FSR Newsroom

One of the big questions in food storage is whether to buy a lump amount of food storage that you tuck away for an emergency or to buy extra food that you eat through and rotate. The answer really comes down to how much time and effort you want to put into managing your food storage.

Benefits of a lump amount

By buying a large amount of food storage that you don’t plan on eating unless there is an emergency, you get the satisfaction of “writing a check and walking away.” You don’t have to do any other planning or management after initially paying for it and finding a place to store it. This type of food storage plan requires you purchase something that has a very long shelf life such as freeze-dried food, which lasts 25+ years. We recommend Food Insurance, The Ready Store, or Emergency Essentials for the best products.

Benefits of rotating through food storage

If you have the time and planning skills, you can regularly eat part of your food storage and replace it every month or two. This is called rotation and is very effective for families who have set eating habits. Unfortunately, too may people think they can eat/replenish their food storage, and they end up wasting food when their eating habits change. Think of all the times you have had to throw out old cans of food because your family got tired of eating a particular food.

However, if you have the resolve, then we recommend finding good solutions at Honeyville Grain or Shelf Reliance. These companies also have great recipes for preparing food with traditional food storage products such as bulk wheat and grain.

Our take

It’s been our experience that most people will first try to eat and rotate their own food storage. They head to Costco and buy cases of their favorite foods with the intention of eating through it in a specific amount of time. Unfortunately, they get tired of the constant planning and give up after only a few months. We think it’s easier and even cheaper just to go buy a 3-, 6-, or 12-month supply of freeze-dried food and “call it a day.” Remember, the hardest thing about getting prepared is just getting off the couch and actually doing something. Why make it more complicated? Check out our list of long shelf-life products for more choices.

Which food storage method do you prefer? Let us know in the comments section.