FoodWaterStorage.com

The primary aim of FoodWaterStorage.com is to provide the most clear-cut information of how to properly store food long term to act as a food insurance for uncertain times. We accomplish this through simple to understand how-to articles as well as other helpful media formats such as HD videos.

Because even the most impressive long term food storage supply is useless without clean water, the secondary aim of FoodWaterStorage.com is to educate its readers on the proper methods of water purification & storage.

In addition to our easy to understand articles and helpful HD videos walking you through each step of the food and water storage process, our site is unique because all we do is food and water storage.

There are a seemingly endless number of sites that incorporate food or water storage along with other topics such as survival, preparedness, politics, and just about everything in between!

Because all our site deals with is food and water storage, you don’t have to waste your time filtering out the other information and can get right down to the essential information you need to start your own long term food storage plan today!

FoodWaterStorage.com strongly believes in free enterprise. We provide our readers free of charge with the highest quality information and resources about food & waters storage techniques. In addition to this free information, we feature an Amazon.com storefront where you can quickly locate all the supplies you’ll need to begin (or add to) your food/water storage plan.

We make money if you end up buying from this Amazon storefront. We also place ads on select pages throughout the site. If you have a legitimate interest and click on an ad, this site earns a small fee.

In addition to ads, we’ve also partnered with several reputable affiliate advertisers that we are pleased to be associated with. If you purchase a product from one of these affiliate links, FoodWaterStorage.com earns a small commission from the sale.

If you have any suggestions on how FoodWaterStorage.com could provide even more value to our readers, please feel free to contact us!

This is perhaps one of the most common questions for those new to storing food and water and for good reason. Obviously this will depend on the number of individuals covered by your food insurance policy as well as how long you want to store up food for.

FoodWaterStorage.com believes it’s more effective to think of how many calories per day, per individual you’ll need to store rather than some arbitrary amount of x hundreds of pounds per person.

It’s important to understand that that calorie intake needs can vary widely based off gender, age, and level of physical exertion.Check out this calculator the Mayo Clinic created to get an estimate of how many calories you or members of your family will need per day, to maintain weight.

Once you have a general idea of how many calories each individual you’ll be storing food for needs, simply decide on a length of time you’ll want to provide food for. This may be one of the most intimidating steps of starting or expanding a food storage plan because it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the details.

Start with an easy to accomplish, clearly defined goal such as 1 week of food for yourself and/or immediate family members. Once you reach the 1 week goal, shoot for 1 month, then 3 months, and then on to 6 months, etc.

Many people see food grade buckets as unnecessary since the actual food is placed in Mylar bags. In order to save some money, they simply store their food in Mylar bags and leave the Mylar bags unprotected.

Mylar bags only act as an oxygen barrier, they are not strong enough to protect your stored food from rodents, insects, and other unwanted organisms.

This is why Mylar bags must be stored in a food grade bucket. The Mylar acts as an oxygen barrier while the plastic food grade bucket acts as an additional layer of protection from the environment and insects/rodents.

There are many types of foods to choose from that will easily keep at least 10 years or more (if stored correctly)but ultimately it comes down to personal preference and budget.

Having several 100’s of lbs of wheat stored away won’t be of any use if you don’t know how to incorporate it into your diet. The same goes for rice, legumes, grains, etc.

When considering what to store you need to be realistic about what you and your family will actually eat. It’s even better to incorporate foods from your food storage plan into your existing diet especially if you’re not used to eating whole foods. The reason for this is in the event the unexpected strikes and you tap into your food insurance policy, your body isn’t suddenly shocked by types of foods it’s not used to digesting.

All that being said here are some of the more common long term food storage types:

Grains – wheat, rice (white stores much longer than brown), oats, corn, barley, millet, quinoa, etc.

Legumes – Lentils, beans (black, kidney, lima/butter, pinto, etc), peanuts which is classified as a legume rather than a nut, etc.

Common cooking ingredients such as salt, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, honey, spices, etc.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, just a suggestion of some of the best types of food to start or add to your food insurance policy. Virtually all the above mentioned items are extremely inexpensive when purchased in bulk and most will easily store 25-30+ years if stored properly.

Most oxygen absorbers used for long term food storage are simply packets containing a small amount of iron powder, activated carbon (charcoal), and salt. Once an oxygen absorber is removed from its original packaging it begins to absorb moisture as it combines with the iron, salt, carbon, and oxygen to rust the iron. This in turns traps the oxygen and lets off a small amount of heat.

It’s important to note that there many other applications for oxygen absorbers than long term food storage so make sure you get the right ones shopping around. For an example of the right kind of oxygen absorber you’ll need to store food long term, check out our store.

You can also learn more about oxygen absorbers by reading this guide. Please note this is an external site that we aren’t affiliated with in any way, the link will open a new browser window.

The shelf life of stored food is largely dependent on what’s being stored, and the environment it’s stored in.

The most critical environmental storage factors can be summed up using the H.A.L.T. acronym:

1) Humidity

2) Air

3) Light

4) Temperature

By reducing exposure to these 4 elements, stored food will retain more of its nutrients and the shelf life will dramatically increase. It’s not uncommon for stored grains (like rice or oats) or legumes (beans) to last 30 years or longer when stored properly!

We’ve also put together a chart showing commonly stored dried foods and there estimated storage life.

Storing food long term can seem overwhelming when you’re just starting out but fortunately it’s quite simple. We’ve identified the some of the most critical concepts of a successful long term food storage plan below.

• Store what you eat and eat what you store – When the unexpected happens and you turn to your food storage plan, it’s not going to sustain you very long if you’re not used to the food that you’ve stored. Many whole foods such as grains or legumes are perfect for long term storage but not many people regularly incorporate these types of food into their daily diet. The U.S. has a huge problem with obesity and part of the reason why it struggles with this issue is that so many if its citizens simply either don’t know or don’t care about eating a healthy diet. So when you’re planning you’re long term food storage plan, take care to include little extras like candy, spices, etc., to ensure you don’t get tired of eating the same types of food on an extended basis. Food fatigue is a very real and very deadly phenomenon.
• First in, first out – Another simple, yet often overlooked concept of long term food storage is the idea that you should get in the habit of eating your foods that have been stored the longest first to ensure nothing is wasted. This is more relevant for canned goods and spices than it is for bulk foods (since many bulk foods have a storage life of 20-30 years). The key to this concept is organization. Whether you choose to label the dates, create a spreadsheet, or invest in a food storage rotation system, make sure you know how long you’ve stored each type of food in your reserve and incorporate them into your diet (or donate to your local community food pantry before they expire.)
• Know how to cook the foods you store – This is similar to the first point but takes it one step further. Not only should you store the foods you eat and eat the foods you store, you should also be comfortable with knowing several recipes for each type of food you store. Cooking with home food storage is a prolific topic on the internet and there are plenty of recipes available online, FoodWaterStorage.com also features several recipes to provide you with some ideas.

Simply put: Yes.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can build your food insurance policy with just a few square feet of storage space.

Food grade buckets with Gamma Seal Lids are not only stackable, but also able to accommodate between 20-30 lbs of food on average depending on what’s being stored. An average sized coat closet could easily store 100-200 lbs of food!