When it comes to emergency preparation, the average individual simply isn't ready. Water and first aid kit aside, emergency survival food is just an afterthought until the storm warning sounds over the radio or television. Then, at that point, he or she ventures out to the store – where everyone else is – to pick up a few days' worth of cans and a few gallons of water. While this amount may be sufficient for a storm lasting a few days, it's paltry if water and power are cut off. Instead, purchasing emergency survival food is not just recommended – it's essential to disaster preparation.

But, where do you start? First off, emergency survival food must sustain an individual and provide basic nutrition, and beginning with the basics is strongly encouraged. "Basics" are grains, beans, dehydrated milk, sugar, salt, oil, and seeds. Accumulating these items should become a lifestyle, and having a year's supply on hand is enough for a disaster.

Yet, rice, beans, and milk powder create a limited diet that becomes boring just after a few days. To prepare for instances in which the aftermath lasts weeks and help takes just as long to survive, an emergency survival food kit rounds out the options. Mountain House, Lindon Farms, and Wise Food Storage all offer emergency survival food kits of freeze-dried meals that, in the right conditions, last up to 30 years.

Storage is particularly important for maintaining emergency survival food, and the right conditions aren't simply optional – they're the difference between having meals and not when a storm is quickly approaching. The ideal food storage space, then, is cool, dark, and dry, and closets, basements, and crawlspaces frequently have such qualities. Any leftovers – with #10 cans, this often happens – must be kept in an airtight container, as well. To do this, the #10 can may be resealed with a commercial re-sealer, leftover food may be kept in an airtight bag or container, or they can be frozen, if such a resource is available. Even if the leftover food is stored well, however, it only has a lifespan of one year.

Emergency survival food must also have variety. Cans, for instance, may have the greatest lifespan, but mylar pouches in containers – the packaging method used by Wise Food Storage and Lindon Farms – is far more portable during an evacuation. For limited water and heat, consider including MREs, or meals, ready to eat. Used by the military in the past, these emergency survival foods require less water and may even be self-heating.