Mistakes in food preparedness can be costly. Additionally, it could lead to food and time wastage. Hence, you should start working on a food preparedness plan to protect you and your loved ones early. You need to avoid five common mistakes if you want enough emergency food storage to keep you and your loved ones fed during an emergency. These five mistakes are listed below:
Storing food you don’t like
Examine your refrigerator and pantry. Do you have things you have bought in bulk but haven’t used yet? Are they expired? Do you have plans on eating or using them anytime soon? Irrespective of your answers, you need to keep food that your family enjoys on hand in an emergency.
Begin by gathering non-perishable products that your household consumes regularly. Go for what you know you will eat. Avoid substantial purchases of things you haven’t tried or tested. It’s not a great idea to store a food item you have not tried or do not like. There is a high probability that these food items will spoil.
Food Rotation Failure
Have you ever discovered a food that has stayed long in your cabinet or fridge? It might be moldy or expired. If this happens often, it’s most likely due to a lack of meal rotation. After grocery shopping, put the new food products you just purchased under older ones of the same kind. Once you’ve developed this practice, you’ll always consume the oldest food first, before it spoils.
It is a good idea to preserve the food you will frequently consume to maintain your supply fresh and up to date and prevent wasting food.
Inconvenient Packaging for Foods
Aside from the unappealing food, food items in a food preparedness list also face packaging challenges. For example, cans can be good for packaging. Yet, they can take up a lot of space. Portable, compact, and resealable packaging are perfect for storing nutrient-dense food.
Investing Excessively in Food Storage
It’s easy to let your worry get the better of you when you’re thinking about the possibility of a future disaster. Don’t make the mistake of getting into debt by buying big amounts of food storage.
When building an emergency food stockpile, stay away from the extremes. Rather than purchasing multiple products all at once or getting into debt, gradually increase your stock over time to avoid being a financial burden.
Not Going for Food Items that Matches Your Survival Skills
If you store food items that you do not know how to make or handle, you will be setting yourself up for failure. If you cannot cook or eat iced or heat dinners for some reason daily, go for pre-cooked meals such as tinned soups or freeze-dried dishes. Also, go for food items that don’t need cooking or require boiling water to prepare.
If you’re utilizing basics, consider incorporating them into your meal and combining them with other cupboard goods to determine what works best. Lastly, create a collection of easy dishes and recipes that you like.