Have you ever had to ration out food? What about cooking with limited resources, such as minimal or no power or water? Emergencies often create such situations in which rations are inherent. But, rather than living off rations that will go bad in a matter of weeks, why not have emergency food that lasts up to 30 years?

Emergency food rations from Mountain House, Wise Food Storage, and Lindon Farms offer this security. With products lasting five to 30 years, a food kit from any of these brands serves as healthful rations to get through a disaster while maintaining daily caloric and nutritional requirements. Emergency food rations from these brands are essentially freeze-dried items, including meals for breakfast, lunch, or dinner or individual fruits, vegetables, proteins, or grains. To eat, a serving of food must be rehydrated with water. After the recommended amounts are put together, the meal is ready to eat in minutes. If serving suggestions are followed, emergency food kits allow an individual to live off 1,000 to 2,000 calories per day. Kits can contain up to a year's worth of freeze-dried meals.

Mountain House emergency food rations are generally packaged in #10 cans. Having a lifespan of 30 years or longer, Mountain House provides a variety of meal choices for all times of the day. Cans, on the other hand, are not easily grabbed and transported in the event of an evacuation. But, even if you are stuck inside during a disaster and the aftermath, a storage solution for the leftovers is a must for getting the most use out of a food kit. Moisture and light deteriorate freeze-dried foods, and to preserve your supply, any leftovers from a #10 can can be resealed back in with a commercial re-sealer, placed in an airtight storage container, or frozen. For an individual, a full can should never be prepared at once.

Wise Food Storage and Lindon Farms, on the other hand, use a system of Mylar pouches and containers. Two to five servings of a freeze-dried or dehydrated meal are kept inside an airtight Mylar pouch. For preparation, water just needs to be added. As a result, no food is left over. The containers, as well, can be grabbed in the event of an evacuation, along with emergency water, and when kept inside a food storage area, do not require rotation.

Conditions for the food storage are particularly important. Otherwise, the supply will not last as long. The area must be dry, cool, and dark, and no chemicals, including cleaning products, should share the same space as the food. The food, to stay edible, must neither be stored in a trash bag or liner.