While it’s important to stockpile a variety of foods, emergency food kits are also handy to have around. A food kit should be portable, require no-cook or heating up, and, most importantly, provide you with the right nutrition to get through an emergency until you can have access to freshly prepared meals. What you’ll find inside the best emergency food kits are non-perishable foods that can last for days, weeks, and even years. They can be eaten as is or rehydrated with water. Avoiding starvation and staying fed is key to any type of survival, so it’s always safe to have a few of these emergency food kits stored away before disaster strikes.
Comparison Chart
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | DETAILS | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|
| NorthWest Fork Gluten-Free 30 Day Emergency Food Supply | With the NorthWest Fork emergency food supply, you will be guaranteed 30 days or 90 servings of nutritious food when there’s an emergency. The foods are packed in thick, resealable stand-up bags for protection and easy storage. | ||
| Wise Company ReadyWise, Emergency Food Supply | Fruits are some of the best emergency foods to have because they pack a lot of vitamins, but storing them is a challenge. However, this emergency food supply from ReadyWise has found a way to keep freeze-dried fruit last for 20 years! | ||
| XMRE Blue Line (Meals Ready-to-Eat) | The XMRE Blue line of emergency food kits has high-quality ingredients with great flavor, making it one of the best-tasting emergency food kits out there. This case of ready-to-eat meals can last you up to 60 days. | ||
| MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat) Genuine U.S. Military Surplus Assorted Flavor | The military is used to carrying emergency food kits with them while out in the field. With the Combat Ration Emergency Rice Food from the Korean Military, you can survive any disaster the way top soldiers do. | ||
| Survival Tabs 30-day Food Supply Emergency Food Ration | The Survival Tabs are the best emergency food kits in the market because of their extremely long shelf life of 25 years and the hassle-free procedure. You simply need to take 12 chewable tablets per meal. No cooking, no rehydrating needed! | ||
| Food Supply Emergency Food Ration | The Survival Tabs, as previously discussed, are tablets you can take in place of meals to give you the essential calories and vitamins required to avoid starvation. They also come in portable pouches that you can throw into your backpack or bug-out bag. | ||
| LaunchPro Emergency Food, Water & Thermal Blanket | The LaunchPro Emergency Food Kit is one of the top-rated survival food kits, probably because of the many benefits and features it has, including a thermal blanket provided in your kit. Each kit is guaranteed to help you survive three days with all the food, water, and warmth you need. |
A Detailed Review of the 7 Best Emergency Food Kits
NorthWest Fork Gluten-Free 30 Day Emergency Food Supply
With the NorthWest Fork emergency food supply, you will be guaranteed 30 days or 90 servings of nutritious food when there’s an emergency. The foods are packed in thick, resealable stand-up bags for protection and easy storage.
Product Highlights
All ingredients are natural, vegan, non-GMO, and kosher, so anybody with particular dietary needs can still enjoy these emergency food kits. Some of the foods you can expect to get are Strawberry Banana Oatmeal, Tropical Trio Oatmeal, Seasoned Green Pea Soup, Black Bean Soup, Pinto Bean Stew, and Black Bean Chipotle Stew.
The Good
NorthWest Fork ensures freshness by packing foods only when your order is placed. The food is processed in a plant licensed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. It’s considered one of the best emergency food kits because each pack has a ten-year shelf life so that you can have peace of mind for a whole decade!
The Bad
The food comes in large bags, and it can be awkward to use for only one to two servings at a time. You’ll have to make sure you reseal the bags properly if there is still food inside.
PROs
- Natural, vegan, non-GMO and kosher
- Has a shelf life of 10 years
- Resealable bags
CONs
- Difficult to use if you are only using a few servings at a time
Wise Company ReadyWise, Emergency Food Supply
Fruits are some of the best emergency foods to have because they pack a lot of vitamins, but storing them is a challenge. However, this emergency food supply from ReadyWise has found a way to keep freeze-dried fruit last for 20 years!
Product Highlights
You get 120 servings of freeze-dried fruit in this durable, easy-to-store bucket. Inside, you’ll find four pouches of freeze-dried bananas, peaches, strawberries, and apples. You can also take the lightweight pouches along with you on hikes, climbs, and camping or fishing trips. You simply need to add water and wait 12 to 15 minutes to enjoy your emergency food supply.
The Good
The individual pouches and the large bucket are durable and prevent contamination. You get a good variety of fruits, and the shelf life of 20 years is considered long when it comes to emergency food kits.
The Bad
You only get fruits in this kit, so you will need to supplement them with other foods to get other kinds of nutrition.
PROs
- Has a shelf life of 20 years
- Just add water
- Variety of fruits
CONs
- Your meals will require other foods for extra nutrition
XMRE Blue Line (Meals Ready-to-Eat)
The XMRE Blue line of emergency food kits has high-quality ingredients with great flavor, making it one of the best-tasting emergency food kits out there. This case of ready-to-eat meals can last you up to 60 days.
Product Highlights
Each meal provides 1,000 Calories, already fully cooked. For each meal, you get an entrée, two to three side items, a beverage, and an accessory kit that includes a spoon, napkin, and condiment kit. The case comes with an optional flameless ration heater, so you can heat meals even if you have no electricity or fuel.
The Good
The food is fully cooked before packaging, so you can instantly eat them. They guarantee freshness since they pack the food only at least within the past 60 days before they are shipped out. The foods are packed in high-density water and tamper-proof bags. These are the reasons why it’s considered one of the best emergency food kits.
The Bad
This emergency food kit has a shelf life of five years, which is short compared to most kits.
PROs
- Food is fully cooked
- Premium flavor
- Includes condiments, beverage, and utensils
CONs
- Assorted flavor
MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat) Genuine U.S. Military Surplus Assorted Flavor
The military is used to carrying emergency food kits with them while out in the field. With the MREs, you can survive any disaster the way top soldiers do.
Product Highlights
You get four packs with one order with 6.37g pounds of food per pack.
The Good
MREs has long shelf life. Also, it is not necessary to heat or cook the MRE. It can be eaten as is.
The Bad
If you do not care for the taste of MREs, you will have to learn to adjust to these meals.
PROs
- Delicious and nutritious
- Military approved
- It is resealable
CONs
- Requires cooking
Survival Tabs 30-day Food Supply Emergency Food Ration
The Survival Tabs are the best emergency food kits in the market because of their extremely long shelf life of 25 years and the hassle-free procedure. You simply need to take 12 chewable tablets per meal. No cooking, no rehydrating needed!
Product Highlights
Each bottle contains 180 tablets and can last up to 15 days. Each tablet contains the average person’s essential daily vitamins and minerals. The tablet is made of high-quality protein, which is crucial in survival situations. These tablets are strawberry-flavored.
The Good
The packaging is easy to store. There are no bags to reseal carefully; you simply take the tablets you need and close the bottle. You get your essential daily calories and vitamins with each serving and don’t need to do any kind of preparation. The tablets are gluten-free and non-GMO. These bottles have an extensive shelf life of 25 years.
The Bad
These are tablets and not real food, so you will have to adjust to taking these as your meals. The strawberry flavor can get tiring after an extended period.
PROs
- Easy to store
- Long shelf life
- No preparation necessary
CONs
- Every tablet is only strawberry flavored
- Surviving on tablets only can be challenging
Food Supply Emergency Food Ration
The Survival Tabs, as previously discussed, are tablets you can take in place of meals to give you the essential calories and vitamins required to avoid starvation. They also come in portable pouches that you can throw into your backpack or bug-out bag.
Product Highlights
The LIVABIT 40L Emergency Tactical backpack is of high intensity and is very durable. It has a double-stitched modular MOLLE system throughout the bag and shoulder straps so that you can attach additional pouches and other tactical gears.
The Good
The tablets are non-GMO and gluten-free. You do not need to prepare them in any way to consume them. The pouches are resealable. A set of five pouches can sustain you for up to 10 days.
The Bad
All tablets are strawberry-flavored, which can get tiring if you have to keep eating the same thing for many days.
PROs
- Travel-friendly
- Long shelf life
- No preparation necessary
CONs
- Every tablet is only strawberry flavored
- Surviving on tablets only can be challenging
LaunchPro Emergency Food, Water & Thermal Blanket
The LaunchPro Emergency Food Kit is one of the top-rated survival food kits, probably because of many benefits and features it has, including a thermal blanket provided in your kit. Each kit is guaranteed to help you survive three days with all the food, water, and warmth you need.
Product Highlights
One food kit can sustain the average person for up to three days, with nine servings of 400 calories for a total of 3,600 calories a day. The food is high in vitamins in minerals and does not provoke thirst. The foo generally has a pleasant lemon flavor.
The Good
This kit is US Coast Guard-approved, so you know you can trust this kit to keep you fit to survive a disaster. The food is halal and kosher certified. For people with peanut allergies, you do not need to worry as this kit does not contain peanuts or peanut oil. Emergency water rations are included as well as a blanket, which you can use to as shelter, to collect water or as a sleeping bag.
The Bad
This kit has a relatively short shelf life of five years. It is also rather bulky to carry around and weighs 3.7 pounds.
PROs
- US Coast Guard-approved
- Kosher and halal
- Water rations included
- Emergency blanket included
CONs
- Short shelf life
- Bulky design
Conclusion
No matter how prepared we are with your stockpiles, it’s always best to be prepared for the worst. And that may be a situation where you have no access at all to non-perishable foods, water, heat, or fuel. Fortunately, that’s where the best emergency food kits come in. They are all carefully engineered to get you through several days and even weeks to avoid starvation. The best emergency food kits can even taste delicious and provide you with enough nutrition to perform other survival tasks.
One thing to remember, surviving alone on emergency food kits can be challenging, so do not completely on them or at least one kind. Consider them a supplement to your stockpile, to prepare for the worst days that you cannot even get to your other survival foods. Either way, it’s always good to have an emergency food kit or two stored in your home or bug-out bag. Get more tips on emergency food.