Best Emergency Food Storage Kits | Build a Stash

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Food storage can be intimidating and for some families, it may be a better option to skip shopping and order an emergency food storage kit instead.

The best emergency food storage kits consider budget, variety, and portion size when crafting their product offerings. Based on these three factors, the three best food storage kit options include ReadyWise, Nutrient Survival, and My Patriot Supply. All three retailers make the food storage process easier. 

Emergency food storage kits typically come packaged in vacuum-sealed bags and packaged inside plastic buckets for added durability in storage. These kits often come in resealable pouches too making it easier to eliminate waste. If buying food storage is a mystery to you, putting your trust in an emergency food supply company is a smart move to make.

Helping families with food storage is something our team of experts does extremely well. It comes down to a specific routine and science that makes everything work perfectly to accommodate families and homeowners. In this guide, we explore the eight best emergency food storage kits to consider purchasing next.

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8 Best Emergency Food Storage Kits

Emergency food storage kits are items that can be stored for long periods of time. These kits are especially useful in case of natural disasters, power outages, or other events that lead to the disruption of the food supply.

Food storage is an essential part of any emergency plan. It provides a sense of security and peace of mind that we will not have to worry about food as soon as the emergency strikes.

The best emergency food storage kit should provide balanced nutrition, easy-to-get ingredients, high-quality packaging, and taste good too. Some factors to consider when choosing a kit include budget, shelf life requirement, size of the kit, taste preference, or dietary restrictions.

One of the most important things you should take care of is storing food. Food that will last for a long time and not go bad is what we need, and emergency food storage kits are a way to do just that. But which one is the right one?

1. ReadyWise

Picture of the ReadyWise Emergency Food Supply

ReadyWise is our top pick on the list of the best emergency food storage kits because of the long-lasting shelf life and massive serving sizes included in each kit. They also provide you with foods that require almost no preparation to eat, making them a great option for times of crisis.

ReadyWise offers a line of emergency food storage kits with plenty of serving options to consider per kit. Simply add water and you can start eating.

These kits are equipped with enough necessary items to last you three days, and they can be stored for up to 25 years without any degradation in quality. This emergency kit is perfect for those who want an affordable way to survive the most common disasters that happen every year.

The ReadyWise kits specialize in dry staples with a focus on items like creamy pasta, pasta alfredo, and chicken noodle soup. However, there are plenty of other options you can find in your kits too.

There are seven different long-term food kits that can be found on the ReadyWise website. These kits start as low as $500 for a 240 serving kit of food. The largest kit contains 4,320 total food servings for $9,000.

ReadyWise also packs only 4 servings per pouch so when you open your food, you don’t need to worry about breaking the seal and ruining or wasting any food. Instead, you can simply take out only four servings at a time and preserve the larger portions.  

Pros

  • Organic food options
  • Gluten-free food options
  • All three meals included with plenty of variety
  • Stackable buckets for better storage capacity
  • Affordable entry-level kits

Cons

  • Issues in the past with the wrong flavors being delivered
  • Limited selection available for smaller kits and pouches

2. Nutrient Survival

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Picture of Nutrient Survival Emergency Food Supplies

A high-quality food storage emergency kit is a must-have if you’re living in an area where natural disasters are likely to occur. The kit should include food that can be stored for long periods of time without spoiling or deteriorating. We love Nutrient Survival because of its excellent tasting food options.

Nutrient Survival aims to provide smaller food kits, but they taste excellent with plenty of flavors and nutritional value. The type of kits they have in stock include individual cans of food, 72-hour food kits, 30-day food kits, 60-day food kits, and 90-day food kits.

If you are looking for much larger bulk options, this is not the best option for you. The pricing also comes at a premium because the food is of such high quality. However, you get what you pay for and can expect an excellent experience.

The Nutrient Survival food storage emergency kit review has everything that you could need for an emergency situation. The package includes various grains in #10 cans that are made for stackability and optimal storage space.

Some of the food options in the 60-day kit include triple cheese mac, apple cinnamon oatmeal, and southwestern medley. All of these options can be prepared quickly to boost your daily caloric intake. A 60-day kit is priced at $1,035 and includes a total of 288 servings.

Those 288 servings include a total of 78,960 calories. This would make each serving around 275 calories, making these kits one of the better choices when trying to add excellent dry staple foods to your food storage system.

Pros

  • Nutrient-dense food made with high-quality ingredients
  • Free shipping on orders over $99
  • Products are made in the USA
  • Foods available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
  • Excellent packaging for shelf-life and storage

Cons

  • Entree food selection is limited
  • Premium pricing on kits

3. My Patriot Supply

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Picture of My Patriot Supply

The My Patriot Supply food storage emergency kit is an excellent choice for people who want to make sure they are prepared for any natural or man-made disasters.

The kit includes a wide variety of items like beans, rice, pasta sauce, oatmeal, and so much more. It also comes with easy-to-read instructions in case you are not sure how to use each item. The best part of the kit is that it is designed for long-term use so you will have plenty of time to eat your food before needing to replace it.

My Patriot Supply’s food storage emergency kit is a product designed to keep people alive and nourished after a natural disaster or similar event. They use buckets and sealed packaging to maximum food freshness and shelf life while remaining nutritional.

There are many different kits available, but the long-term options include three, six, and twelve-month kits all priced and packaged accordingly. You can even niche down and buy specific kits based on food type, like an ultimate breakfast kit.

The twelve-month kit includes 2,000 calories per day in total servings for $2,987. This caloric count equates to about 3,500 total servings over the course of one year. The kit weighs 480 pounds total for shipping and storage needs.  

For someone who is looking for a quick and easy way to build up some food storage or make an emergency kit, the My Patriot Supply food storage emergency kit will be perfect. This is because it has all the necessary items packed together in one convenient location.

Pros

  • Most versatile selection of kits and food selections
  • Excellent portion sizes with maximized calorie counts in each kit
  • Decent pricing with plenty of low-cost options available
  • Gluten-free food available

Cons

  • No water included
  • Pouches are not packed individually

4. Legacy Food Storage

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Picture of the Legacy Food Storage

Legacy Food Storage is one of the most popular food storage companies around with plenty of variety. They even sell water, fuel, and survival gear acting as the one-stop-shop for anything related to survival.

The Legacy Food Storage food storage emergency kit is a complete food storage kit. It includes everything you need to be well-fed for as long as you desire. In fact, they sell kits as small as only 60 servings all the way up to a total of 4,320 servings in a single kit. They offer an unlimited selection to choose from.

An emergency kit will typically include non-perishable and canned foods with a long shelf life. These foods included can last up to 30 years. They are stored in airtight, sealed pouches and then repackaged inside plastic buckets for added external protection.

This emergency kit will give you a chance to prepare your family for any type of disaster. The survival kit is complete with food items like freeze-dried fruit, beans, rice, vegetables, pasta sauce mix & seasoning mix. Legacy puts a primary focus on dry bulk foods that contain plenty of nutritional value.

An example kit is the premium emergency food kit that contains 1,080 servings for a total of 431,640 calories. This kit is priced at $2,550 and weighs 277 pounds in storage.

Pros

  • Easy preparation process on most foods
  • Shelf life up to 30 years
  • Plastic buckets for extra durability in storage
  • Premium pouches for a more reliable seal

Cons

  • Expensive, especially with the smaller kits
  • Limited customizations available

5. SOS Survival Products

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Picture of an SOS Survival Kit

SOS Survival Products does not create long-term food storage kits. Instead, they have small servings that are very low pricing to allow you to buy what you need and create your own variety and stockpile.

They sell 12 packs of meals for only $89. These meals can be made by heating them up and adding water and they contain 1,200 calories in each individual meal. The packages come with 2 servings of 6 different meal types.

SOS also sells a variety of individual freeze-dried food options along with emergency food bars. Using these products is the ultimate way to build a short-term, emergency food survival system on a budget. You also have full customization over exactly what you are buying.

The kit includes non-perishable food, water pouches, a stove, camp stove fuel, utensils, first-aid supplies, and more. This is an excellent starter kit for those just getting into prepping and who want to be able to help themselves or their families when disaster strikes.

Food types include a long list of emergency bars, freeze-dried rice, freeze-dried ice cream, oatmeal, and much more. They are intended to serve primarily snacks along with the smaller full meal kits.  

Pros

  • Ideal kit for those on a budget and just getting started
  • Excellent tasting snack options
  • Wide variety of foods
  • Plenty of survival products available too

Cons

  • No bulk ordering options
  • More time consuming to shop and build your own kits

6. Augason Farms

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Picture of the Augason Farms Food Kit

Augason Farms offers a range of food storage kits, bundles, and other similar supplies for very affordable pricing. They have excellent tasting options and primarily offer individual pales available for sale with the ability to find bundles for a bit cheaper.

Augason Farms has been dedicated to providing people with food storage solutions for emergency food needs. It is a leading producer of long-term, ready-to-eat meals and other dry goods that are certified for use in emergency kits. With so many options available, it becomes difficult to decide what the best choice is.

The primary offering they have is freeze-dried fruits and vegetables along with booster packs that contain your important dry staples like rice and beans. These options can be bought individually or bundled together.

The best part about Augason farms is they basically allow you to build your own bundles rather than create a firm kit offering. This allows you to have more customization over the foods you receive.  

Kits can be bought in plastic buckets or #10 cans depending on the food type and buyer preference. Both options are lightweight and easy to store too.

Pros

  • A wide range of bulk ingredients is available
  • Low pricing
  • Organic, gluten-free, and vegetarian available
  • Transparent ingredients and nutrition facts

Cons

  • Some foods have a shorter shelf-life
  • Need a full kitchen to prep some of the food options

7. Emergency Essentials

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Picture of Emergency Essentials Emergency Food Supplies

Emergency Essentials is a company that sells food storage kits online. They provide food in the form of canning jars, which are vacuum sealed to last up to 25 years without refrigeration.

A lot of people are considering emergency food storage as an option because of natural disasters and economic uncertainties that are happening around the world.

Emergency Essentials is a company that offers ready-to-eat survival food kits. The company sells various types of kits, with each kit having a different number of servings, and price range.

These kits can be found as a few day kits up to one full year of food. A one-year kit is priced at around $2,900 and includes 3,216 servings with a total calorie count of 724,080. They also have amazing-tasting food with excellent nutritional value options.

Pros

  • Massive calorie amounts per serving
  • Excellent value with pricing
  • Transparency about nutritional facts and ingredients used
  • Survival gear offerings too

Cons

  • Few custom options like vegetarian or gluten-free
  • Low-quality ingredients used in most meals

8. Mountain House

mountain-house-food-supply
Picture of Mountain House Emergency Food Supply

Mountain House is reliable but known as a premium emergency food storage kit company because they offer high pricing. However, the product definitely backs up the pricing with excellent taste and packaging.

Mountain House food storage emergency kit is an emergency kit that contains all the necessary food items to survive for a long period of time.

The kit has everything from breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. But not only does this mountain house food storage emergency kit provide you with all the necessary nutrients your body needs in an emergency situation, but it also gives your family a sense of normalcy by providing them with a variety of foods.

Mountain House has diverse options ranging from individual food pouches, two-day emergency supplies, to long-term one-year food survival kits. All options are packaged in similar airtight pouches intended to last from very long on your shelf.

We are used to thinking of food storage in emergency situations, but we have forgotten that food can go bad. Mountain House provides high-quality food storage meals which can be used for emergency purposes. These meals are designed to last for up to 25 years and come with great nutritional value.

A three-month food supply kit with Mountain House costs $2,039 and comes with a total of 270 pouches containing 1,724 calories per day.

Pros

  • Packaged in individual pouches
  • Premium airtight seal
  • Plenty of food variety
  • Excellent taste in most foods

Cons

  • High pricing
  • Not as easily stored due to packaging type

How Much Food Should You Buy?

The amount of food you need for your emergency food storage will depend on how much food you normally consume, the number of people in your household, and how long you're planning to store it.

You should consider storing your emergency food in a dry, cool space that is safe from pests and has low humidity. It’s also important to remember that some foods need to be rotated to avoid spoilage or loss of nutritional value.

When you buy food storage kits, the amount of food included is predetermined so it is much easier to make a defined purchase and know exactly how long your kit should last.

The amount of food that people should store for emergency preparedness varies according to one's needs and situation. The right answer for most people would be between only a few months for emergencies or for many years if you plan to keep a long-term storage kit.

Some of the best storage kits offer short-term packages for only 72 hours all the way up to thousands of meal servings intended to last on your shelf for up to thirty years. Determining how much food you need to buy is the first step to take before making your purchase.  

What Are The Best Foods To Buy?

If you are looking to buy emergency food storage, it is important to know what kind of food to buy. There are many different kinds of long-term survival foods and deciding which ones will work best for your family can be a difficult task.

The most important things to consider when buying emergency food storage are the types of food that your family likes and the quantity that you need. For example, if you have young children in your family, it would be wise to purchase high-calorie snacks such as energy bars or dried fruits since those types of snacks are easier for children to digest.

The best foods to buy for emergency food storage are the ones that will keep well when stored away. These include canned goods like beans, tuna, and vegetables. Canned goods are also good for those who may not have the time or resources to cook their own food.

However, when you are buying emergency food storage kits you have more options because they are packaged well for you. The best foods to last for long periods of time are dry food items in vacuum-sealed packaging.

What You Should Look For In Emergency Food Storage Kits

Emergency food storage kits provide plenty of variety when shopping. The best brands listed in this guide all have many different options to consider, making it difficult to decide on the best one for you and your family.

These kits can be a great way to help you get organized and make sure that you have everything you need in case of an emergency situation. But not all emergency food storage kits are created equal, so here's what to look for when shopping for one.

Total Calories

The calorie count should be one of the determining factors you look for when shopping through different emergency food storage kits. Each kit will list the type of meals that are included along with the calorie count in each meal and the total over calorie count.

This calorie count allows you to determine exactly how many meals you can get out of the kit along with how long it will last in your home.

For example, the average person should have at least 2,000 calories per day in their food storage kit. That means if you have a family of four, you need to count 8,000 calories per day to determine how long the kit will last.

Types Of Food

Luckily, each of these food storage kit companies provides plenty of food variety to choose from to ensure each person in your family can enjoy specific meals. Dietary preferences are important and you can shop according to those specific needs at any of these retailers.

Many kits will already include a wide variety of options, but if they don’t you are able to customize some of the kits to include options better tailored towards your needs.

For example, popular options include vegetarian or gluten-free kits that once would not have been so readily available as they are today.  

Price

Budget is one of the biggest things that impact the purchasing decisions of all consumers. And especially those looking to begin building food storage but become overwhelmed when considering the initial costs to get started.

Fortunately, there are kits of all sizes available to help accommodate those with varying budgets. You can start with only a short-term kit or if you have the budget, jump right into a higher priced long-term kit with more meals.

The option is entirely up to you. Every brand on this list includes different kits aimed to serve different price points too.

Best Way To Store An Emergency Food Storage Kit

There are many different ways to store an emergency food storage kit. Some of the kits come in buckets because they are more durable and water-resistant but they can be heavy when filled with supplies.

The best place to store emergency food is in a cool, dark place. If your house has a basement or an attic where the temperature is fairly constant and there are no insects, then that's usually the best place for storing your emergency food storage kit.

An emergency food storage kit provides enough food ingredients to last for a designated time. It includes hard-to-find items like dry staples or canned food items in bulk that you may not be able to find in your local grocery store.

How Long Do Emergency Food Storage Kits Last?

The shelf life of survival food has a huge difference. For example, canned food lasts up to five years. In comparison, the shelf life for dry goods packed in sealed bags can be up to 30 years. These dry foods are packaged to last indefinitely in your home.

A variety of factors affect the shelf life of survival food. The most important factor is how the food was packaged and stored. The packaging, such as a can or a bag, can protect the contents from extreme heat or cold and prevent anything else from coming in contact with it.

Another important factor is whether or not the packaging is airtight. If you seal up your survival food in a bag that has a one-way valve, it will be able to stay fresh for far longer than if you just left it in its original packaging without an airtight seal.

Every kit you purchase will include all packaging instructions along with the estimated shelf-life too. They take all of the uncertainty out of your hands and assure you that you are buying a product that will exceed expectations.

What Is The Best Emergency Food Storage Kit?

There are a few different options included in this guide that could be considered the best, but because of the low initial cost and wide range of kit styles available we would rank ReadyWise as the number one emergency food storage kit.

The ReadyWise food storage emergency kit comes in a beautiful-looking bucket with a tight seal that is very easy to open. It is made with durable materials so it will last for a long time. All food is sealed tightly in pouches designed to hold food for over 25 years.

When you consider pricing, serving size, and food variety it is difficult to find a better retailer that can offer everything ReadyWise can. They are transparent throughout the entire process too with excellent customer service from order right up until delivery.