Emergency Food Bars

During many emergencies, you will not have access to your usual food sources. Power outages, flooding, fire, or other emergencies can leave you stranded or make getting your usual food difficult or unsafe. It is important to have at least 72 hours worth of food on hand, including ways to prepare it if necessary. Ideally, you want enough on hand to be self-sufficient for a week or more in an emergency.

Ready to consume straight from the package, emergency food bars eliminate the need for any preparation or cooking, which proves invaluable during crisis situations when access to clean water, cooking tools, or other provisions may be limited.

What’s wrong with having regular protein or granola bars as emergency rations?

Although these type of bars are options, there are a few drawbacks to having them in your emergency kit:

Short shelf life: These kinds of bars are not designed to be stored for extended periods of time.  There might not be a clear expiry date to see when the bar is still good to eat or not.  Unfortunately, we know that people often forget to check their emergency kits yearly for expired items, and they can be left sitting in a closet or car for many years untouched.  It would be unfortunate to be in a situation where a calorie bar is suddenly needed, only to find that a regular granola or protein bar has spoiled.

Thin packaging: items in an emergency kit should be able to withstand some wear and tear.  Items can be closely packed together for portability and convenience, the thin packaging of a grocery bought granola bar could perhaps be torn by being next to a tool, or other survival gear, compromising it.  Kits are also subject to sudden movements, whether being jostled in a vehicle, or having to be quickly pulled from a closet to get to a safe place on foot.

Ingredients:  It recommended to have at least 1200 to 2000 calories per day.  With most grocery food bars are in the 150 to 250 calorie range, it would take a lot of bars to provide ample sustenance for even one person.  Certain ingredients in these bars can cause extra thirst after consumption, possibly wasting valuable water resources.

Benefits of Emergency Food Bars

Extended shelf life:  Emergency Food Bars have up to a 5 year shelf life, saving money on not having to replenish your supply every few months or years

Thick durable packaging:  Calorie food bars are design to withstand wear and tear, with a thick outer packaging.  Most bars also have an additional inner layer of packaging for extra protection.  They can be stored in fluctuating temperatures – making them great for vehicle kits.

Calorie density: A standard emergency food bar block contains about 3600 calories. These block can be easily separated into separate rations, so it can be shared with multiple people, or set aside to survive for a few days.  Most emergency food bars are also developed in a way that they are not thirst provoking after consumption.

Food bar options:

OBARS – Gone are the days when gluten-free and dairy-free options were limited to a few freeze-dried choices. OBARs offer a solution. These nutrient-dense, non-GMO, vegan bars boast a 5-year shelf life, making them ideal for emergency preparedness. Simply unwrap and enjoy! Perfect for inclusion in vehicle and evacuation kits.

Each bar provides 7 grams of plant-based protein and contains 300 calories. Crafted from minimally processed ingredients, OBARs contain no preservatives or emulsifiers. At 71 grams per bar, they’re lightweight and easily portable for evacuation scenarios, making them ideal snacks for students as well. Plus, they’re free from peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs, and soybeans.

SOS Millennium Bars – These bars boast low sodium content and pack 400 calories per bar. Engineered to offer a rapid, nourishing burst of energy during emergencies, the New Millennium Bars are essential additions to auto, home, and school emergency kits. They also prove invaluable for disaster relief efforts, hiking excursions, camping trips, and travel. Incorporating these calorie food bars into your preparedness strategy is crucial. Sized similarly to a regular candy bar, they are perfect for inclusion in school, office, and home emergency kits.

SOS 3600 Calorie Food Bar – These calorie food bars come 9 to a package. Each of those 9 individual calorie food bars contains 410 calories.  They taste similar to a shortbread coconut cookie. Suitable for storage for a period of five years in temperatures ranging from -30ºC (-22ºF) to 65ºC ( 149ºF).

Can you survive on only Emergency Food Bars?

Emergency food bars are a great calorie source, but we always recommend using these bars as a supplement alongside freeze-dried food or MREs, or as part of a grab-and-go kit where other food will be waiting at your destination.  Of course emergency food bars, or any other food, is needed along with water.  Check out the water options Total Prepare has to offer.