and nutritious come the time you pull it off the shelf for dinner.

At Hibernate, we’re quite partial to our individually packed, freeze-dried meals inside our lightweight, stackable buckets which make for super convenient storage almost anywhere in the home. And speaking of where to store an emergency food supply in your home...

One of the most important things to remember about where to store your emergency food supply is this: where there’s a will, there’s a way! We don’t all have a temperature-controlled bunker in which to tuck away a plentiful emergency food supply for everyone in the family! But you do have space somewhere if you’re willing to make it so.

The 3 Best Places To Store Emergency Food Supply At Home

The top requirements for where to store your food supply at home are that it is a place that’s commonly cool, dark, and dry. This leads us to our three favorite places to store your own emergency food supply at home.

Store emergency food in your basement. If your basement accurately mirrors a dank castle dungeon, this is NOT a good option for you. But if you live in a relatively dry climate and can keep your emergency food supply up off the cement (which can easily transfer unwanted moisture to your food storage), the basement is a great place to store emergency food. Plus, it’s out of the way and easy to access in case of an emergency.
Store emergency food in your garage or other outbuilding. If your garage or outbuilding is in a good, shady location where it doesn’t get overly hot or find itself infested with any number of vermin, these are good options for where to store your emergency food supply. Again, you just want to ensure it can stay fairly cool, dark, dry, and safe from unwanted dinner guests pests.
Store emergency food around the house. Some of the coolest people we know are using their Hibernate buckets as cloth-covered nightstands in their kid’s rooms and we are super on board with it. Storing properly packaged emergency food under beds and tucked away in the backs of closets is one of the best ways to prioritize food storage when space is particularly tight. Plus, it’s great for midnight snacking.

And a bonus tip for where not to store an emergency food supply? Bright, hot, and/or wet places like a flood-prone back patio, a hot yoga studio, or on the surface of the sun would be great places to avoid keeping your family’s emergency food insurance.

What Foods Should You Stockpile

Like we mentioned, there are many different types of food to store for an emergency and accompanying ways to store them. Our answer to which foods you should have in your food supply is the same as our stock market investment advice—go with a diverse portfolio. Some canned, some freeze-dried, some straight off the shelf from the supermarket. Not only is your family more likely to enjoy eating during your emergency situation when there is a good variety of meals available, but you’ll also ensure more balanced nutrition and decreased stress if anything in your emergency supply gets compromised.

We suggest you go for some of each of the following, always to the tune of at least a two-week supply of emergency food for each person in your household:

Store protein-packed foods. Things like peanut butter, jerky, canned tuna, and plant-based proteins like Hibernate’s delicious black bean burgers are key to keeping up long-lasting energy during a crisis.
Store nutrient-dense foods. Getting a variety of vitamins and minerals in your diet when stress levels are elevated can help ease physical and mental burdens in an emergency. Stockpile things like nuts, dried fruit and veggies, quality grains like oats and quinoa, and even unwashed free-range eggs if you’ve got access to them (they can stay good in the refrigerator for up to a year and can be a great part of a rotating food supply!).
Store easy-to-prepare meals. The last things you want to worry about in an emergency are the intricacies of food prep and the culinary arts. Store plenty of foods that are simple to prepare in ready-made meals like, well, pretty much all of Hibernate’s freeze-dried foods. We do continually get rave reviews of our cheesy broccoli rice, hearty veggie soup, and vanilla pudding, though, all of which come in our two-week food supply bucket—in case you’re looking for specifics.
Store foods your family loves. If you’ve got the kid who can’t go without his scrambled eggs, or a partner who lives for a weekend flapjack stack, or even a gang of sweet-toothed candy enthusiasts, make sure those things make it into your store of emergency food supplies. Remember, a little familiar comfort will go a long way when everything else feels out of whack.

Storing Vs Rotating Food

Alright, now that you know what to put in and where to store your emergency food supply, you’re looking at figuring out how exactly to keep it all in edible order until that sneaky little crisis creeps up on you.

For starters, everything’s got a shelf life you’re going to need to keep track of so you can either use or get rid of soon-to-expire food supplies and avoid creating a little poisoning emergency of your own. And this is where understanding the difference between storing and rotating food storage comes in.

5 Tips For Storing Your Emergency Food Supply

“Storing” an emergency food supply should realistically refer to long-term food storage that can have a shelf life of a couple of decades or more without losing much, if any, nutritional value. Here are some tips for storing your long-term emergency food supply:

Store your long-term emergency food supply in a cool, dry, dark place if possible.
Pick food for long-term food storage that has a shelf life of at least 20 years, like all of Hibernate’s nutrient-dense, freeze-dried meals, and snacks.
Opt for packaging that can easily stack for optimal storage.
Ensure you have some long-term storage that can travel well—think lightweight, portable buckets—in case of a move or even emergency evacuation.
Chances are if you’re having to tap into long-term food storage, you’re in a situation wherein everyone would benefit from simple and quick food prep. Choose foods that are easy to prepare and eat to keep in your emergency food storage.

5 Simple Hacks For Rotating Your Food Storage

“Rotating” your food storage often refers to short-term food storage that may only have a shelf-life of several months to a couple of years. Rotating through this type of emergency food storage will help you maintain the freshest, most nutrient-dense supply and extend the life of your overall food storage.

Again, keep even short-term food storage in a cool, dry, dark place if at all possible. (Are we making this point clear enough yet?)
Store household staples from the grocery store that can serve as a backup to your kitchen pantry or be used to create comforting, home-cooked meals in an emergency.
Add variety to your food storage with snacky items that may not last forever, but can easily and happily be eaten by your family as you replace them with newer, fresher items added to the rotation.
Keep a simple inventory as you shop for rotating food storage items in case labels or Best By dates wear off.
Make sure plenty of clean water is part of your rotating food storage so you can ensure your family’s proper hydration and access to potable water for meal prep.

Hibernate Makes Food Storage Simple

Honestly, food storage isn’t the fear-based burden you may have once thought. And truthfully, the key is to start anywhere and do a little bit at a time until you feel assured that you can provide the food insurance your family needs in case of an emergency.

But Hibernate makes it all just that much simpler for you. With easy-to-store, easy-to-prepare delicious, and nutritious emergency meals the entire family will love in your food storage, you’re looking at freedom from stress, fear, and loss of health that...honestly, only the right kind of food storage can buy.

Snag a bucket or two of our emergency food that truly doesn’t suck to try and we promise—with a 90-day money-back guarantee, in fact—that you’ll want to keep all kinds of Hibernate in heavy food storage rotation for years to come.

More On Food Storage:

Hibernate: Changing Emergency Food Storage For The Better

What Food Never Expires?

What Is The Best Emergency Food Supply?