Survival Food Storage: Take Action Now

Gasoline prices are rising, unemployment is rising, and spirits are on fire in supermarket checkouts. Here are some very good indicators that storing survival food should become an immediate priority.

For every diligent ant who prudently acquires storage of survival food, there are several sarcastic grasshoppers who scoff and ridicule such a preparation as a form of clinical paranoia. You don't have to be paranoid to conclude that storing survival food is a good idea; you just have to be vigilant.

Consider this: The federal government of the United States is on the brink of a credit crisis. If your credit rating falls, as it should be, by any rational calculation, the short-term credit markets will take advantage. This means that people who depend on short-term financing to do business will be in crisis. This includes the independent truckers responsible for bringing food to your local supermarket. It can also be applied to people who run the supermarket chains where they buy their food. And it should be remembered that the typical retail supermarket keeps only a few days of food in stock. A survival food storage plan doesn't seem like a bad idea, does it?

Here's something else to consider when thinking about storing survival food: Our access to adequate supplies of healthy food depends on factors unaffected by stupidity and human corruption. Think of the earthquake and tsunami that led to the current existential crisis in Japan. Japan is among the most modern and sophisticated countries in the world; Although mired in a prolonged economic recession, the country was surviving because its population saved a lot of what it earned. However, within hours, large segments of the country fell into chaos, some of them emerging in pre-industrial conditions. Although there was no riot and looting, the food quickly flew off grocery store shelves and was not replaced. And all this began with a natural disaster over which no mortal being had control.

Again: is survival food storage a good idea, or just a paranoid concern?

A good baseline for survival food storage would be a two-week supply of nutritious packaged food, plus fourteen gallons of fresh water per person. Freeze-dried food would be marginally preferable to dehydrated food when there is concern about access to an independent supply of drinking water. Very helpful guidelines for storage amounts of staple foods, such as grains, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, and fats, are available online on food storage-oriented websites. For long-term food security, nothing is better than a garden and a working knowledge of home canning.

When planning preparations for survival food storage, it is important to focus on needs; they form an indispensable foundation for crisis preparedness. Clean water is the first priority, then completing a supply of healthy essential fats, carbohydrates and protein. Don't neglect the salt either; Although it has had a bad reputation for chronic diet-related health problems, salt is an irreplaceable nutrient and natural preservative. Also consider your location, available storage space, and your individual or family eating habits. Store what you can use and use what you store.