The Best 12 Non-Perishable Food Items To Easily Stockpile

Supplies and Stockpiling

The Best 12 Non-Perishable Food Items To Easily Stockpile

In times of crisis or emergency, having the right stockpiled food can be crucial for ensuring survival, comfort, and resilience. Whether facing natural disasters, societal disruptions, or unforeseen emergencies, preparedness begins with a well-thought-out supply of essential non-perishable food items. The key to effective emergency food stockpiling lies in diversity, longevity, and nutritional value. Being in the UK means you also have the benefit of a good food network, so prepping for an emergency couldn’t be easier.

Diverse stockpiling ensures that you have a range of foods to meet different dietary needs and preferences. This includes non-perishable food items like canned goods, dried foods, and ready-to-eat meals, offering flexibility in meal preparation during extended periods without access to fresh groceries.

Longevity is essential as it ensures your food supply remains viable over time. Choosing shelf-stable foods with extended expiration dates or storing food properly for longevity ensures that your emergency supply is reliable when needed most. Thankfully in the UK we’re not short for supermarkets and shops.

Prepping for Nutrients

Nutritional value should not be overlooked either. Your stockpiled foods should provide essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to sustain health and energy levels during prolonged emergencies. Balancing carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and micro-nutrients ensures a well-rounded diet, supporting physical and mental well-being during challenging circumstances.

By proactively preparing and maintaining a stocked pantry with these considerations in mind, individuals and families can enhance their readiness to weather emergencies and disruptions with greater confidence and security.

What are the top 12 non-perishable foods

The following twelve types of food items should all be shelf-stable. Needless to say, the actual most important thing you need to store is water, lots of safe to drink water. Or have an alternative way of obtaining it. That said, here are our top 12 non-perishable food items.

  1. Meal, Ready to Eat / MREs
  2. Canned Beans
  3. Rice
  4. Pasta
  5. Canned Vegetables
  6. Canned Fruit
  7. Oats
  8. Peanut Butter
  9. Fried Fruit and Nuts
  10. Canned Meat / Fish
  11. Crackers
  12. Soups or stews

You’ll notice we haven’t calculated or stated any quantities of these items, that’s a bit of a complex discussion. Thankfully we’re working on providing a way to calculate that easily yourself, depending on storage space availability and number of mouths to feed!

Update: We’ve now put together a shopping list for 72-hour’s worth of emergency food. The best bit, the whole 72-hours worth of food costs just £10. Crazy!

We’ll also aim to put together a quick downloadable shopping list in the future. Done!

All Twelve Non-Perishable Food Items Explained

MREs: “Meal, Ready-to-Eat.” These are self-contained, individual field rations typically used by military personnel, outdoor enthusiasts, and emergency response teams. MREs are designed to provide a complete meal that is ready to eat without the need for cooking or additional preparation. Each MRE package includes a main entrée (such as a protein like chicken or beef), side dishes (like rice or potatoes), snacks (such as crackers or fruit), desserts (like cookies or cake), beverages (like coffee or fruit-flavored drink mix), and accessories (including utensils, napkins, and condiments).

MREs are super convenient, a welcome change to other staples you may be making, as well as diverse and super filling. The downside is these kits will set you back the most out of these 12 food items, but purchasing a small pack of them will go along way if you eat them sparingly. A single MRE (1 days worth) will set you back about £25 – you could get a lot of other non-perishable food items for that!

Canned beans: Canned beans, such as black beans or kidney beans, are rich in protein, fibre, and essential minerals like iron and potassium. They provide sustained energy and can be easily incorporated into various meals, offering a versatile and nutritious option for preppers. My personal favourite is the mixed bean variety. Tough Mudder, recommend beans as one of there 3 food groups to provide you sustained energy and nourishment during extreme activities.

Rice: Rice is a staple carbohydrate that provides energy and can be stored for long periods. It’s a valuable source of complex carbohydrates and can serve as a base for many meals, offering satiety and versatility in prepper food storage.

Pasta: Pasta is another carbohydrate-rich food that stores well and cooks quickly. It provides sustained energy and pairs well with canned sauces or vegetables, offering comfort and nutrition during emergencies. This makes up the bulk of the calories from my non-perishable food items in the stockpile. Pasta and Rice are both listed by the NHS as suitable Eat-Well Starchy Foods.

Canned vegetables: Canned vegetables retain their nutritional value and provide essential vitamins and minerals like vitamins A and C. They add variety and nutrition to prepper meals, ensuring a balanced diet even in times of scarcity. If you grow your own veg, read the GardenExpress Preserving Guide to keep spare veg ready for emergencies.

Peanut butter: One of my favourites. Peanut butter is a high-protein and high-calorie food. It stores well and provides essential fats, protein, and energy. It’s a convenient and tasty addition to our supplies, offering both nutrition and salty-comfort. The big question you have to ask yourself though, is do you go chunky or smooth?!

Canned fruits: Canned fruits, packed in juice or light syrup, offer vitamins, antioxidants, and natural sugars. They provide a refreshing treat, while also contributing to overall nutrition. It’s also super easy to get a massive variety of fruit this way, much easier than getting or storing fresh stuff!

If you have your own fruit trees, or nearby berry bushes, you may want to get ahead of any disaster scenario by preserving your own fruit. Read Hilliers Guide here on Jarring your own Fruit.

Dried fruits and nuts: Dried fruits and nuts are nutrient-dense snacks rich in vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. They’re an ideal non-perishable food item to store up. They provide quick energy, satisfy hunger, and can be stored for extended periods, making them ideal for preppers.

Oats: Oats are a source of soluble fibre, which helps maintain digestive health and regulate cholesterol levels. They are versatile, can be used in porridge, and provide lots of slow release energy for preppers during prolonged emergencies. Our 72-hour emergency survival menu uses those instant add-water pots of oats – cheap, tasty and filling.

Canned fish or meat: Canned fish, such as tuna or salmon, and canned meat, like chicken or beef, are protein-rich options that store well and provide essential amino acids and vitamins. I would opt to get the fish tinned in spring water, not brine. That way it’ll go towards your hydration quota too. Tinned fish/meat offer great variety for prepper diets, it’s just a shame tinned tuna is so expensive (I love that stuff). 

After MREs, I would say tinned fish and meat is probably going to be your second largest expense from this food list.

Crackers: Crackers are shelf-stable carbohydrate sources that provide quick energy and pair well with spreads like peanut butter or canned meats. Grab a variety, plain, cheese ones and black pepper. It helps break up the monotony of crackers that may quickly set in. Just check you can store them safely, so you don’t open them up to find a packet of cracker dust!

Shelf-stable soups or stews: Shelf-stable soups or stews provide convenience and nutrition in a single package. They are hearty, offer essential nutrients, and can be a comforting meal option during emergencies.

Bonus – Gap Filler

Salt and pepper: Salt is crucial for electrolyte balance and food preservation, while good black-pepper adds lots of flavour and may have antimicrobial properties, enhancing both taste and food safety in prepper meals.

Spicy sauce: Spicy sauces can enhance flavour, boost morale, and provide a variety of essential nutrients like vitamins A and C. I find they can also help mask the taste of monotonous emergency rations, adding enjoyment to meals. Plus I’m not sure I could survive without my hit of spice!

Stockpiled Those Non-Perishable Food Items – Now What?

Once you’ve stored away sufficient quantities of the 12 items above, you may want to increase your supplies with some of the following ‘nice-to-haves’.

Now you’ve put together your own plan to grab some non-perishable food items for the home, have you considered what you’ve got nearby for a medical emergency? Check out our article on cheap first-aid kits, or the best water purification products.

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