How To Build A 2 Week Emergency Food Supply

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Last Updated on April 16, 2023 by Lisa Vargas

If you are a prepper, you should at least know how to build a 2-week emergency food supply. Once you master the art of storing food for a longer duration, it will help you in many situations. Today you will learn how to easily create a two-week emergency food supply.

Apart from that, you need to know a few more things when it comes to creating your own emergency food supply. Today you’ll learn exactly what you need to have, including how many calories you need, different types of food options, and other things to be aware of when building a 2-week emergency food supply

So let’s get started!

How Much Food Do You Need For 2 Weeks?

Before we estimate the total amount of food for 2 weeks you need to understand a few things. According to health.gov the amount of caloric intake varies from person to person because of such things as age, weight, gender, and activity level.

According to a study from health.gov, the average amount of calories that women need per day ranges from 1600 to 2400. However, for men, the quantity is between 2000 to 3000 per day. In addition to this children need to consume calories between 1000 to 2000.

The one tip I can tell you is that even though health.gov may tell us that females should consume between 1600-2400 per day, chances are that you’ll be doing a lot more manual labor if you’re caught in a grid-down situation. 

 Things such as setting out on foot with your bug out bag to the next town, chopping wood to build a fire, and planting vegetables in a home garden, will all require you to watch your calories more closely.

But to start, if you want to store your emergency food for 2 weeks then you should plan yours according to the given caloric needs from the health.gov site. It’s a good place to start.

Calorie Breakdown by Meal

The reason it’s so hard to figure out how much food you need for 2 weeks, is because most of the survival food either comes in pre-made survival food kits or 5-pound bags of beans or rice for example.  Therefore because of this, it’s easier to start by breaking down how many calories you should realistically have for each meal.

Below is a break down of calories by meal for each day based on an 1850 calorie/day diet.

Breakfast

    450 calories x 14 days (2 weeks) = 6,300 calories

Lunch

    650 calories x 14 days (2weeks) = 9,100 calories

Dinner

    750 calories x 14 days (2 weeks) = 10, 500 calories

Total Calories for 2 weeks: 25, 900

The above simple map out gives you a quick guide, but if you’re a man, you can increase these calories as you see fit. The entire idea is to have enough without getting too excessive and not to mention expensive.

Nutrient Requirements

According to the health.gov recommendations, you should include the following nutrients in your diet if you are between the ages of 31-50 years old. Because there are several different combinations to choose from, I wanted to quickly share the example comparison between men and women of similar age. You can go to the health.gov site to view the entire chart.

Nutrients Male (31-50 years old) Female (31-50 years old)
Protein, g 56 46
Carbohydrate, g 130 130
Dietary fiber, g 30.8 25.2
Added sugars, % kcal Less than 10% Less than 10%
Total fat, % kcal 20-35 20-35
Saturated fat, % kcal Less than 10% Less than 10%
Linoleic acid, g 17 12
Linolenic acid, g 1.6 1.1
Calcium, mg 1,000 1,000
Iron, mg 8 18
Magnesium, mg 400 310
Phosphorus, mg 700 700
Potassium, mg 4,700 4,700
Sodium, mg 2,300 2,300
Zinc, mg 11 8
Copper, mcg 900 900
Manganese, mg 2.3 1.8
Selenium, mcg 55 55
Vitamin A, mcg RAE 900 700
Vitamin E, mg AT 15 15
Vitamin D, IU 600 600
Vitamin C, mg 90 75
Thiamin, mg 1.2 1.1
Riboflavin, mg 1.3 1.1
Niacin, mg 16 14
Vitamin B6, mg 1.3 1.3
Vitamin B12, mcg 2.4 2.4
Choline, mg 550 425
Vitamin K, mcg 120 90
Folate, mcg DFE 400 400
Calories level 2,400, 2,600, 3,000 2,000

Emergency Survival Food Options For Your 2 Week Supply

best emergency food kits

There are various types of survival foods you can use in your 2 week supply.  Let’s look at some foods you can add to your 2 week emergency supply list below.

You’ll notice there are two different types of foods you can use to build your 2 week emergency food supply. The first is your typical foods that you can get at the grocery store and the second is the special kind that you have to buy off websites like Amazon or directly from the manufacturer.

You will notice below that I have a mixture of both for you so that you can get some idea of the differences.

Foods You Can Buy At The Grocery Store

2 week emergency food supply list

Canned Foods

Canned foods are one of the best survival food items you can have for a shorter-term food supply and are easy to get at the grocery store. They usually contain meat and stews and have a shelf life of at least 1-2 years. Here are a few suggestions:

  • Canned meats such as tuna, chicken, Spam, and ham 
  • Canned vegetables such as corn, peas, green beans,
  • Canned Chili
  • Canned beans
  • Canned soups

Dehydrated Foods

Dehydrated foods can be anything from beef jerky to dried peaches and strawberries. One of the best companies that I’ve found is Harmony House Foods Inc. They have beautifully packaged dehydrated foods and reasonable prices and have a huge variety specifically packaged for emergency food storage.

These foods typically can last for several months, but make sure you rotate them out because they definitely won’t last as long as freeze-dried foods because of the higher moisture content. Here are a few ideas for you:

  • dried apricots
  • dried strawberries
  • dried mangos
  • dehydrated vegetables

Drinks

As mentioned above, you always want to try and substitute if you can so you don’t have to worry about perishables going bad. I know we would all love to have fresh milk when SHTF, but it’s just not realistic. Here are some good ideas for satisfying your thirst cravings:

Grains, Legumes and Pasta

Storing beans and rice is always a good practice to take part in as a prepper whether you are preparing for short or long term disasters. It’s easy to do and is very affordable. Make sure to read the previous article I wrote on How To Store Rice Long Term. It shows you how to exactly do it so that you’ll never be worried about food.

Here are some ideas of foods you could easily use for your 2-week emergency food supply:

  • Beans
  • Rice
  • Oats
  • Pasta

Specialty Survival Foods

doomsday prepper list

Below are some of the specialty survival foods that you will need to buy online at either a manufacturer’s website, a reseller website, or someplace like Amazon.

Meals-Ready-To-Eat (MREs)

MREs are specifically made for the military out in the field. But a while ago, they started making “civilian” MREs so that the public could have access to purchasing these as well in case of disaster situations that may arise. You definitely can’t survive on MREs alone, but they make for some great survival food if that’s all you have access to.

They are also quite amazing when it comes to their shelf life and nutritional values. The manufacturer says that they have a 5-year shelf-life, but there are many accounts that can last much longer. Some say up to 20 years! I wouldn’t push it though on these. To me, they aren’t the best-tasting things in the world, and they can wreak havoc on your digestive system after a while.

Ration Bars

Another option for a 2-week food supply is the emergency ration bars. Emergency ration bars are hard as a rock and taste very similar to a sugar cookie. They’re not that bad and provide a tremendous amount of nutrients and calories, and are superficially designed to sustain a person in the worst of conditions.

I would recommend adding a few of these in to your 2-week food survival stockpile. It doesn’t hurt and they can be stashed in places around the house, in a car, and in a bug out bag for example. I did a fun little youtube video that you can see below if you’re curious.

 

 
 

 

https://youtu.be/7PHZsnWd-BA

 
 

Emergency Freeze-Dried Food Kits

Apart from that, you can also make good use of freeze-dried food kits. Because of the fact they are freeze-dried and have less than 1%-2% moisture content they can survive for very extended periods of up to 25 years according to the label on the kits. These are some of the most popular prepping items on the market and typically they go fast during a crisis situation.

As I write this article it’s difficult to get freeze dried food kits due to the Corona Virus pandemic. Everyone seems to be preparing for something, but no one is exactly sure what. Freeze-dried food kits are a fantastic option for preppers.

As a matter of fact, you can even buy a 2-week emergency food kit that satisfies all of your nutrient and calorie requirements. You simply buy it online, ship it to your house, throw it in a closet and you are good to go! You can also try Emergency Essentials food kits that would well for your 2-week emergency food supply.

One of my favorites is from Legacy Food Storage. They are known for their incredible quality and superior taste.


 

 

 

 

Tips For Planning Your 2-Week Emergency Food Supply

building a 2 week emergency food supply

1. Create as much normalcy as possible

Try to think as if you are planning a meal instead of buying food. This will help you make menus enjoyable for you and your family. I know that I grew up on meat and potatoes and vegetables. If you think of those three basic food groups, you’ll be just fine.

Don’t try and go out and buy a bunch of MREs and food ration bars and things you’ve never eaten before. Keep it simple. After all, two weeks isn’t that long of a time. You should stick with the basics

2. Think about substitutions

In our everyday lives, we have the privilege of going to the grocery store and picking up milk, butter, eggs, and perishable items. During a SHTF situation, that’s probably not going to be the case anymore. If grocery stores are still open, you can bet they will be stripped down and bare with nothing left.

For example, you can buy powdered milk instead of regular milk. You can buy powdered peanut butter instead of regular peanut butter. You can also buy powdered eggs instead of buying fresh eggs from the store. Instead of fresh butter, you can buy powdered butter.

3. Make sure to have fuel to cook and keep warm

Not only will you need to have enough food for 2 weeks, but you also want to make sure you can cook it! During survival situations, you may not have access to electricity. You should have enough fuel to keep yourself warm and cook your meals. Therefore, you should treat your fuel as gold and try not to waste it. The best way to save fuel is by trying not to cook your breakfasts.

One of my favorite little tools to have with me is the Jetboil. It’s a handy, little portable heater that comes with a container and propane gas so you can heat up water for things such as coffee and freeze-dried food kit meals.

There are plenty of alternative options available when planning your meals. You can eat a breakfast bar or a meal replacement bar as well. It really doesn’t have to be anything fancy. That way you won’t have to burn your fuel to cook breakfast, and as a result, you will have enough for survival.

4. Add some sweets to your 2-week food supply

If you are in a situation where you’re forced to stay in your home for two weeks, you are going to be craving some comfort foods. If you have kids, keeping some sweets around like M&M’s, Snickers, Starburst, or whatever you choose is a great way to keep kids (and maybe even you) from going insane!

Use an Excel spreadsheet to record all of your food and keep inventory.

5. Buy only foods you already eat

This is probably one of the biggest mistakes I see new preppers make. You run out and get a bunch of freeze-dried meals, and boxed-anything and canned-anything, and then when it comes time to eat it, you don’t want to because you really don’t like it after all. Make sure you try and stick to foods for your 2-week emergency food supply that you eat on a daily basis.

If you were planning for a 6-month food supply, I would tell you something a little different. In that case, you might a little bored eating the same types of foods week in and week out. I would tell you to buy more MREs and food ration bars, canned foods, and freeze-dried kits. But if you’re working on only a 2-week window for emergency planning you should be ok with the normal foods that you’re used to.

6. Rotate your food

Always be careful and understand that all food has a shelf life. That means that you are going to have to continue to rotate your food. For example, to keep your 2-week emergency food stockpile fresh, you are going to have to rotate it out. It’s typically called the “first-in-first-out” rule of food prepping.

You have to eat the foods that get old, or that were first placed in your 2-week emergency food supply. That way, you never have old food. For example, if you know that your can of green beans lasts one year on the shelf, then every year, you are going to have to eat that can of green beans and then add a new fresh one to the group.

The easiest way to manage your inventory of food is to date it when it comes into the pantry, write it down on a spreadsheet (like the one I made above) and keep track that way. This way you’ll know when it’s time to rotate out the food.

How Should You Store Your 2-Week Emergency Food Supply?

how to build a 2 week emergency food supply

Storage options are going to come down to how much space you have in your home. It will also depend on the rotation schedule that you have going for your 14-day food supply. I would tell you that the biggest things when it comes to food storage are to keep it all stored in a cool, dark place because it lasts longer.

Now, depending on what type of 2-week emergency food supply you gather, you may not have to worry about storage at all. If you go the freeze-dried food route, those kits last for 25 years, so all you would need to do is stick them in a closet and call it a day. That’s what I have done with my food kits.

I wouldn’t recommend storing your emergency food in a garage unless you live in colder climates. Where I live, it can get 120 degrees in my garage, and this amount of heat can dramatically reduce the shelf life of any of my emergency food.

Therefore, just make sure to keep all of these things in mind when storing your emergency food stash.

Taking The Easy Route: Buying Emergency Food Survival Kits

how to build a 2 week emergency food supply

If you don’t want to have to go through the hassle of keeping an inventory, rotating food, etc, you can always take the easy route and buy some freeze-dried food kits for you and your family.

A lot of emergency food manufacturers produce different emergency food kits that can survive for up to 25 years. You can use these food items especially if you are building your 2-week emergency food supply.

They are a lot better compared to regular food items because they are convenient, easy to store and last up to 25 years if stored in the right conditions.

Emergency kits come with a lot of advantages some of which include:

1. Long Shelf-Life

Emergency food kits contain items that are either freeze-dried or dehydrated. There is a difference between freeze-dried and dehydrated food though. Most of the time, the emergency food kits are all freeze-dried. The reason is that the manufacturers know that the less moisture content, the longer the shelf life. Freeze-dry food has around 99% of the water content removed. Therefore these items have a longer shelf life.

Dehydrated food is similar, but it only has anywhere from 90%-95% of the water removed, which shortens the shelf-life considerably compared to freeze-dried foods.

2.  Just Add Water

Another solid reason that makes these freeze-dried food items better options is their easy-to-use formula. All you need to do is add water and voila! You have an instant meal ready to eat. This is why those freeze-dried meals are extremely popular among backpackers and hikers.

It’s simple to just add some hot, boiling water from a Jetboil and have a delicious meal.

3. Provides Adequate Nutrition

Ready-made emergency food kits are rich in nutrients. They are specifically manufactured this way, especially with the emergency food kits because when you are in an emergency situation, you’re going to need to make sure you continually have the proper nutrition to keep yourself alive.

No matter if you are a male or a female, single survivor, or having a small party they will provide you sufficient nutrients. However, you will need to pick the type of food kit according to your needs and requirements.

4. Easy To Store

Another good thing about emergency food kits is that they are extremely easy to store. You don’t need to worry about their storing environment because they come in food-safe plastic containers that you can easily just stick in a closet or dark pantry and forget about it.

Having that said, traditional food items need a lot of care when it comes to storing them. You will need to provide the right temperature, humidity, storage boxes, etc.

Related Questions And Answers

What Is The Best Survival Food With Long Shelf Life?

There is no specific answer to that question as it depends on your situation. If you want to go for emergency food kits, then you can go for some famous companies like Augason Farms. Honestly, it will all come down to your preference in taste when you’re dealing with emergency food kits.

However, if you want to know about the traditional food items that last forever, then there are a lot of options. Based on the article I wrote titled 24 Foods That Last Forever, you can incorporate some of these when building your 2-week emergency food supply.

  • Honey
  • Canned Beans
  • Pasta
  • Rolled Oats
  • Potato Flakes
  • White Rice
  • Dehydrated backpacking meals
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Corn Starch
  • Coffee

What Is The Best Emergency Food Supply?

When it comes to emergency food supply companies there is a lot to choose from. All of them are fantastic for building reserves, but a few of my personal favorites are Legacy Food Storage, Emergency Essentials and Readywise Foods.

But here is a full list of some other emergency food suppliers:

  • Mountain House Survival Food
  • The Ready Store
  • Augason Farms
  • Eden Valley Farms
  • Prep Basics
  • Valley Food Storage
  • Northwest Fork
  • NuManna
  • Chef’s Banquet
  • Nutristore
  • Lindon Farms

Does The US Government Stockpile Food?

Yes, the United States government has a dedicated department that stockpiles food items. These food items are then used on different occasions to help people in need. The US Department of Agriculture is the main contributor to the national emergency food stockpile. According to an article by GEORGE H.WALTER, during the Hurrican Betsy in 1969, the US department provided around 4.9 million pounds of food supplies.

The main advantage of government food stockpiles is its availability. As soon as a disaster happens they will be available and can be utilized.

How Long Does Canned Food Last?

If you manage to store your canned food in the right environment it can last for one year. Canned food is a decent choice for survival situations. It is because the manufacturer has already added preservatives to prevent it from spoiling.

The canning process increases the overall quality of the food item. However, it doesn’t mean that these food items are immortal. Even if they are preserved you still need to be careful. Make sure that the can is placed in a cool dry place. Apart from that, there shouldn’t be any direct sunlight falling on the can.

Food cans can corrode as they consist of metal. Corrosion can reduce food quality therefore you must double-check the quality of the can. In addition to this, you should also take a closer look at the can for leaks. If you take all these safety measures you can extend the shelf life of your canned food a few more months.

Final Thoughts

To prepare for any kind of situation, you must at least know how to build a 2-week emergency food supply. It doesn’t have to be complicated or hard, it just needs to be sufficient for keeping everyone healthy during a disaster. Keep a variety of different food items so you don’t get bored, make sure to rotate your food supply, and buy things you are going to eat.