One of the first questions people ask us is “how much food do I actually need?” The answer depends on two key factors: how many people you'll be feeding, and how long you want your food supply to last. By estimating your household's daily calorie requirements and choosing a realistic timeframe, you can build a food reserve that fits your needs, budget, and level of preparedness.
Calculating Your Daily Household Caloric Need
Consider how many people are in your household or are likely to join your household in an emergency. Are there family members or friends nearby that will shelter with you in an emergency? Make sure to include them in the number of people you are preparing to feed.
Then, you will need to decide how many calories you require per person, per day. 1200 calories is generally considered the bare minimum for short-term survival, whereas 2000 calories is a more reasonable and sustainable target. You may also want to consider factors like environmental conditions, physical activity levels, and individual factors like age, gender and body weight. For example, if you are preparing for a situation where your household will be sedentary (such as a winter storm and power outage), you would require fewer calories than if your household will be doing hard physical work like building shelter or working a demanding job like nursing.
When in doubt, base your calculations on providing everyone with 2000 calories per day. Your food stores can then be rationed to last longer or support more people, providing greater resiliency and peace of mind.
Determining How Long to Prepare For
The recommended length of time to prepare for varies greatly depending on who you ask. Most government and Crown corporations suggest a minimum of 3 days, whereas a growing number of independent experts recommend planning for up to 1 year. For the average household wanting to increase resiliency and be prepared for the unexpected, we recommend starting with a 2-week supply. That’s a 2-week cushion that provides your family with the opportunity to get back on your feet while you perform an initial assessment of damage and injury, and while you wait for critical infrastructure, power, and emergency services to be restored.
Here’s the formula: number of people x 2000 calories x 14 days = how many calories you’ll need for 2 weeks.
For example, a family of 4 would need 112,000 calories to be prepared for 2 weeks (4 x 2000 x 14).
Increasing Resiliency
Once you’ve collected your first 2 weeks of emergency food, you may want to continue adding to your supply to prepare for a longer period of time. Consider the following:
- Do you live in an urban neighbourhood that is close to emergency services and grocery stores, or a rural area that is less accessible?
- What are the hazards in your region? Are you vulnerable to seasonal events such as tornadoes, hurricanes or wildfires?
- Do any members of your household have specific medical conditions or mobility restrictions that may make them more vulnerable to illness or injury following an emergency?
- Do you have a vegetable garden, or another way to produce your own food?
- What is your risk tolerance?
Learn more about emergency food, including a breakdown of the available options and how to start your supply, here: Emergency Food Explained.
Preparing an emergency food supply doesn't have to happen all at once. As your budget allows, continue adding to your food stores to increase your resilience and preparedness for longer disruptions. The most important step is to start now. Every meal you store today is one less meal you'll need to worry about during an emergency, giving you greater peace of mind and the ability to focus on keeping yourself and your loved ones safe.