There are three main things to consider when deciding which foods to stockpile.
- what do people in your household eat?
- where does it come from?
- how long can it be kept?
What do people in your household eat?
No matter how cheap it is, there is no point stockpiling food that your household won’t, or can’t, eat. “Can’t” is obviously the bigger problem; you need to take into account allergies and medically-required diets when choosing what to buy and store.
Where does it come from?
Is the food produced in the UK, or is it imported from outside the country? More locally-produced food is likely to be easier to find, but may still be at risk from transport issues and/or shortage of personnel to harvest or process it (in the case of fresh food). Imported food is more likely to be subject to delays or to suppliers deciding they do not want to try to negotiate the more complex paperwork that may be involved when exporting to the UK – not to mention the price rises.
How long can it be kept?
The Government web site has a good discussion of the difference between “use by” and “best before” dates when it comes to food labelling. In the simplest terms, “use by” means do not use it after the relevant date, and is more likely to be found on fresh food. “Best before” implies that the food may be of lower quality after that date, but should still be safe to eat. If you want to store food for a long time you will typically be looking for items with a “best before” rather than a “use by” date, or with no date labelling at all (some foods, like sugar, are unlikely to go off if correctly stored).
What to buy and store?
Below we have compiled some suggestions of what may be easy and practical to buy and store. Your mileage will doubtless vary, but even if you don’t buy these exact foods, you might find that they spark some ideas for your own needs.