10 Best Survival Foods At Your Grocery Store In 2019

An emergency can strike without warning and unfortunately, most people find out too late that they are missing the essential supplies. Far too many times you’ve seen on the news how people line up in front of grocery stores hoping to get some last minute survival foods. If you end up doing the same, you should at least know what to buy from your grocery store.

Although buying provisions like food and water before a disaster is the smartest thing to do, there will always be those who wake up at the last minute. Most people will rush to the store at the last moment. The majority of them are clueless that stores stock less than a week’s worth of food under normal circumstances. The stores are picked bare during emergencies and you will end up waiting in line for nothing. Keeping a healthy stock of survival foods in the house will make sure you overcome unexpected emergencies.

Even if you are not preparedness minded, creating a food supply of emergency food is rather straightforward. You can do some last minute shopping before disaster strikes to be on the safe side. A trip to the grocery store is all it takes. The survival foods listed in this article can be found at your local store. These foods have a long shelf-life, are calorie dense and are inexpensive. All of these survival foods are good choices to keep on hand in the event of an emergency situation and you probably already have some in your house.

 10 Best Survival Foods to buy at the last minute

If you are reading this now, then I hope that you are reading it in preparation for a disaster, and not in the middle of one. If that is the case, then I highly suggest that, instead of thinking that you will buy these things last-minute, you will go and get them now. Press print, nip off to the shop, and buy them before you have to Google again, or search through your bookmarks to find this page again. Mainly, that is because you are unlikely to have the internet id disaster strikes!

Dry Beans

I’ve written in a previous article about beans as survival food. No matter how you look at it, the bottom line is that beans are a superfood. They are high in protein and fiber and other nutrients that can help keep you healthy during an extended crisis. They are excellent foods to feed more than one person since one cup of dry beans makes 2-3 cups of cooked beans (depending on the variety). Once you get to the store, make sure you pick three large bags of beans.

To diversify your meals feel free to choose your favorite. One thing to mention is that beans are also proper survival seeds. In case you need to start a garden, you already have some of the seeds waiting for you.

Suggested article: Back to basics – Beans for your survival pantry

Lard

In an emergency situation, you will be doing some home cooking. You will need oil to get the job done and prepare a hot meal. Lard is long-lasting and high in calories. You can use it to add a bit of flavor to your food. You probably remember even today how good your grandmother’s cooking used to taste. Our grandparents used lard when cooking and a large can would last them for a long time. In case of emergency, you can even use it as a butter substitute and it will provide you with the calories you need to survive.

Rice

You can find rice in any store in this world. It’s a cheap and healthy addition to your emergency survival foods stockpile. It will provide you with the carbohydrates that will fuel you through a disaster. Half a cup of dried rice makes 1 cup of cooked rice. When it comes to survival foods, rice will help you stretch your food supply without breaking the bank. Every time you go to the grocery store you should pick up a large bag of rice to add to your emergency food supply.

Canned Meat

Canned goods are some of the items that disappear first in a crisis. It is normal behavior because everyone wants to add meat to their diet. You should stock up in advance on cans of tuna, ham, and chicken. These canned goods are an excellent source of protein and they should never miss from a survival pantry.

Even when you do some last minute shopping, chances are you will still be able to get your hands on a few cans of Spam. Make sure you also look for dried meats like beef jerky. These foods have a long shelf life and they will be a tasty addition to your survival pantry.

Canned Fruit and Vegetables

Although canned fruit and vegetables don’t offer much regarding survival food, they are an excellent way to supplement your diet. They can become comfort foods when food fatigue sets in. On your last trip to the grocery store before the blizzard sets in, make sure you get some cans of green vegetables and low-acidic fruits like pears because those canned foods have a longer shelf life. If you have kids, pick something they like as well. It will help you deal with those picky eaters when the crisis is in full effect.

Pasta

Just like rice, pasta is a great way to get carbohydrates. I love pasta and I’ve learned to improvise all sorts of meals using it. This is one of the cheapest survival foods you can find and there are many possibilities to stretch a meal using pasta. You can make pasta with tuna, with canned vegetables and I’ve even had pasta fried in lard with pieces of beef jerky seasoned with cayenne pepper. It is really worth stocking up on pasta. Make sure you buy some when you get at the grocery store.

Salt

No matter how bad food is, salt can make it better or at least edible. If you don’t have a good supply of salt in your survival pantry, you should make a habit of buying salt every time you go to the grocery store. Salt will come in handy as a seasoning during a crisis and there are many uses for it, outside the kitchen as well.

Cornmeal

If you managed to get lard and salt, you need to get some cornmeal as well because it is better to keep on hand than flour. Cornmeal requires fewer ingredients to make bread, and it has a longer shelf life. A few 5lb bags of cornmeal should last until the emergency situation ends. You can make a skillet cake using just lard, salt, and cornmeal and I had the pleasure of eating such food on various occasions during my camping trips. You can even add the peanut butter that is next on the list!

Peanut Butter

Although peanut butter can get expensive if stockpiled alongside your other survival foods, it is a tasty source of protein and much-needed fat. If you are forced to do some last minute shopping, make sure you get some peanut butter as well. You’ll be glad to have this quick snack on hand during an emergency. You could survive only on hardtacks and peanut butter if you are required to do so. Peanut butter can last for years past its expiration date if stored properly.

Sugar and Honey

I like to store honey and sugar not because these are great survival foods, but because they have so many other uses that most people are not aware of. These two items will store for many years and are bound to outlast you. Besides working as sweeteners for your food, they can also be used as antiseptics or food preservatives. You can even preserve meat using honey and I recommend reading the following articles as it will teach you how you can benefit the most by stockpiling these foods:

Treating wounds with sugar and honey

Honey the ultimate survival food

If you managed to get everything listed above and a little extra, once you get back home it’s time to take care of your groceries. Storing food for an extended period requires some preparation if you don’t want to waste your money. First, you will need a cool, dry place that is dark even during the day. If you have a basement or cellar, you have the ideal place to store your food as long as it is not too close to the heating installation. And second, make sure that the temperature doesn’t oscillate too much in the place designated as your temporary survival pantry.

If you bought large quantities of food, you would need to store them in food-grade sealable containers or Mylar bags. One container per food item is the way to go and if you want to mix ingredients to create ready to eat meals, use glass jars. Put labels on the containers that list the ingredients and the date the container was packed.

Recommended reading: Food storage mistakes you should avoid

You don’t have to be a prepper or a survivalist to ride out a disaster and you just need to have a basic knowledge of what it takes to survive.

During an emergency, the vast majority of people will buy foods that do not provide long-term comfort. This is why items such as bread or milk will disappear first. They think that the crisis will last only a few days and even though that might be true, it’s not always a guarantee. In most case, you will have a chance of making a last survival shopping trip, but if the crisis extends past those days, you won’t have a second chance.

I recommend making a habit of picking up a couple of the survival foods listed in this article each time you go to your local grocery store. It will help you build an emergency supply of provisions and if it never hits the fan, you wouldn’t have lost anything.

Self-sufficiency and Preparedness solutions recommended for you:

The LOST WAYS (The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us)

Drought USA (How to secure unlimited fresh, clean water)

Survival MD (Knowledge to survive any medical crisis)

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