Food storage

Utah has a long tradition of home storage. The secret is simple: store what you eat, eat what you store, and build it a little at a time.

Start with a week of the foods you already eat, grow it to a month and then three, and only then add long-term staples like wheat, rice, and beans. Don't go into debt to do it. Church food storage (opens source in a new tab) Church emergency preparedness (opens source in a new tab)

Build it a little at a time

Store foods that are part of your normal diet, from a variety of food groups, and rotate them regularly. Church emergency preparedness (opens source in a new tab)
Start with one day's food, multiply by seven for a week, then grow to a month and eventually three months. Church food storage (opens source in a new tab)
Be Ready Utah asks for at least a one-month supply, working toward three months. Be Ready Utah (opens source in a new tab)
Add a few extra items each week instead of buying it all at once. Don't go into debt; store as much as your circumstances allow. USU Extension (opens source in a new tab) Church emergency preparedness (opens source in a new tab)
Your personal plan sizes the 7, 14, 30, and 90-day amounts to your household.

Once you have three months of everyday food, add staples that keep for decades, like wheat, white rice, and beans, and rotate some into everyday cooking. Church food storage (opens source in a new tab)
A 2019 BYU guide suggests these amounts per adult per year for adequate calories and protein: about 132 lb of wheat, 65 lb of white rice, 29 lb of rolled oats, 21 lb of pasta, 62 lb of beans or other legumes, 49 lb of nonfat dry milk, 70 lb of sugar, 22 lb of potato flakes, 8 lb of salt, and 2 gallons of oil. The grains can be swapped for one another. BYU (opens source in a new tab)
Not everything keeps: brown rice, whole wheat flour, nuts, dried eggs, jerky, and granola aren't suited to long-term storage. Church emergency preparedness (opens source in a new tab)

Dry foods packed well and kept at 75°F or cooler last a very long time: wheat and white rice 30 years or more; pinto beans, rolled oats, pasta, and potato flakes about 30 years; nonfat powdered milk about 20. Sugar keeps indefinitely. Church emergency preparedness (opens source in a new tab)
Estimates vary, especially for powdered milk: USU Extension says 3 to 5 years in cool storage and as little as 3 months in heat. When in doubt, rotate sooner. USU Extension (opens source in a new tab)
Heat is the enemy. In USU research, wheat lasted 25 years in a cold basement but only 5 in a hot garage or attic. Store food at about 40°F to 70°F, out of sunlight and off bare concrete. USU Extension (opens source in a new tab)
White rice lasts up to 10 years at 70°F with oxygen absorbers, and up to 30 years in cooler storage. USU Extension (opens source in a new tab)
Commercial canned food keeps its best quality until its code date, usually 2 to 5 years. Use home-canned food within a year. USU Extension (opens source in a new tab)
Oxygen absorbers work only with dry foods (about 10% moisture or less); moist foods sealed without oxygen risk botulism. Foil pouches aren't rodent-proof. Church emergency preparedness (opens source in a new tab)

Put new items behind old ones, and write the month and year on each lid so the oldest gets used first. USU Extension (opens source in a new tab) USU Extension (opens source in a new tab)
Replace water you stored yourself every six months; rotate store-bought water by its date. Ready.gov (opens source in a new tab) Church emergency preparedness (opens source in a new tab)
Check stored water every 6 to 12 months for loose lids, cracks, and cloudiness, and keep plastic containers away from gasoline and pesticides. USU Extension (opens source in a new tab)

If you plan to eat stored wheat, a grain mill is essential. Hand mills need no power but take time and effort, so practice before you need it. USU Extension (opens source in a new tab) USU Extension (opens source in a new tab)
Flour keeps less than a year, so grind it as you need it. USU Extension (opens source in a new tab)
No mill? Simmer whole wheat berries for about an hour, or crack them in a blender for 35 to 45 seconds. USU Extension (opens source in a new tab)

Keep some foods that need no cooking; canned food can be eaten without heating. Ready.gov (opens source in a new tab)
Camp stoves and charcoal grills are for outdoor use only: never inside a home, garage, tent, or camper. Ready.gov (opens source in a new tab) CDC (opens source in a new tab)
Store gasoline, propane, and kerosene outside living areas in labeled safety containers, away from gas appliances like water heaters. CPSC (opens source in a new tab)
A closed refrigerator keeps food safe for about 4 hours; a full freezer for about 48 hours, a half-full one about 24. Throw out perishable refrigerated food after 4 hours without power, and never taste food to check it. FoodSafety.gov (opens source in a new tab)
Keep thermometers in the refrigerator (40°F or below) and freezer (0°F or below). USDA (opens source in a new tab)

Set aside a little money each month, ask for preparedness items as gifts, and buy on sale only what you'll use before it expires. Be Ready Utah (opens source in a new tab)
At case-lot sales, bring a list and a spending limit and stick to them, even if that means buying a half case. USU Extension (opens source in a new tab)
Gardening, and drying, bottling, or freezing your own food, can cut costs. Church emergency preparedness (opens source in a new tab)