Do we actually need to get two weeks of food in?

What is the point though?

I'll remind you of this, when the power goes back on...

I don’t understand this at all. If the water supply is affected, trees are down on the roads and there is no food in the supermarkets, how are people going to cook their tins of food? It’s all ridiculously dramatic.

What’s the point though? If you live rurally fair enough but for those of us who live near numerous shops it is entirely pointless.

Cyber attacks wouldn’t go to every shop, think of a tree and its branches, they would cut the main distributor..

Appreciate all the comments about being prepared for lack of electricity (camp fires are small / cheap etc) but there are huge amounts of people who can barely afford to eat, have zero storage space etc so how are they meant to prep / plan? Ideally we'd have supplies of essentials - even without these kind of articles but it's out of reach for many people who just don't have the means to buy even a few extra tins a week.

Money isn't an issue for me but space is so I am not sure where I'd store even the smallest camping stove? We only have a small terrace so a BBQ isn't an option.

True prepping is a pursuit of people with space, time and money.

Geographical location also plays a part. Someone who lives rurally will need to have more on hand than someone (like me) who lives in central London. That's just logistics. I can pop 30 seconds to my little shop for milk, or walk 5 minutes to a Sainsburys (or walk 15 minutes to a 24 hour Tesco) so my needs are totally different to my mate up in Scotland who has to drive 15 minutes for a pint of milk. It does shape your expectations? It is much harder for me to imagine a scenario where I'd need stockpiled water and a camp fire than someone who is more isolated and rural.

What’s the point though? If you live rurally fair enough but for those of us who live near numerous shops it is entirely pointless.

I'm not sure why we have to stock up on food to be honest. I'm 5 minutes from a supermarket which I kind of use as my pantry anyway so in an emergency I'd just pop down there and get stuff. Wouldn't store it all at home "just in case".

For those who have never had to think about this, it can be daunting.

But the idea is to have a few extras, that are shelf stable or frozen, of the kinds of foods you and your family normally eat. And an alternative way to cooking them if your power/gas were out.

So if you normally make your pasta and tomato sauce fully from scratch, add an extra couple of tins of tomatoes to your cupboard. But maybe also think about having 1 or 2 jars (as cheap or as high end/organic as works for your family and your budget) so that if the power is out, you still have something easy and quick to cook. The same with curry or chilli and rice.

Alternate sources of cooking could be a 1 ring camping stove (that you already have for camping/picnics - or autumn is a good time to pick up as stores try to get rid of camping gear to make space for ski gear (outdoor stores) or bicycles (eg Halfords). Or a gas BBQ in the garden - we use ours for all sorts and have used it when the power went out. A charcoal BBQ would also work but takes more effort and is less consistent in cooking…but if that’s what you have, it’s better than nothing. Do you have a small fire pit and could that be used safely?

And also think about what can make bland food taste better - herbs, spices, cooking in stock rather than plain water, having sauces that work for your family (ketchup, mayonnaise, secret sauce, chilli, Caribbean, bbq….).

What do you normally drink and do you have some bottled water for drinks? Could some squash and fizzy water work instead of normal pop?

Do you have a flask so any water you can heat can be kept hot (you might be able to get a kettle boiled in a neighbours house, or boil a large pot but only need 1 cup now but later on want washing up water)? Do you have some paper plates (even leftovers from kids parties) so you don’t need to do a lot of washing up?

Do you have a rainwater barrel in the back garden that you could use to fill a watering can or bucket to be able to flush toilets?

Do you have any power banks to recharge phones (eg for holidays)? Could you get into the habit of keeping them charged up, especially if bad weather is forecast?

It’s not about buying loads of things and having a massive stash - just thinking through how your family, in your location, would manage if the power went out for a few days or there was flooding or a lot of trees came down blocking you in…and having a few sensible things done to deal with those situations before they happen.

And if bad weather is actually forecast, I tend to try and get organised beforehand by charging my devices and powerbanks, getting laundry washed and dried, making sure I have 1 spare bottle of milk and some bread and fresh fruit/veg in the house, and also clearing away clutter on the main paths through the house to prevent trips and falls in low light conditions.

Cyber attacks wouldn’t go to every shop, think of a tree and its branches, they would cut the main distributor..

Do you cook from scratch?
You could store dry ingredients like flour, sugar, dried beans, or staples like tubes of tomato puree (which have a long life).
But if you rely very heavily on fresh veg, fresh meats, and dairy from your fridge, you are likely to go hungry in an emergency lasting more that about three or four days, depending on how recently you had shopped when the emergency happened.

You are even more likely to go hungry if you don't even have those fresh ingredients in your fridge because you usually eat ready meals or take aways.

Your choices are

1. adjust the way you eat so that you use up the tins and jars before they go out of date, and then replace them
2. buy the tins, then chuck them every two years when they go out of date
3. don't buy the tins and risk going hungry

Only if people like you make it dramatic.

Also, read the guidance?

The problem I have is we don’t eat much tinned or jarred food. Except for the odd tinned tomato spag bol or pasta sauce.

I like a ready meal but they won’t keep for long.

So what do I do with the expired tins and jars? Food bank won’t want them.

I don’t understand this at all. If the water supply is affected, trees are down on the roads and there is no food in the supermarkets, how are people going to cook their tins of food? It’s all ridiculously dramatic.

I'm not sure why we have to stock up on food to be honest. I'm 5 minutes from a supermarket which I kind of use as my pantry anyway so in an emergency I'd just pop down there and get stuff. Wouldn't store it all at home "just in case".

I hope it's a quiet generator (amazon £300) or a gang will break into your house on hearing it and take whatever else they can too...

Cyber attacks wouldn’t go to every shop, think of a tree and its branches, they would cut the main distributor..

But it would have to be a cyber attack that affected every single shop selling food in the country which seems unlikely.

I think things would have to be extreme to need 2 weeks of food, especially if you don't live out in the sticks or on a flood plain.

That said we have open fires/a stove, lots of camping equipment including a stove/gas, water purification tablets, an allotment and know how to prep rabbit and game to eat to we're good to go 🙂

I might order in more hrt though !!!

I'm not sure why we have to stock up on food to be honest. I'm 5 minutes from a supermarket which I kind of use as my pantry anyway so in an emergency I'd just pop down there and get stuff. Wouldn't store it all at home "just in case".

I think the point in part is that if the people who are able to do this, do it, there will be less pressure on the supply chain during an incident, and the people who can't afford to/don't have space will be more able to buy from the supermarket. Obvs doesn't help if the supermarkets aren't open at all.