Shelf-stable food list for a 72-hour emergency

Build a three-day food list

Plan three breakfasts, lunches and dinners per person, plus suitable snacks. Calories and portions vary, so base quantities on normal household use rather than an arbitrary universal menu.

• Ready-to-eat cans or pouches with protein.
• Crackers, oats, cereal and long-life bread products.
• Nut or seed butters, if allergies allow.
• Long-life milk, fruit and familiar snacks.

Prefer food that works without utilities

Choose items that can be eaten cold and do not consume your drinking-water reserve. Include a manual opener and utensils. Never use a barbecue or camp stove indoors.

A flexible three-day menu

Repeat known combinations instead of buying unfamiliar survival food: cereal and long-life milk, fish or bean pouches with crackers, and ready meals that are safe cold. Adapt for allergies, age, culture and medical diets.

Store and rotate

Keep food cool, dry and protected from pests. Mark the review date, use short-dated items in ordinary meals and replace them. Discard damaged, swollen or leaking packages.