UK to warn citizens to stock up on food

[TheNoonBell]

As there is already a thread on chat I thought I would link it here as it will drop off the other board.

Original thread: www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5570978-hm-gov-telling-us-to-get-tinned-food-and-bottled-water

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/25/uk-to-warn-citizens-to-stock-up-on-food-amid-threat-from-climate-crisis-and-hostile-states

Time to get in the winter supplies now before the candles and lanterns sell out. Very impressed with the new USBC Blukar battery lanterns after testing them this summer: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blukar-Camping-Rechargeable-Lantern-Essentials/dp/B0GVNKNM6C

Small flat preps:
Collapsible solar lantern. (Lives on/near window sill)
Water purification tablets.(Very small)
Fill kettle before bed so enough for coffee in the morning.
Spaghetti instead of pasta. (Smaller volume for weight) Slides into small places.
Dried fruit as a portion is 30g rather than tinned fruit.
Keep stocked up and don't let the cupboard/fridge/freezer run down. (3 days food)
Couscous is good volume to meals ratio)
Small collapsible expedition stove.
Store stuff behind books on the bookshelf.

Also a flat dweller, though separate kitchen.

Me too, I try to be organised with what tins I buy, only buying stuff I know I'll use. Tuna in the 4 pack, is great as it takes up little space and I'll always use it.
Can you get yourself on the allotment waiting list, or even better an allotment? Most places do have a waitlist, but it's great to have some outside space.

I haven't got space for lots of water, so just make sure there's some in the kettle, and I refill my drinking water bottle each time it's empty. Some is better than none.

I recall on previous threads the suggestion of using under cupboard kitchen space. If you have kickboards at the bottom of your cupboards apparently they come on and off easily and provide a bit extra storage space. Haven't tried it myself but maybe useful for extra tins if the space is available.

Never got round to putting mine on. There's stuff under there but it takes work to remember to fish it out and use it.

I'm tryi g to prepare as I have a 2 Yr old and a 6 month old but have no idea how to do it or what to buy as I have limited funds as a single mum. No one thinks anything is happening so they all think I'm mad and over reacting

Think what would be most crucial for you.
Don't think that the cost of everything is prohibitive - little at a time, and spend time looking up how much things cost. For example, a couple of mini lanterns on Amazon ( which are surprisingly bright) are a tenner.
In your shoes I would also look to being friendly with neighbours. Most decent people would want to help you.

Does anyone have any experience of using Mylar bags to store food, with the antioxidation sachets?

I’ve been looking at buying some but you have to use all the little antioxidation sachets at once which wouldn’t be very good for me if I bought 50. Mylar bags do seem to be a good way of storing dry food long-term and I’d be very interested to know if anybody else has looked into this.

Tinned fruit, value longlife milk and porridge oats / other cereals. Other dried / jarred / tinned things that you know they like and will def eat.

Think about warmth options - heating, blankets, layers etc

I like to make sure my car doesn't go below half a tank of fuel and I have a bottle of oil, coolant and screen wash in the garage.

Thank you. Iv been buying some ready made milk for the baby bc I couldn't find a way around using bottled water. Iv started buying a few extra bits of tinned stuff in my weekly shops to try and gradually build it... Hope I get enough time to get a reasonable stash. Iv also bought some baby food pouches.

i got some long life milk
but need to remember bottled water

this might help - water purification tablets ...

https://www.boots.com/boots-micropur-water-purification-tablets-extra-strength-50-tablets-10113023p?srsltid=AfmBOooAyySiz6wEDjf2LRKXK3XJrFr0keImBPP2bkoc0Z52QqZuCRv2

Thanx, thatl be OK for me & maybe my toddler but certainly not for my 6 month old yet.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/apr/04/foods-to-stockpile-emergency-store

I used this to build things up gradually. Great link in there to the Swiss government site which has a calculator to help you work out amounts of things needed depending on family sizes etc.

Swiss site here:
https://www.notvorratsrechner.bwl.admin.ch/en

I feel like it's time the PM addresses the nation regarding this. People are starting to get scared.

We keep one of these too:
https://waterbob.com/
DH grew up in the US and filling the bath was one of the first things they did in extreme weather situations.

Three days. They want us to have food for three days (EU advisory) and I bet most people already gave enough food for three days if not much longer.
The other stuff - torch, knowing where to turn off the gas etc is common sense.
I don’t think they are thinking something in particular is going to happen just that they’ve realised people are idiots so are giving them a guideline.

How it should be done: Like in Scandinavia, where basic household readiness is just a standard, boring part of life taught gradually in schools and via occasional, calm leaflets. It’s treated no differently than having a smoke alarm or car insurance.
How the UK is doing it: Dropping sudden, vaguely worded warnings into a media landscape dominated by global tension, right on the heels of terrifying phone alarms.

Very useful. Thank you.

How do you stock up on two weeks worth of water for your whole family. Not just drinking water but also enough to cook and wash with?! Not sure I have room for all that!

I'm not sure Most of us can. Water butt's and I'd be off to a river a few streetts away to flush the loo

Could someone possibly link to the solar lanterns and a decent indoor stove? Thank you

You could have some collapsible water containers that you can use to fill up at the first sign of trouble, from the tap. That would boost your supplies.

I bought one 5l water from the supermarket for £1.80, surprised at low cost so will buy another next time i do a big shop.