NEWSROOM
What’s
A 3-Day Food Supply?
June
1, 2006
Most disaster
checklists include recommendations to keep a three-day food supply
on hand for each person, but just exactly what does that mean?
LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames has some of the answers.
She says you’re
going to need at least two quarts – and preferably a gallon
– of water for each person, as well as ample food supplies
for everyone in your household.
"What
you want to keep in mind are the conditions you’ll be operating
under," Reames says. "You may be without power, which
means you may not have a way to heat things up or refrigerate
them."
Some of the
potential foods you could include are single-serving cereal packages,
crackers, granola bars, canned fruit, canned juice, packaged drink
mixes, raisins, apple sauce, canned vegetables, canned soups or
chili, tuna, canned chicken, beef jerky, peanut butter, canned
milk or other shelf-stable milk, shelf-stable cheese, hard candy
or chocolate.
With regard
to water, Reames says to choose commercially bottled water or
store water from your household system in clean containers for
brief time periods when you think you might need it.
The LSU AgCenter
nutritionist also offers these tips to keep in mind when choosing
the foods:
- Choose
nonperishable foods that require little or no cooking and no
refrigeration.
- Can or
jar sizes should be appropriate for one meal with no leftovers.
Once opened or prepared, many foods lose their shelf-stable
character and will go bad.
- Select
foods you like and normally eat.
- If you
don’t have a way to boil water when the power is off,
do not include instant foods that will require hot water. Keep
in mind foods that require water also will consume your water
supply quickly.
- Don’t
forget baby food, special dietary requirements and food for
your pets.
The LSU AgCenter
expert says to buy – and practice using – a hand-crank
can opener if you don’t have one already. "You’ll
need it to open that can of tuna when the power goes off,"
she says.
As you assemble
your food and other disaster supplies, keep them in a central
location – above potential flood level.
"You
also want to store food in the coolest cabinets or pantry away
from appliances that produce heat," she says, adding, "Store
food that comes in cardboard boxes, thin plastic or paper in metal,
glass or rigid plastic containers to avoid insect and rodent damage."
The LSU AgCenter
nutritionist also stresses that you can acquire and store your
three-day food supply early but that you want to rotate and use
food and water every six to 12 months – or as recommended
on the food labels.
For more information
on emergency preparedness and a variety of other topics related
to health and nutrition, visit www.lsuagcenter.com
.
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