How long can you sustain your family on your stored food? And tips how to rotate

[jennyjj01]

...not everything will suddenly disappear...

Agree - I remember the 80s in the USSR: yes, some food and good items suddenly disappeared from the shelves (soap, flour, sugar, matches, cigarettes, alcohol is what I remember well because they were readily available before and then suddenly disappeared), but then the government introduced cards and we managed for several years

I remember watching a programme about Cuba. Some things there were in short supply or just simply unavailable. I suppose the US trade sanctions played a huge part in that but the experince should serve as an indicator as to what could happen here if world trade were to nosedive. The programme mentioned a ration scheme there too so that everyone was entitled to a basic diet , rice , flour , oil , sugar that type of thing which rather ties in with my idea of disproportionate storage of items I mentioned in another thread. If a situation is so bad that government can't even attempt to feed it's citizens then we have a bigger problem than six months worth of tins is going to solve...

Cuba serves as a great case study in coping with an austere national situation. The UK could be actually blockaded in time of hostility, or effectively blockaded if our economy tanks and we cannot afford to import. I already feel the latter happening.
There's a case to be made for adapting our diet now so we don't get stressed by a forced transition. god help the 'Deliveroo' generation if anything hits their ability to service their appetites. They could become the prepper's worst nightmare. A friend in need is a PITA.

[grenfell]

And also the possibility that action will be taken against "hoarding" in the event of a real situation. In WW2 there was anti-hoarding propagada, public sentiment was strongly against anyone thought to be hoarding and in some countries this was enforced legally too.

Thinking about the last post and the attitude to 'hoarding' food etc, how would anyone know? If your stocks are already good then each shop is updating your stocks which should look like a normal family shop. My shop is always big as I'm feeding 4 adults and shop every 2 weeks. Extra bits are just absorbed into the shop.

I would think with regards to the war hoarding became harder as time went by. Non of us I would think have stores good for the six years the war lasted and with rationing it wouldn't be possible to do a "big shop" if you're only allowed a bare minimum. Hoarding in that case would probably go hand in hand with the black market hence the legal enforcement.
Though I feel some form of rationing of food and energy would actually be a good thing for society in reality we are a long way off at the moment...

[jennyjj01]

And also the possibility that action will be taken against "hoarding" in the event of a real situation. In WW2 there was anti-hoarding propagada, public sentiment was strongly against anyone thought to be hoarding and in some countries this was enforced legally too.

What kind of war, I wonder?
If the UK were to get bombarded like we see in current conflicts, homes and pantries might be getting flattened faster than we could be opening the tins.
Maybe war in Europe could leave us un-bombarded but blockaded. That might be when the extended pantry might be handy. But keeping it replenished would be a full time struggle. It's a conundrum that some EU countries are instructed to store food. It would an unpopular leadership that then flipped to tell us to share what we stored.

I would think with regards to the war hoarding became harder as time went by. Non of us I would think have stores good for the six years the war lasted and with rationing it wouldn't be possible to do a "big shop" if you're only allowed a bare minimum. Hoarding in that case would probably go hand in hand with the black market hence the legal enforcement.
Though I feel some form of rationing of food and energy would actually be a good thing for society in reality we are a long way off at the moment...

Things might run a bit faster with a WW3 scenario. Plus unless we 'won' rationing might become the new permanent, like Cuba, or maybe NK. Rationing could just take so many forms. Food price inflation is a dirty version that we face now. Could/Would government regulate a fair and more social system tat stopped the poor from bearing the brunt?

[GillyBee]

Rationing was introduced in both WWs to reduce the risk of civil insurrection and to improve the quality of the recruits who began to be too malnourished to be employable as time went by in WW1.
And the countries that advocate an emergency food supply mostly ask for around 2 weeks stores. It is only the Mormons, preppers and people who have survived SHTF in other countries who believe in holding more.

[grenfell]

Things might run a bit faster with a WW3 scenario. Plus unless we 'won' rationing might become the new permanent, like Cuba, or maybe NK. Rationing could just take so many forms. Food price inflation is a dirty version that we face now. Could/Would government regulate a fair and more social system tat stopped the poor from bearing the brunt?

Agreed , faster and different and possibly even nuclear. As it is with an eye on the middle east there could be a limited nuclear exchange if Iran and Israel start lobbing missiles at each other but far more likely we'll see an increase of terrorist type attacks as those with a grudge against Israel attempt to hit both Isrealis and those who they feel support them. Those attacks are probably far more likely to be on civilian targets and for maximum impact on denser populated areas. Thus where one lives could have a bearing on how much food to store. If you're living in the capital then storing a lot might run the risk of having to abandon it all if an evacuation was called. Clever terrorists might try attacks at infrastructure such as water and electric in which case storing a lot of water might be a good idea.
I also agree food price inflation is a dirty way to do things and it's probably a political decision to let it happen as it's " out of the government's hands" whereas rationing would be seen as a vote loser. That said I do feel rationing could or would be implemented if things became dire and it had cross party support if the only other option was societal collapse and some rationing did come in after we'd won the war , bread for example.. And perhaps the rationing wouldn't be a bad thing , certainly might help with the obesity epidemic and we might become fitter and healthier which could ease the burden on the NHS....

[Frnc]

far more likely we'll see an increase of terrorist type attacks as those with a grudge against Israel attempt to hit both Isrealis and those who they feel support them. Those attacks are probably far more likely to be on civilian targets and for maximum impact on denser populated areas. Thus where one lives could have a bearing

I was thinking about this. I live less than 7 miles from where a suicide bomber killed 22 people at a venue I'd been to a gig at, 5 months earlier. This was related to the wars in Libya and Syria. All this goes back to the mujahideen in Afghanistan in the 80s. Bomber apparently met AQ while fighting in Libya. His father was a member of a Libyan fighting group that was banned in the UK up to 2019. Also, apparently it was related to his friend being killed by a gang, and a local imam calling for jihad (sources Wiki, BBC and Guardian).

[Omega]

This brings me to a conclusion that we probably don't need much food to store - in case of a disaster we will be evacuated, in case of WW3 - well, I will try to move out from radioactive land to places that are less contaminated, but there is still a chance I have to stay put before the opportunity turns up. In case of blockade - well, I think this will be very gradual, so enough time to decide to stay or leave
Yes, Covid caused a bit of problems and we did not have some products for some time. However, it was not a survival situation

[Omega]

I did a bit of calculation how long I can sustain on my food. It looks like at least 3 months if I buy food in bulk for convenience and savings, and it gets into a usual rotation.
So, I will only buy rations like Seven Oceans and NRG-5, but for convenience of having a portable compact lunch, and they will also end up in my rotation.
My conclusion is that I do not need to make any food reserves for emergency, but make for convenience.

[jennyjj01]

Yes, Covid caused a bit of problems and we did not have some products for some time. However, it was not a survival situation

Waddya mean. Disruption of Deliveroo and Just Eat caused millions of deaths.

Covid lockdowns were a great dress rehearsal for we preppers. I wonder how many of our unprepared compatriots learned nothing and went straight back to the empty pantry when covid was over.

[Frnc]

I did a bit of calculation how long I can sustain on my food. It looks like at least 3 months if I buy food in bulk for convenience and savings, and it gets into a usual rotation.
So, I will only buy rations like Seven Oceans and NRG-5, but for convenience of having a portable compact lunch, and they will also end up in my rotation.
My conclusion is that I do not need to make any food reserves for emergency, but make for convenience.

I'm about the same. 3 months in the cupboard, plus a bit of Seven Oceans and Fuel Your Prep in the BOB. I will try to eat those in 2027. It takes me about a year to eat 3 months, because I normally eat from the fridge/freezer. Things like tuna, I just buy when it's on offer. In fact almost everything I buy is on offer. Even got 25p off my milk today (50 Nectar Points). So everything I eat is in date, apart from a bag of pasta I'm finishing off.

Dehydrated Falafel mix, has protein and carbs. The boxes are tiny, so take very little space, but you get 9-12 falafels out of each one = 600 calories, so a pretty good cupboard food I can stock up on and rotate. Nearly 2 years on the BB date.