Rotation List For Grocery Stockpiling

Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters make it necessary to have an emergency food supply. At minimum, you should have a three-day supply of emergency food for your household. However, most people who have an emergency food stockpile plan for two weeks' to one month's worth of food. FEMA suggests that you date your foods and water and then rotate them with fresh supplies.
Building this grocery stockpile may sound overwhelming, but the task becomes more manageable if you commit to purchasing a small amount of extra food each week and rotate them on a regular schedule. Be sure to check all foods for signs of spoilage before using them, regardless of rotation schedules and expiration dates.

Canned Goods

When disaster strikes, familiar foods can be a source of comfort. Look for sales on your favorite canned items at the local supermarket and buy food for your stockpile when you find a good deal. Canned fruit in light syrup, canned beans or corn, peanut butter, jelly, canned chili, stew, soup and tuna are all excellent items to include in your grocery stockpile, although anything that requires minimal preparation and no refrigeration is acceptable. These items have a shelf life of about one year. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, along with the American Red Cross provide grocery storage recommendations in "Food and Water in an Emergency," noting canned food in swollen, dented, leaking, or rusted cans should never be eaten and should be discarded and replaced immediately.

Dried Foods and Powdered Milk

Trail mix, dried fruit, jerky, and granola bars are all good items to have in your emergency food stockpile. Individual-sized cups of noodles or soup that only require the addition of hot water to prepare can also be included in your food stockpile. Check dates on labels for energy bars, and use or rotate dried fruit and dry crackers within six months. Dry milk in boxes should also be rotated after six months, but powdered milk in nitrogen-packed cans can last indefinitely, according to FEMA. Dry pasta, white rice, soybeans, wheat, and instant coffee and tea can also be stored indefinitely if they are stored in the right containers.

Water

Water is an essential component of an emergency stockpile. FEMA states that you should have a minimum of one gallon of water per day for each person in your home, but consider adding extra if you live in a hot climate or have people with special needs in your family. Gallon jugs are easiest to handle. "Food and Water in an Emergency" says to store bottled water in the its sealed container and take note of its “use by” date. If there is no expiration date on the water bottle, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests you replace your stored water every six months.
If you have an infant at home, include formula as part of your grocery stockpile. Even if the mother is breastfeeding, she may not be able to make enough milk to nurse successfully in the event of an emergency.

Miscellaneous Items

In addition to basic food items, salt, pepper, hand sanitizer, water purification tablets, vitamins, eating utensils, and a manual can opener are all good things to include as part of your grocery stockpiling efforts. Vitamins usually last a year. Pet food should be added and rotated as well if you have animals that would need to be cared for in the event of an emergency.