Food Stockpiling for Emergencies

7/29/2019 Food Stockpiling for Emergencies

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Family Food Stockpile for Survival 1977

--Agricultural Research Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture

and

Office of Civil DefenseU.S. Department of Defense

Home and Garden Bulletin 77, USDA, 1961.

12 pagesSlightly revised June 1977

Archive copy of publication, do not use for current recommendations.

The PDF file was provided courtesy of the National Agricultural Library.

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S E N 9 T O 8 TA 6R IFamilyFood Stockpilefor Survival

#gx UNITED STATESisjj}DEPARTMENT OF' AGRICULTUREHOME ANDGARD EN BULLETINNUMBER 77

P R E P A R E D B YAGRICULTURALRESEARCHSERVICE


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This publication was prepared by the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,in cooperation with the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency, U.S. Department of Defense.

ForewordThe very act of living involves risk. In the morning we are not completely certain

that we will return home safely at night. But by taking precautions, we reduce thedegree of risk we are exposed to and often our level of anxiety is reduced oreliminated.We live in an age when at least the threat of nuclear attack is a reality. Otherdisasters are also within the realm of possibility, disasters that could isolate homesuntil rescue workers arrive. As a precaution, Defense Civil Preparedness au-thorities recommend that you purchase and store at least a 2 weeks' supply offood.These stockpile foods should be incans, jars, or sealed paper or plastic contain-ers. Select foods that will last for months without refrigeration and that can beeaten with little or no cooking.

As manyof your stored foods as possible should be useful inyour normal diet sothat you use and replace your reserve supply and thereby besureof its freshness.

The needs and preferences of family members are an important considerationas you prepare your list of emergency foods. Do not buy more food thanyouhavecool, dry, secure storage space for. Buyfoodsyou andyour family are familiar with.

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For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing OfficeWashington, D.C. 20402Stock Number 001 -000-03617-3


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ContentsPage

Food -. .. 4Sample meal plans . 4Storing and replacing foods 4Equipment for cooking and serving ... 5Water. . . ...6Safe sourcesofwater forstorage ....6How to purify water 6Boiling .... . 6

Easy bleach method... 6Iodine or tablet purification 7Storing water reserves 7

Washington, D.C. Issued August 1961Slightly revised June 1977


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FoodSuggested foods are in table 1. Theamounts indicated will supply thecalories needed by one adult for 2weeks. If your family consists of fouradults, store 4 times the amountsuggested in table 1. Teenagers arelikely to eat more than the amount inthe table. Younger children need less.By including, each day,foods fromthe eight groups listed, members ofyour family can have a reasonably nu-tritious diet.If necessary, include special kindsof milk andstrained, chopped, or otherspecially prepared foods required forinfants, toddlers, elderly persons, andothers on limited diets.Whenever possible, choose cansand jars insizes that will fill your fami-ly's needs for only one meal. This isespecially desirable for meat, poultry,fish, vegetables, evaporated milk, andother foods that deteriorate rapidlyafter a container is opened.If your home freezer is located inyour basement or where you wouldhave safe access to it after anemergency, you might count foods in itas some of your reserve supply.Food spoilage in a well-filled, well-insulated home freezer does not beginuntil several days after power goes off.Food in large freezers will keep longerthan food in small freezers. Once thefreezer has been opened, foodsshould be used as promptly as possi-ble.Sample Meal PlansSample meal plans are presentedon pages 11 and 12. These planssuggest the kinds of meals you couldserve from the foods shown in thetable on pages 9 and 10.Half of the meals fit a situationwhere there are no cooking facilities.The other meals require facilities forheating water or food but not for anyextended cooking.If you have provided a sufficientva-riety of canned foods in your reserve

supply, it is possible to have reasona-bly well-balanced meals. However,because of limited space and in orderto use fewer dishes, it may be morepractical to serve fewer foods at ameal and make the servings moregenerous.Storing and Replacing FoodsFoods should be stored in adry,cool, secure place in your basement.In homes without basements, and inapartments, your food stockpileshould probably be stored in thekitchen or in a storage closet.To maintain the eating quality ofyour reserve food supply, keep foodsin cans or jars in a dry place, wherethe temperature is fairly cool-preferable not above 70 F and notbelow freezing.Protect food in paper boxes fromrodents and insects by storing boxesin tightly closed cans or other metalcontainers; leave the foods in theiroriginal boxes. Keeping these foods inmetal containers also extends thelength of time they can be stored.Eating quality was the first consid-eration in setting the maximum re-placement periods given on this page.Many food items will be acceptable fora much longer period if storage tem-peratures do not usually exceed70 F.Most of the foods suggested in table 1would be safe to use after longer stor-age periods.It is agood idea to draw regularly onthe food stockpile so that foods areused while they are still of good eatingquality. As food items are used, re-place them in the stockpile with freshsupplies. When you put in freshsupplies, put them at the back of thestockpile; keep older supplies in front.Here are suggested replacementperiods for the kinds of food listed intable 1:You may want to label cans andcontainers with the date of purchaseand the approximate date when the


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particular itemshould be replaced by anew supply. Suggested charts forkeeping a record of your family foodreserves are given on pages 13,14,and 15 of this bulletin.Canned foods are generally safe toeat as long as the seal of the can is notbroken. Food spoilage may have oc-curred if a can has bulging ends, isleaking, or if, whenthe can is opened,there is spurting liquid, off-odor, ormold on the food.When food in glass containers be-comes spoiled, the cover may bulge orthe container mayshow leakage of thefood through the broken seal. Gasbubbles, cloudiness, and films ofgrowth that can be seen through theglass may indicate bacterial growth.If the seal has broken on jars ofbaby food, the "safety button" in thecenter of the lid will be pushed upwardinstead of drawn downward.Food from containers showing anysigns of food spoilage should be dis-carded immediately without tasting.Equipment for Cooking and ServingYou need to have ready certain

equipment for emergency cooking andserving.A suggested list includes a small,compact cooking unit, such as the

ones used by campers; one or twocooking pans; disposable knives,forks, and spoons; paper plates, tow-els, cups, and napkins; can and bottleopeners; nursing bottles and nipples ifthere is a baby in the family; measur-ingcup; medicine dropper for measur-ing water purifier; matches; and apocket knife.If you already have plastic dishes,cups, forks, knives, and spoons, youmay want to use them instead of dis-posable tableware. They would prob-ably take less space to store, butwater for washing them might not beavailable, depending on the nature ofthe emergency.If disposable serving dishes andeat-ing utensils are used, each family will

need to estimate the number requiredfor a 2 weeks' period.Store your emergency cooking andserving equipment with your reservefood supply or near it.

Replacement Periods for Foods Listed in Table 1Use within 6 months:Evaporated milkDried fruit, in metal containerDry crisp crackers, in metalcontainerGumUse within 1 year:Nonfat dry or whole dry milk,in metal containerCanned meat, poultry, fishMixtures of meat, vegeta-bles, and cereal products, insealed cans or jarsCanned condensed meat-

and-vegetable soupsDehydrated soups, in metalcontainerCanned fruits, fruit juices,and vegetablesCereal:Ready-to-eat cereals, inmetal containerUncooked cereal (quick-cooking or instant), in metalcontainerHydrogenated fats, vegeta-ble oilsSweets and nuts:Hard candy

Nuts, cannedInstant puddingsMiscellaneous:Coffee, tea, cocoa (instant)Dry cream products (instant)Bouillon productsFlavored beverage productsFlavoring extractsSoda, baking powderMay be stored indefinitely:SugarSalt

Equipment Checklist:.


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WaterYou and your family can get alongfor quite a while without food, but onlyfor a short time without water. Store a2 weeks' supply of water for eachmember of your family.Allow at least one-half gallon ofwater per person each day, or 7 gal-lons for a 2-week period, for drinkingpurposes in moderate weather. Extrawater should be stored where temper-atures are above the comfort zone.If afamily member needs more thanthe minimum amount of waterspecified because of chronic illness or

other condition, be sure to consider hisneeds in planning your supply of wa-ter.Some of the need for liquids can bemet by storing large quantities of fruitjuice and soft drinks.If you want to have water availablefor bathing, brushing teeth, and dish-washing, itshould be of the same qual-

ity as water stored for drinking, andmust be stored in addition to theamount mentioned above. Another 7gallons of water is recommended forsuch purposes.Some of your water requirementscould be met by making use of thewater in home hot-water tanks andtoilet tanks.Water in these tanks would be safeto use. Know the location of your mainincoming water valve so you can shutit off if directed to do so by local healthauthorities to prevent the entrance ofcontaminated water. As asafety mea-sure the valve on the gasline to yourhot-water heater should be turned offalso.Water from a hot-water tank can beobtained by opening the drain cock atthe bottom of the tank. To get a freeflow of water with the water inlet valveturned off, you may need to vent thetank by turning on a faucet some-where on the waterline. Some hot-water tanks are automatically vented.

Safe Sources of Water for StorageIt is of the utmost importance thatwater stored for emergency use beclean. Any water that has been testedand approved by health authoritieswould be safe to store.If there is any question about thesafety or cleanliness of the water youintend to store, or if it has not beentested and approved by health au-thorities, it must be purified before it isstored.How to Purify Water

Boiling.The safest method ofpurifying water is to boil it vigorouslyfor 1 to 3 minutes to destroy bacteriathat might be present. Boiling, how-ever, does not destroy radioactivity.To improve the taste of the water afterit has been boiled, pour the boiledwater from one clean container toanother several times.Easy bleach method.Any house-hold bleach solution that containshypochlorite, achlorine compound, asits only active ingredient will purifywater easily and inexpensively.Bleach solutions with 5.25 percentof sodium hypochlorite are mostcommon. They are available in gro-cery stores. Add the bleach solution tothe^ water in any clean container in

which it can be thoroughly mixed bystirring or shaking. The following tableshows the proper amount of a 5.25percent solution to add to water.

Amount ofwater

Amount of solutiontoaddto-

C/tear Cloudywater water

1 quart (1/4 gallon) 2 drops. 4 drops.1 gallon 8 drops. 16drops.5 gallons Ifc tea- 1 tea-

spoon, spoon.Add the chlorine solution to thewater and stir, then let the mixturestand for 30 minutes. After this length


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of time the water should still have adistinct taste or smell of chlorine. If thistaste or smell is not present, addanother dose of the solution to thewater and let the water stand another15 minutes. The taste or smell ofchlorine inwater thus treated is a signof safety. If you cannot detect chlorinein the water you are trying to purify bythis method, do not store it. Thechlorine solution may have weakenedthrough age or for some other reason.Iodine or tablet purification.Ifyou have ordinary household 2 per-cent tincture of iodine in your homemedicine chest, you can use it topurifysmall quantities of water. Add 3 dropsof tincture of iodine to each quart ofclear water, 6 drops to each quart ofcloudy water. For a gallon, add 12drops for clear water, 24 drops forcloudy water. Stir thoroughly.Water purification tablets that re-lease chlorine or iodine can be usedsafely to purify water. They are inex-pensive and can be bought at mostsporting goods stores and somedrugstores.If you use water purification tablets,follow the directions on the package.Usually one tablet is sufficient for 1quart of water; double the dosage ifthe water is cloudy.Storing Water ReservesStore your water reserves in thor-oughly washed, clean containers, pref-erably of heavy plastic with tight-fittingcaps, or in glass jugs or bottles withscrew tops. Metal containers tend togive water an unpleasant taste.You may want to buy 5-galloncon-tainers of rigid plastic or glass forwater storage. The plastic containershave the advantage of being shatter-proof and lighter in weight than glassjugs.Pack glass containers tightlyagainst damage or shock. Put news-papers, excelsior, or other packingmaterial between the containers to

keep them from coming in contact withone another.Clean water stored in this wayshould remain palatable for an indefin-ite period. It is advisable to check thecontainers every few months for leaks.At the same time check the water forcloudiness or other undesirable ap-pearance or undesirable taste. If un-desirable appearances or tastes havedeveloped, the water should bechanged.

WARNINGWater that has been contaminatedby radioactive material should not beused unless no alternate supply isavailable. The danger from water con-taminated in this way is greatest im-mediately after fallout deposition. In-fants and children are more at riskfrom such water than are adults.Water from springs and coveredwells could be used.


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FURTHER INFORMATIONIn Time of Em ergenc y : A Citizen's Handbook or? ... Nuclear Attack . . .

Natural Disasters. H-14, March 1968. This handbook, prepared by the DefenseCivil Preparedness Agency, U.S. Department of Defense, contains comprehensiveinformation on the effects of nuclear weapons and natural disasters, and howpeople can protect themselves. Descriptions of home fallout shelters and methodsof improvising shelter are included. You can obtain copies from your State or localcivil defense office, or from DCPA, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 20301.

Introduction to Civil Preparedness. CPG-1-1, July 1975. This publication, pre-pared by the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency, U.S. Department of Defenseprimarily for local civil defense directors, briefly describes the nationwide civildefense program. Copies are available from State or local defense offices, or fromDCPA, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 20301.

Defense Against Radioactive Fallout on the Farm. Farmers' Bulletin 2107.Presents easily understood information on the effects of radioactive fallout on thefarm. Includes recommendations for the protection of the farm family, for livestock,and for land and crops. Further information on radioactive fallout may be obtainedfrom your county agricultural agent or from U.S. Department of Agriculture,Washington, D.C. 20250.

The following motion pictures on defense and radioactive fallout are available:Fallout and Agriculture. (USDA, 16 mm., sound, color, 23 minutes.)The Safest Place. (USDA, 16 mm., sound, color, 131/2 minutes.)These films may be borrowed from the film library of your State land-grant

college. For the address of the land-grant college in your State, write to MotionPicture Service, Office of Communication, U.S. Department of Agriculture?,Washington, D.C. 20250.

About Fallout. (DCPA, 16 mm., sound, color, 24 minutes.)This may be borrowed from your Army Audio-Visual Communication Center

(formerly Army Film and Equipment Exchange).Additional films are listed in the DCPA Motion Picture Catalog, MP-6, July 1975(updated periodically), available from State or local civil defense offices, or from

DCPA, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 20301.


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Table 1 Guide for Reserve Food Supply CDind of food Amount per person1 day 2 weeks Remarks1. Milk. Equivalent of 2glasses (fluid). Equivalent of 7quarts (fluid). Each of the following is the equivalent of 1 quart of fluid milk:Evaporated milk: three 6-ounce cans; one 141/2-ounce can.

Nonfat dry milk or whole dry milk: 3 to 3Va ounces.2. Canned meat, poultry, fish, 2 servings. 28servings (8 tocooked dry beans, and peas. 9 pounds). Amounts suggested for one serving of each foodare as follows:Canned meat, poultry: 2 to 3 ounces.

Canned fish: 2 to 3 ounces.Canned mixtures of meat, poultry, or fish with vegetables,rice, macaroni, spaghetti, noodles, or cooked dry beans:8 ounces.Condensed soups containing meat, poultry, fish, or dry beansor dry peas: one-half of a 101/2-ounce can.

3. Fruits and vegetables. 3 to 4 servings. 42 to 56 servings(about 21pounds,canned).

Amounts suggested for one serving of each food are as follows:Canned juices: 4 to 6 ounces, single strength.Canned fruit and vegetables: 4 ounces.Dried fruit: 11/2 ounces.

4. Cereals and baked goods. 3 to 4 servings. 42 to 56 servings(5 to7pounds).Amounts suggested for one serving of each food are as follows(selection depends on extent of cooking possible):Cereal: Ready-to-eat puffed: 1/2 ounce. Ready-to-eat flaked:% ounce. Other ready-to-eat cereal: 1 ounce. Uncooked (quick-cooking): 1 ounce.Crackers: 1 ounce.Cookies: 1ounce.Canned bread, steamed puddings, and cake: 1 to 2 ounces.Flour mixes: 1 ounce.Flour: 1 ounce.Macaroni, spaghetti, noodles: Dry: % ounce. Cooked, canned:6 ounces.


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Table 1 Guide for Reserve Food Supply (continued) ^5. Spreads for bread and According to family practices Examples: Cheese spreads. Peanut and other nut butters. crackers. Jam, jelly, marmalade, preserves. Sirup, honey. Apple and other CDfruit butters. Relish, catsup, mustard. _*,6. Fats andvegetable oil. Up to 1pound Amount depends onextentofcooking possible. Kinds that do not ^or 1pint. require refrigeration. o7. Sugars, sweets, and nuts. 1 to 2 pounds. Sugar, hard candy, gum, nuts, instant puddings. ~8. Miscellaneous. According to family practices and Examples: Coffee, tea, cocoa (instant). Dry cream product extent of cooking possible. (instant). Bouillonproducts. Flavored beverage powders. Saltand expepper. Flavoring extracts, vinegar. Soda, baking powder. ^


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Sample Meal Plans No Cooking FacilitiesFirst day

MorningCtrus fruit juice.1Ready-to-eat cereal.Milk, cold coffee,2 or tea.2Crackers.Peanut butter or other spread.NoonSpaghetti with meat sauce.1Green beans.1Crackers.Spread.Milk, cold coffee,2 or tea.2Between MealsFruit-flavored drink or fruit drink.NightLunch meat.1Sweetpotatoes.1Applesauce.1Milk, cold coffee,2 or tea.2Candy.

Second day

Frut juice.1Corned beef hash.1Crackers.Spread.Milk, cold coffee,2 or tea.2

Baked beans.1Brown bread.1Tomatoes.1Fruit.1Milk, cold coffee,2 or tea.2

Milk.

Pork and gravy.1Corn.1Potatoes.1Instant pudding.Frut juice.1

1 Canned. 2 Instant.

Third day

Grapefruit segments.1Ready-to-eat cereal.Vienna sausage.1Milk, cold coffee,2 or tea.2

Chile concame with beans.1Crackers.Fruit.1Cookies.Milk, cold coffee,2 or tea.2

Tomato juice.

Sliced beef.1Macaroni and cheese.1Peas and carrots.1Crackers.Milk, cold coffee,2 or tea.2


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Sample Meal Plans Limited Cooking FacilitiesFirst day Second day Third day

MorningCitrus fruit juice.1Ready-to-eat cereal.Milk.Hot coffee,2 tea,2 or cocoa.2

Citrus fruit juice.1Hot cereal (quick-cooking).Milk.Hot coffee,2 tea,2 or cocoa.2

Prunes.1Ready-to-eat cereal.Milk.Crackers.Cheese.Hot coffee,2 tea,2 or cocoa.2

NoonVegetable soup.1Potato salad.1Crackers.Ham spread.1Milk.Candy bar.

Beef-and-vegetable stew.1Green beans.1Crackers.Peanut butter.Milk.

Chile con carne with beans.1Tomatoes.1Crackers.Hot coffee,2 tea,2 or cocoa.2

Between MealsFruit-flavored drink or fruit drink. Tomato juice.1 Fruit-flavored drink or fruit drink.NightBeef and gravy.1Noodles.1Peas and carrots.

1Instant pudding.Hot coffee,2 tea,2 or cocoa.2

Tuna fish,1 cream of celery soup,1 mixed sweetpickles1combined in one dish.Fruit.

1Cookies.Hot coffee,2 tea,2 or cocoa.2

Lunch meat.1Hominy.1Applesauce.

1Cookies.Hot coffee,2 tea,2 or cocoa.2

1Canned. 2 Instant.


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Our Family Food ReserveKind of food Amount stored Date purchased Suggested replace-ment date


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Our Family Food Reserve ( c o n t i n u e d )Kind of food Amount stored Date purchased Suggested replace-ment date


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Food Stockpiling for Emergencies

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