Emergency Food Cache and Sack Lunches

Non-perishable foods are those that do not readily support the growth of microorganisms that cause human illness. They can be held at room temperature for over 3 hours and not cause illness. Growth of molds and yeasts is possible in some of these foods over the period of several days and they should not be consumed if that occurs. Quality changes such as off-odors and off-flavors may occur in some of these foods if they are unrefrigerated for a week or more. Some manufacturers state "for best quality keep refrigerated" on the lables of these items.
Non-perishable foods
raw vegetables
raw fruits (cooked fruits and fruit juices are usually acid enough that they are okay for a day until molds and yeasts grow)
breads (even egg bread)
jam and jelly
candy, fruit leather, tomato leather
pickles, mustard, catsup
jerky
candy
dry pudding mixes, jello mixes, cake mixes, cookie mixes, seasoned pasta and rice mixes
commercial mayonnaise and most commercial salad dressings
uncooked rice, uncooked pasta, uncooked oatmeal, dry breakfast foods, crackers, granola bars
unopened canned and bottled foods
unopened commercial containers of pudding
hard cheeses such as cheddar, monterey jack, swiss

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Foods Safe to Keep Unrefrigerated

Questions about which foods can safely be kept unrefrigerated and for how long often arise during crisis situations when electricity is off for extended periods, but these decisions should be part of every day food storage practices. Please consult the first section of this page for a list of foods that need and do not need refrigeration. Once you become familiar with the perishable items, you are set. These refrigeration rules apply whether or not the refrigerator is working and whether or not the food in question is expensive. Unfortunately, householders often hope a perishable food will somehow be safe to consume because they are in a tight situation, and the illness that results comes at a time when they are least able to cope.

Emergency Food Cache

Making a Food Cache Book

Whether you are storing a small food supply in case of a disaster, or an extensive supply that can support your family during seasonal layoffs or long term disruptions; it is critical that the food remain safe to consume. Storing only non-perishable items and rotating your stock is important. If you are not sure which foods are non-perishable and can be stored for a year at room temperature, please check the first section on this page and also the flooded kitchens section from the main menu. It is common for householders to be most concerned about well balanced, tasty meals, but foodsafety should be one's first priority.

Keeping the food safe during the storage period requires occasional monitoring.
DRY FOODS Food that is non-perishable because it is too dry for microorganisms to grow must be kept dry. For example if you are in an area where hurricanes or tornados occur so there could be a lot of rain after loosing a roof, you may consider placing dry rice, pasta, pet kibble, breakfast bars, etc. in double containers. The original manufacturer's bag may be moisture proof but not waterproof. Heavy gallon size zip-lock bags and solid sided plastic or glass containers can provide additional moisture protection. Check the section on flooded kitchens on the main menu for additional wet disaster information.

MICE Mice seem to seek out these storage supplies. Some of their favorites include juice boxes and some of the juice usually drips onto other foods before the mice can drink it. Mice can chew through plastic bags, cardboard boxes, thin metal, and solid plastic containers. They tend to leave cans alone however they will chew through the thin metal strip covering the opening of individual beverage containers. Rats chew through heavy plastic garbage cans so don't plan on putting all of your food in one of those and keeping it in an outside storage building. The containers these rhodents don't eat will be covered with their waste products and the clean-up is time consuming so selecting a storage spot they don't frequent is best. In some households that may be in heavy plastic storage containers kept under the bed where the cat or dog sleeps (and watch the dog!).

Quality ChangesWith time many foods will develop off-flavors, odors, and colors. Rotating the items you have stored will prevent waste.
FAT Foods high in fat can become rancid at room temperature after 3 months. Rotate your oil, shortening, whole wheat flour, ramen noodles, dry pasta dinner mixes, breakfast bars, breakfast beverages, snack crackers, and jerky to prevent this quality spoilage. (They are not microbiologically contaminated, rancidity is a chemical change.)
BROWNING Dry milk, soy beverages, orange juice, and dried fruits should be rotated every 3 months to prevent the quality change of browning. Light colored canned fruits will show browning after a year. Storing in a cool, dark place will slow this borwning. If dry milk browns, it does not combine well with water.
CANNED FOODSCanned foods are safe to consume as long as they were properly processed in the first place and the seal is not broken which would allow entry of microorganisms. Canned foods will be good quality for one year. After a year's storage they may develop off-odors, flavors and colors. Acid foods such as tomato products and fruits may develop a metalic taste as the food reacts with the metal can. The fat in canned meats and combination dishes may become rancid. There are some health concerns with long-term consumption of foods that are rancid or browned, but it is not a microbiological concern.
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Sack Lunches

Taking lunches to school or work can save households money and meet special dietary needs. However keeping the food safe to consume is critical. You must either take only non-perishable foods (see list of perishable and non-perishable items under safety section of main menu, subheading storage temperature) or you must devise a way to keep the perishable items below 40F or above 140F.

One way to provide variety to lunches is making the lunch box a mini-refrigerator. If you have decided to select a lunch box and frozen solution container (such as Blue Ice) that will hold the temperature below 40F, keep in mind that holding this low temperature for only 3 hours until lunchtime will only be adequate if the person does not consume leftovers on the way home 7 hours later. There is a wide assortment of insulated lunch boxes on the market. Some of these boxes are too small to hold an adequate amount of frozen solution. To keep the box safely cool in most room temperature situations you will need a frozen solution container of 1 1/2 inches by 6 inches. The smaller amounts of frozen solutions are just too small to keep the temperature low enough to be safe, even cute little ones that are designed to be placed on top of sandwiches. So, when purchasing a lunch box, try putting a frozen solution container in it at the store; is there still enough room left to add food? There is a size put out designed to hold a 6-pack of cans that is a good size for most lunch needs of elementry school children. Older children and some adults may need the size designed to hold 8 or 12 pop cans. For hot summer days when the lunch needs to remain in a vehicle this larger size box with two frozen solutions is best. Check that the lid closes tightly on the hard sided boxes; some manufacturers have neglected this. The soft sided insulated lunch boxes are attractive but some do not hold the cold temperature as well as the hard sided ones (a thin layer of foam doesn't do well). The soft sided ones are also more difficult to keep clean and when the lining tears they must be discarded.

Things to pack in uncooled lunches
Bread
lettuce
commercial mayonnaise, salad dressing
hard cheese such as cheddar
applesauce
dried fruit, raisins, and dried vegetables, and jerky
crackers, granola bars, candy, cake without perishable fillings or frostings
pie except cream pie
juice, pop
raw vegetables, raw fruits
peanut butter
jelly, catsup, mustard, pickles cooked fruits such as apple sauce or fruits that had been canned

DO NOT pack cured meats such a bologna, ham or smoked turkey. These foods used to contain such large amounts of salt and nitrate that microorganisms that cause human illness could not grow in them. However they are now made using different recipes and must be refrigerated for safety.
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