Survival Prepping – Just How Much Food Do You Need To Store Per Person?

It has been said that society is just nine meals away from anarchy. This is why stockpiling the right amount of food items per person is important, so you will have peace of mind that you are in control when it comes to providing for yourself and your family. But just how much food do you need to store per person?

How much Food do You Need to Store Per Person?

To prepare for emergencies you should stockpile at least three days of non-perishable food and water per person. If you have space, experts recommend two weeks’ supply of food and water.

According to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), the recommended daily calorie intake is 2,000 calories a day for women and 2,500 a day for men – that’s 6,000 calories over three days for women while men will need 7,500 calories.

By having at least 72 hours of food stockpiled, you can rest assured that you’ll be prepared whatever the problem.

From a natural disaster like a flood or a hurricane, to a pandemic or even financial meltdown – you never know when disaster may strike. And if there’s anything that we have learned during the last few years it’s that things can go wrong at any moment.

Yet surprisingly, most of us aren’t prepared for this with the majority of families not having enough food in their home for emergencies – or stocking up their pantries with items that don’t have a long shelf-life.

It certainly took me a while to get my head around how to organise and manage my stockpile, as it does take some effort!

Later in this article, I’ll get onto the subject of why non-perishable food is best to stockpile for emergencies – but first let’s take a deeper dive into how much food do you need to store per person…

Table of Contents: How much Food Do You Need to Store Per Person?

How Much Food Do You Need To Store Per Person?

In the introduction, I stated that to last three days, one person needs to stockpile around 6,000 calories if they are a woman and 7,500 calories if they are a man.

But, the truth is that many people could get by on fewer calories – especially if you take into consideration weight, age and metabolism.

In a situation where you could be confined to your main home you may find you won’t need as much food as you would when living a more active life.

On the other hand, if you are very physically active person, you may need to consume more calories than you would if you were living a more sedentary life.

Whatever the case, it is up to you to judge this and to work out what would be the amount of food needed to survive in your specific circumstances.

To be on the safe side it is probably better to overestimate than underestimate – but at the same time to be aware of what food intake you need to stay healthy and fit in difficult circumstances.

When it comes to children you will need to adjust their daily calorie count according to their age. See the chart from the American Heart Association for recommendations for calorie count for children of different ages.

How Much Water Do You Need Per Person?

Unless you have a well local to you which is rather unlikely in city spaces – you will need to ensure that you have water supplies to last at least three days.

There are different opinions on how much water you need per day – according to Healthline, health experts recommend two litres – that’s half a gallon a day – or eight 8-ounce glasses. This is referred to as the “8×8” rule which is nice and easy to remember.

Again, whether you’ll drink that much will vary and depend on the individual, but you never know when water can run out.

Water may be the most abundant substance on Earth, but fresh, clean water can be hard to come in times of emergency. So, it’s vitally important to stock up as much fresh water as you can and to have a filter and water purifying tablets handy.

What Emergency Food Lasts The Longest?

One of the biggest mistakes people make when stockpiling food is to not store the right type of food. After all, it’s no good stocking up for an emergency if you don’t have food that will last for a decent period of time.

Food with short shelf-lives – perishable items like fresh meat, fruit and vegetables, won’t last very long, so won’t be useful for your emergency supplies.

Instead, non-perishable foods are the best to stock up on because they can last the distance. Here’s a quick breakdown of the different types of food types:

• Perishable Food: Doesn’t last long and needs to be refrigerated as soon as possible. Think fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, poultry – anything that you’d buy fresh and that has a quick use-by date.
• Non-Perishable Food: Lasts a long time if stored properly. Examples include pasta, grains like rice, wheat and corn, ready-made-meals, tinned fruit, anything canned and frozen foods.
• Semi-Perishable Food: They can last a bit longer than perishable foods, but will still spoil relatively quickly. Examples include onions, potatoes, biscuits.

So, when you are stockpiling food for emergencies and thinking about how much food do you need to store per person, remember you should mainly store non-perishables.

Just make sure you have a good mix of protein, carbohydrate, fruit and vegetables containing all the vitamins you need to stay nourished.

You’ll also need to remember that in an emergency situation you could experience power cuts, so you won’t want to rely on frozen foods alone as your refrigerator could run out of power.

Stocking Up For A Family Of Four

Here’s a list of non-perishable food items to stock up on to last three days for a family of four. I use the three day rather than two weeks timeframe because it’s easier to visualise – and also easier to store. Of course, not everyone has families, so if you live alone and need more details on exactly how much to store in detail, read the article how much should a single person stock up.

• Rice: At least one bag of big rice per person. Rice is a staple food and great for emergency situations because it has a long-shelf life and can be used to make tasty recipes like beans and rice.
• Pasta: At least three big bags of pasta will suffice. Rice is another staple food that can be stored very easily.
• Canned Fish: Four standard tins. You can store canned foods like fish for up to around five years.
• Canned Meat: Four standard tins.
• Canned Fruit: Eight standard tins.
• Dried Fruit: Two big bags of dried fruit.
• Frozen Vegetables: Eight bags of standard frozen mixed vegetables.
• Canned Vegetables: Eight standard tins.
• Canned or Dried Beans: Four standard tins (remember to move dried beans to storage containers with tight-fitting lids rather than keep them in their plastic packaging).
• Pulses. Four standard tins.
• Lentils: Four standard bags/tins.
• Soups: Four to eight standard tins.

Along with the above, remember to stock up on other necessities like tea bags and coffee along with powdered milk, sugar and honey. It’s also a good idea to have a selection of semi-perishable foods available, like biscuits, high-energy protein bars or granola bars in case you need a snack when on the move.

When thinking about how much food do you need to store per person, you can definitely think out of the box.

One way to have an ongoing stream of fresh vegetables to feed on is to grow your own food. This will depend on the space you have in your apartment or city home, but it’s definitely worth considering. Even a few herbs on your windowsill can make all the difference if you want to add flavour to your food.

Stockpiling Food For Kids

If you have very young children you will need to ensure you have sufficient supplies for them. If you think of children as just smaller versions of yourself who need the same kind of nutrients as you do (but not as much and more chewable/digestible) you can’t go wrong.

Here are a few staple foods to stockpile for kids:

• Canned fruit/dried fruit
• Small crackers
• Cereal and oats
• Easily digestible biscuits and granola bars
• Pasta shapes
• Canned spaghetti shapes
• Powdered milk

Stockpiling Pet Food And Other Basics

In your rush to stockpile food for an emergency don’t forget other key items. If you have pets, you’ll want to make sure you stockpile enough pet food.

In general, unopened dry pet foods last around 12 to 18 months, and unopened canned food tends to last for around two years. Other basics include olive oil, can openers, toilet paper, a torch, toothpaste, bin bags and cleaning liquid such as soap and washing up liquid.

How Much Food To Stockpile For A Month

As a city dweller, you probably won’t have a massive pantry in which to keep a ton of supplies. But some of you may have enough space to keep food for a longer period – like a month.

To calculate how much you’ll need, take the amount of food to stockpile per person based on three days and times it roughly by ten for 30 days.

How Much Food to Stockpile Per Person For Six Months To A Year

If you are thinking much longer term, it is a bit of a different ball game. If you are a regular person, you may not have the space to stockpile food for six months to a year.

If you want to live that kind of self-sufficient lifestyle, it will be a question of potentially rethinking your lifestyle altogether.

Of course, if you have a big pantry, you can stockpile some of what you need especially if you are looking to store packets of food. On the other hand, it may be hard to store the water and food which may take up more room such as canned fruit and frozen food.

Remember To Have Fun!

This may sound like a strange thing to highlight considering you are prepping for an emergency situation.

But, remember that a disastrous scenario is unlikely – you’re much more likely to just be stuck without power for a bit, you could be snowed in (if you are based in a cold part of the world) or there could be items you want from the shops that you can’t purchase because they’ve run out.

How Much Food Do You Need To Store Per Person: Final Thoughts

I hope you’ve enjoyed this article on how much food do you need to store per person!

In summary, preparing for emergencies can serve as a valuable chance to acquire food provision expertise and teach survival knowledge to your loved ones regarding the optimal quantity of supplies per person.

It might be a good idea to involve your children in brainstorming the ideal emergency food items and even simulate a mock emergency scenario! Embrace this opportunity to collaborate as a family and relish the experience.