Where to begin with food storage...

Is there a starter list to guide us in what to have in inventory. I understand the rotation and shelf life but don't know where to begin to stock inventory foods. Looking to store at least 6 months ahead up to a year. I'm hoping this information will assist me in figuring out what supplies I need to buy to store the foods.

ANSWER:

First decide if you are going to start with long term food storage, or 3-6 months supply of foods you eat on a daily basis - I call this the "pantry supply".

If you are going to start with long term foods, start with the list on the Home Food Storage page. The amounts are per person for a year. Buy what you can afford from the list each month or so and put it away.

You can also try the Food Storage Calculator to determine how much you need of these long term food products for your family size.

In addition to these foods, you might want to store some foods with 25 year shelf life, such as freeze dried foods. These are the store-and-forget-for-years kind. They are also easy and quick to prepare in case of a severe crisis. MRE's are even easier - just open and eat, warm or cold. However, their shelf life is about 5-10 years.

As for the 3-6 month panty supply method, just buy extra of whatever foods your family normally eats. It could be canned, dried or frozen foods. All have a shelf life and should be rotated, but the goal is to have 3-6 months of your normal everyday foods on hand in case you could not go to the grocery store for that long.

I hope I've answered your question adequately. If not, feel free to ask again.

Joan