Emergency Food Supply for 30 Days | Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.

A 30-Day Emergency Food Supply
(2,000 Calories per Day)
Copyright © September 1, 2010 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
Revised January 1, 2014.
Revised May 2, 2016.
Revised September 29, 2018.
All Rights Reserved.

Introduction
30 Day Emergency Food Supply

Note: All food prices in this article were obtained on September 28, 2018.

It would be nice to have two different types of emergency food supplies as follows:

A 30-day or one-month emergency food supply.
A one-year emergency food supply.

Some emergencies are short-term and they do not last very long. A 30-day food supply would be very useful in this type of situation. In most short-term emergencies electrical power is not available, and water may or may not be available. Under these conditions cooking a meal from scratch would be extremely challenging. In this type of situation it would be nice if you had a decent variety of canned foods that you could simply heat and eat.

On the other hand, a long-term hard times event is different. Although eating from a can is a reasonable option for a short period of time, after awhile it becomes very boring. That is when your body will crave "real food" that you prepare from scratch. Therefore, a one-year emergency food supply will need to contain a broad variety of food items that include some canned foods and some foods that you can prepare from scratch, such as a loaf of fresh baked bread. Information about a one-year food supply is at the following link:
One-Year Emergency Food Supply.

One reasonable option for storing your emergency food supplies would be as follows:

Store your 30-day food supply at your current residence. If something unexpected happens then you would have immediate access to your food and you could make the decision to either stay exactly where you are, or you could quickly load your 30-day food supply into your car and go somewhere safer.
Store your one-year food supply with your parents or children or close relatives who live in a country area. You could arrange this with them ahead of time and perhaps they could set aside a spare bedroom just for your family in the event of an emergency. Then you could stack your one-year emergency food supply in the closet of that bedroom, or put some of it under the bed or beds in that bedroom. This would provide you with food to eat when you arrived at your more desirable back-up location. (Or you could store some of your food at a temperature controlled warehouse in a distant small rural town.)

Important Criteria for Selecting Food Items for an Emergency 30-Day Food Supply
If an emergency were to occur unexpectedly and you had to provide for your family until the emergency was over, then you should have enough fresh drinking water and enough food stored ahead of time to get you through the emergency.

If the electrical power is off, then cooking a meal from scratch would be far more challenging than simply opening a can of food, heating it, and then serving it to your family.

In this type of situation your canned foods should meet all of the following criteria:

The food item should be one that your family members have enjoyed eating in the past. During a short-term emergency it would be really nice if your family knew that their daily meals would be something they have enjoyed eating in the past. It is okay if different members of your family have different taste preferences. You should consider purchasing and storing the food items that each person in your family really likes because in most situations one can of food is just barely enough for one person.
The food item should have a reasonably long shelf life, preferably at least five years or more.
The food item should not require refrigeration or freezing. You should be able to safely store the food item at normal room temperatures.
The food item should be relatively affordable.
The food item should be ready to heat and eat.
The food item should be a complete meal in a can that includes meat, vegetables, and a few vitamins.
The food item should contain a lot of calories, fat, carbohydrates, and protein. Your body will need and crave all of these basic ingredients and therefore your food items should contain all of them. In other words, don't just look at the calorie content of the food item. Also consider the fat, carbohydrates, and protein of the food in order to provide a truly balanced meal that will satisfy your family's hunger. After you have eaten a meal you should not feel hungry again for several hours. This is extremely important because some foods only relieve your hunger for a very short period of time and you become extremely hungry again rather quickly. Therefore, the foods you select should be ones that can keep you from feeling hunger for at least 5 or 6 hours. If the food contains reasonable levels of calories, fat, carbohydrates, and protein then hunger should not be a problem for several hours.

For each food item read the nutritional data on the label. Multiply the number of servings in the container by the number of calories, fat, carbohydrates, and protein per serving. This will yield the total nutritional value of the entire food container. This is important because different canned foods show a different number of "servings per can" and therefore you must convert this into the total food value of the can instead of just comparing the food value per serving. For example, consider the following:

Food Item	Servings Per Can	Calories per Serving	Total Calories per Can
18.8 ounces Chunky Soup	2	170	340
12.5 ounces Canned Chicken	6	60	360
15 ounces Canned Pasta	2	250	500
16 ounces Canned Ham	8	80	640
15 ounces Chili with Beans	2	350	700
12 ounces Canned Spam	6	180	1,080

The last column in the above table is the important column because it shows the total number of Calories in the entire Can. You would need to do the same calculation for the total Fat per Can, the total Carbohydrates per Can, and the Total Protein per Can.

Your food supply should contain a wide assortment of foods. If possible, you should not have to eat the same exact food item until at least seven days have passed. This means you should have enough variety so you could serve different meals to your family every day for one week.

A Recommended 30-Day Emergency Food Supply for One Adult
In my opinion the following food items are ones you should consider for your 30-day emergency food supply.

I strongly recommend that you purchase one can of each of the following foods and serve it to your family during normal times to determine if they enjoy it. If they like it then you could purchase additional cans of that food item for your 30-day emergency food supply.

The following suggestions would be a reasonable starting position for the average family. However, since each family has unique taste and dietary requirements, each family will probably need to remove some items from the following list and add other items that they enjoy more.

Note: All cost data in the following table was obtained on September 28, 2018.

Quantity	Item	Container Size	Cost per Container	Total Cost	Total Nutrition per Container	Total Nutrition for 30 Day Food Supply
2 Cans	Campbell's Chunky "Beef Base" Soup	18.8 ounces	$ 1.78	$ 3.56	280 Calories, 9 Fat, 38 Carbs, 14 Protein	560 Calories, 18 Fat, 76 Carbs, 28 Protein
2 Cans	Campbell's Chunky "Chicken Base" Soup	18.8 ounces	$ 1.78	$ 3.56	360 Calories, 16 Fat, 38 Carbs, 16 Protein	720 Calories, 32 Fat, 76 Carbs, 32 Protein
2 Cans	LaChoy Asian "Meat and Vegetables"	42 ounces	$ 3.48	$ 6.96	360 Calories, 10 Fat, 54 Carbs, 15 Protein	720 Calories, 20 Fat, 108 Carbs, 30 Protein
4 Cans	Chef Boyardee Pasta (Spaghetti, Ravioli, Lasagna)	15 ounces	$ 0.98	$ 3.92	500 Calories, 24 Fat, 54 Carbs, 18 Protein	2,000 Calories, 96 Fat, 216 Carbs, 72 Protein
4 Cans	Armour Beef Stew	24 ounces	$ 2.48	$ 9.92	630 Calories, 33 Fat, 60 Carbs, 24 Protein	2,520 Calories, 132 Fat, 240 Carbs, 96 Protein
4 Cans	Hormel Roast Beef Hash	15 ounces	$ 2.36	$ 9.44	780 Calories, 48 Fat, 44 Carbs, 42 Protein	3,120 Calories, 192 Fat, 176 Carbs, 168 Protein
2 Cans	Chili with Beans	15 ounces	$ 1.48	$ 2.96	700 Calories, 36 Fat, 62 Carbs, 34 Protein	1,400 Calories, 72 Fat, 124 Carbs, 68 Protein
2 Cans	Ranch Style Black Beans (or Pinto or Kidney)	15 ounces	$ 0.58	$ 1.16	385 Calories, 2 Fat, 66 Carbs, 21 Protein	770 Calories, 4 Fat, 132 Carbs, 42 Protein
2 Cans	Taco Bell Refried Beans	16 ounces	$ 1.37	$ 2.74	420 Calories, 3 Fat, 70 Carbs, 24 Protein	840 Calories, 6 Fat, 140 Carbs, 48 Protein
2 Pouches	Taco Bell Taco Seasoning Dry Mix	1.25 ounces	$ 0.67	$ 1.34	120 Calories, 0 Fat, 18 Carbs, 0 Protein	240 Calories, 0 Fat, 36 Carbs, 0 Protein
2 Pouches	Country Gravy Dry Mix (or Brown Gravy)	2.64 ounces	$ 0.50	$ 1.00	320 Calories, 16 Fat, 40 Carbs, 8 Protein	640 Calories, 32 Fat, 80 Carbs, 16 Protein
2 Cans	Pork and Beans	15 ounces	$ 0.58	$ 1.16	385 Calories, 3 Fat, 88 Carbs, 21 Protein	770 Calories, 6 Fat, 176 Carbs, 42 Protein
2 Cans	Vienna Sausage	5 ounces	$ 0.53	$ 1.06	330 Calories, 30 Fat, 3 Carbs, 15 Protein	660 Calories, 60 Fat, 6 Carbs, 30 Protein
4 Cans	Veg-All Mixed Vegetables (or Corn, or Peas & Carrots)	15 ounces	$ 0.68	$ 2.72	140 Calories, 0 Fat, 28 Carbs, 3 Protein	560 Calories, 0 Fat, 112 Carbs, 12 Protein
4 Pouches	Idahoan Instant Potatoes (Add Water Only)	4 ounces	$ 1.00	$ 4.00	440 Calories, 12 Fat, 80 Carbs, 8 Protein	1,760 Calories, 48 Fat, 320 Carbs, 32 Protein
1 Bag	Enriched White Rice	16 ounces	$ 0.59	$ 0.59	1,600 Calories, 0 Fat, 350 Carbs, 30 Protein	1,600 Calories, 0 Fat, 350 Carbs, 30 Protein
4 Cans	Chef Boyardee Mac & Cheese	15 ounces	$ 0.98	$ 3.92	480 Calories, 20 Fat, 56 Carbs, 18 Protein	1,920 Calories, 80 Fat, 224 Carbs, 72 Protein
4 Cans	Pink Alaskan Salmon	14.75 ounces	$ 2.73	$ 10.92	630 Calories, 21 Fat, 0 Carbs, 100 Protein	2,520 Calories, 84 Fat, 0 Carbs, 400 Protein
4 Cans	Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore (Tuna in Oil)	5 ounces	$ 1.50	$ 6.00	160 Calories, 6 Fat, 0 Carbs, 28 Protein	640 Calories, 24 Fat, 0 Carbs, 112 Protein
4 Cans	Great Value Chunk Chicken Breast	12.5 ounces	$ 2.28	$ 9.12	360 Calories, 6 Fat, 6 Carbs, 66 Protein	1,440 Calories, 24 Fat, 24 Carbs, 264 Protein
4 Cans	Spam Lunch Meat (or Dak Canned Ham)	12 ounces	$ 2.64	$ 10.56	1,080 Calories, 96 Fat, 6 Carbs, 42 Protein	4,320 Calories, 384 Fat, 24 Carbs, 168 Protein
4 Cans	Roast Beef	12 ounces	$ 2.98	$ 11.92	350 Calories, 7 Fat, 5 Carbs, 65 Protein	1,400 Calories, 28 Fat, 20 Carbs, 260 Protein
1 Container	Quaker Quick Oats (or Breakfast Bars)	42 ounces	$ 3.24	$ 3.24	4,500 Calories, 90 Fat, 810 Carbs, 150 Protein	4,500 Calories, 90 Fat, 810 Carbs, 150 Protein
1 Container	Tang Orange Drink Mix	20 ounces	$ 2.50	$ 2.50	2,160 Calories, 0 Fat, 520 Carbs, 0 Protein	2,160 Calories, 0 Fat, 520 Carbs, 0 Protein
15 Packages	Kool-Aid Drink Mix (Assorted Flavors)	0.13 ounces	$ 0.25	$ 3.75	0 Calories, 0 Fat, 0 Carbs, 0 Protein	0 Calories, 0 Fat, 0 Carbs, 0 Protein
5 Pounds	Granulated Sugar	5 pounds	$ 1.68	$ 1.68	8,500 Calories, 0 Fat, 2,270 Carbs, 0 Protein	8,500 Calories, 0 Fat, 2,270 Carbs, 0 Protein
1 Box	Instant Powdered Milk	64 ounces	$ 15.98	$ 15.98	6,400 Calories, 0 Fat, 960 Carbs, 640 Protein	6,400 Calories, 0 Fat, 960 Carbs, 640 Protein
1 Container	Hershey's Cocoa Powder	8 ounces	$ 2.98	$ 2.98	900 Calories, 22 Fat, 135 Carbs, 45 Protein	900 Calories, 22 Fat, 135 Carbs, 45 Protein
4 Cans	Fruit Cocktail (or Peaches or Pears)	15.25 ounces	$ 0.94	$ 3.76	350 Calories, 0 Fat, 84 Carbs, 0 Protein	1,400 Calories, 0 Fat, 336 Carbs, 0 Protein
3.5 Pound Bag	Child's Play Candy Assortment (150 Pieces)	3.5 pounds	$ 8.98	$ 8.98	6,000 Calories, 150 Fat, 1,350 Carbs, 50 Protein	6,000 Calories, 150 Fat, 1,350 Carbs, 50 Protein
30 Each	Complete Multivitamin Tablets	30 Each	$ 0.95	$ 0.95	0 Calories, 0 Fat, 0 Carbs, 0 Protein	0 Calories, 0 Fat, 0 Carbs, 0 Protein
	Totals . . .			$ 152.35		60,980 Calories, 1,604 Fat, 9.041 Carbs, 2,907 Protein.

If you do not want to cook then omit the rice and potatoes and buy more of the complete meals in a can (Chunky Soups, Pasta, Chili with Beans, Beef Stew, etc.).

Usually one can of food is just enough for one good meal for one person. However, some of the above canned foods contain enough food for two meals (lunch and supper), or for two people at the same time.

Discussion of Some of the Recommended Food Items

The powdered milk and the cocoa powder may be used to make either chocolate milk or hot chocolate.
On the other hand, if your family doesn't like milk then don't buy it.
If you prefer coffee or tea then buy it instead.
If you don't like Kool-Aid or Tang and you prefer soft drinks or beer or wine then buy them instead.
White rice can be enhanced with white country gravy or brown gravy.
Instant potatoes can be enhanced with white country gravy or brown gravy.
Armour Roast Beef can be converted into a "Mexican" meal by combining it with approximately one-half package of Taco Mix and then serving it with either Refried Beans or Black Beans.
If you have some flour then you could make a burrito or tortilla shell.
Chef Boyardee Macaroni and Cheese may be eaten as a side dish by itself, or it can be converted into a casserole by adding canned tuna, or canned chicken, or sliced Vienna Sausages, or diced Spam.
Pork and Beans can be made into "Beanie Wienies" by adding sliced pieces of Vienna Sausage.
The Vienna Sausages may be eaten as a simple meat item, or converted into "mini corn dogs" if you have some cornmeal, or into "pigs in a blanket" if you have some flour.
The Spam may be sliced and fried for breakfast, lunch, or supper.
The Salmon can be made into "Salmon Patties" if you add a little cornmeal.
Canned fruit may be eaten as a dessert item, or you could eat from the bag of candy.
The candy could be hard candies (peppermints, spearmints, butterscotch disks, or cinnamon disks), or caramels, or tootsie rolls or any combination your family prefers.

Note: If you use a standard Vacuum Food Sealer to vacuum seal some of the above items (candy, vitamins, white rice, instant milk, sugar, cocoa powder, and quick oats) then you could extend the normal shelf life of these items by a multiple of approximately five. More information about vacuum sealers is on my website here.

Suggestions for Preparing Meals During a Short-Term Hard Times Event
To prepare a meal from scratch normally takes more time, more fuel, and as the food slowly cooks it emits a stronger aroma than when you simply open a can of food, heat it, and then immediately eat it.

Therefor, having canned foods that you simply heat and eat means you will need less cooking fuel and you will be keeping your cooking aromas to the absolute minimum. The absence of strong cooking aromas may help you to avoid attracting unnecessary attention to your family during a difficult short-term hard times event.

As a practical example,

Breakfast could be oatmeal, or breakfast bars, or fried Spam or fried ham, or you could skip breakfast and eat lunch at 10:00 AM and supper at 5:00 PM.
Lunch could be a complete meal from a can.
Supper could be more like a normal meal such as boiled rice or instant potatoes or beans or vegetables, plus a meat item from a can, such as salmon patties.

Remember, canned foods have been fully cooked and they only need to be heated and served.

However, whenever possible it is advisable to heat your food to at least 185 degrees Fahrenheit (85 degrees Celsius) to kill any potential harmful microorganisms that might be in the food.

It would also be a good idea to put a lid on the cook pot or skillet when you are heating the food. The lid will help to keep the heat and the aroma inside the cook pot. This means you will need less fuel to heat the food to an acceptable temperature, and it will prevent most of the delicious cooking aromas (odors) from escaping and attracting unnecessary attention to your location.

It should also be noted that some foods emit a powerful aroma while they are being prepared, such as coffee and bacon. Therefore, if you truly love coffee then during a short-term emergency it might be advisable to have a small supply of "instant coffee" instead of "regular coffee." I know there is a difference between the flavor of instant coffee and regular coffee but you need to consider your priorities during a short-term emergency. For example,

Would a cup of instant coffee be okay if it did not attract any attention to your location?
Or would you prefer for everyone within a half-block radius to be knocking on your door and asking you to please, please share some of your fresh brewed coffee?

Conclusion

There may not be very much to do during a short-term emergency and everyone in your family will be truly looking forward to each meal in order to relieve their boredom and to satisfy their hunger.

It is okay to talk about unpleasant topics at other times during the day but each member of your family should understand that all discussions at the dining table will be about pleasant topics. This will facilitate their enjoyment of their meal and it will aid in the digestive process.

Finally, please remember to thank God for every meal before your family starts eating.

Footnote:
Additional Nutritional Information on Some Canned Food Items
Campbell's Chunky "Beef Base" Soup (18.8 ounce cans)

Food Item	Calories	Fat	Carbs	Protein
Baked Potato, Steak & Cheese	400	18	42	16
Italian Style Wedding Meatballs & Spinach	320	6	48	16
Salisbury Steak w/ Mushrooms & Onions	280	9	38	14
Beef with White & Wild Rice	280	3	48	16
Beef & Dumplings & Vegetables	260	3	40	16
Grilled Sirloin Steak with Vegetables	260	4	38	26
Sirloin Burger with Country Vegetables	260	4	38	9
Steak and Potato	240	4	30	16
Slow Roasted Beef with Mushrooms	240	3	36	16
Beef Rib Roast with Potatoes & Herbs	220	2	34	14

Campbell's Chunky "Chicken Base" Soups (18.8 ounce cans)

Food Item	Calories	Fat	Carbs	Protein
Chicken Broccoli Cheese with Potato	420	22	4	14
Chicken Corn Chowder	400	20	40	14
Chicken and Dumplings	360	16	38	16
Grilled Chicken and Sausage Gumbo	280	6	42	16
Fajita Chicken with Rice & Beans	260	3	46	14
Savory Chicken with White & Wild Rice	220	4	36	12

Campbell's Chunky "Other Base" Soup (18.8 ounce cans)

Food Item	Calories	Fat	Carbs	Protein
New England Clam Chowder	460	26	40	14
Potato Ham Chowder	380	22	34	12
Split Pea & Ham	380	5	60	24
Hearty Bean & Ham	360	4	60	22

La Choy Asian Meals (42 ounce cans)

Food Item	Calories	Fat	Carbs	Protein
Chicken Sweet & Sour with Asian Style Vegetables	540	4	105	15
Chicken Teriyaki with Asian Style Vegetables	360	10	54	15
Chicken Chow Mein with Asian Style Vegetables	300	12	33	15
Beef Pepper Oriental with Asian Style Vegetables	240	3	33	21

Chef Boyardee Pasta (15 ounce cans)

Food Item	Calories	Fat	Carbs	Protein
Mini Beef Ravioli & Meatballs	560	24	64	20
Lasagna	540	20	72	18
Chili Mac	500	24	54	18
Pepperoni Pizzazaroli	500	14	76	18
Mini Spaghetti & Meatballs	480	20	58	18
Cheesy Nacho Twistaroni	440	14	64	16
Cheesy Burger Macaroni	400	12	56	18
Mac & Cheese	480	20	56	18

Chef Boyardee Canned Pasta Note:
I have tried the Overstuffed Ravioli, and the Giant Meatballs, and the Regular Ravioli, and the Mini Ravioli and the Mini Spaghetti with Meatballs.
In my opinion the Mini Ravioli and the Mini Spaghetti with Meatballs are better than the regular pastas or the giant pastas.
The "mini pastas" contain more sauce, and all the food heats more evenly in less time, and the overall taste is superior.
Therefore I strongly recommend the "mini pastas" instead of the regular pastas or the giant pastas.
However, since taste is a very individual experience, your family may completely disagree with me and there is nothing wrong with that.

If you have young children then they will probably prefer the Chef Boyardee "ABC" and "Dinosaur" pastas because they are significantly more fun to eat. The nutritional value of these pastas is almost the same as the other pastas so there is nothing wrong with adding these special pastas to your emergency food supply for your young children.

Respectfully,
Grandpappy.

Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com

A 30-Day Emergency Food Supply (2,000 Calories per Day)

Introduction

Important Criteria for Selecting Food Items for an Emergency 30-Day Food Supply

A Recommended 30-Day Emergency Food Supply for One Adult

Discussion of Some of the Recommended Food Items

Suggestions for Preparing Meals During a Short-Term Hard Times Event

Conclusion

Footnote: Additional Nutritional Information on Some Canned Food Items

A 30-Day Emergency Food Supply
(2,000 Calories per Day)

Footnote:
Additional Nutritional Information on Some Canned Food Items