The 6 Best Emergency Food Kits for Disaster Preparedness

ReadyWise is a well-established company known for its value-packed food kits. This option includes 124 servings for three main meals, plus drinks, fruit, and dessert—priced at just under $125 at the time of this writing. Examples of dishes include comfort food like pasta Alfredo, tomato basil soup, and apple cinnamon cereal, plus freeze-dried peaches and vanilla pudding.Key SpecsNumber of Servings124Shelf Life25 yrs.Weight13.4 lbs.Dimensions12.5 x 12.3 x 12.2 inThis kit provides one person with a full month of food, with 194 servings across 11 meal varieties covering three meals a day plus snacks.Breakfast options include buttermilk pancakes, maple brown sugar oatmeal, and strawberry-flavored cream wheat, while lunches and dinners cover creamy chicken-flavored rice, fettuccine alfredo, Spanish rice, creamy potato soup, and hearty vegetable chicken-flavored soup. There’s also a lowfat milk alternative and banana chips for snacking. Everything is dehydrated and just needs water, delivering about 36 grams of protein a day along with essential vitamins.Key SpecsNumber of Servings194WeightUp to 25 yrs.Shelf Life22 lbs.Dimensions16 x 12 x 11 in.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowIf you're allergic to soy, this emergency food kit is without a doubt your best best. In addition to being soy-free, the entrees in this kit from NuManna are also GMO- and MSG-free, and contain zero high fructose corn syrup or aspartame. This kit includes 144 servings and the selection is more inventive than some other options, including sweet habanero chili with pineapple, rice pilaf, and cheesy potato soup, plus oatmeal with brown sugar for breakfast. “Great variety and taste,” says one 5-star reviewer. “This is an outstanding product,” says another. Key SpecsNumber of Servings144Shelf Life25+ yrs.Weight20 lbs.Dimensions12.5 x 14 x 13.5 in.For those who require a gluten-free diet, this Legacy food supply is hard to beat. This one offers 32 large servings of certified gluten-free lunches and dinners, and all of Legacy's food is certified 100 percent GMO-free. Meals are stored in mylar pouches with an oxygen absorber and nitrogen flush for extra freshness.The kit has six entrees to choose from, including a creamy potato soup, classic chili, white bean chili, a cheese and broccoli bake, enchilada, beans, and rice, and a creamy a la king. Key SpecsNumber of Servings32Shelf Life25 yrs.Weight16 lbs.Dimensions12.75 x 11.9 x 14 in.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowThis grab-and-go bag is built for exactly the moment you need to leave in a hurry, with molded carry handles and a rugged, stackable case that’s easy to grab off a shelf or toss in the car.The kit packs 60 servings—roughly 1,800 calories a day for one person over a week—across six freeze-dried options, including cheesy macaroni, creamy pasta and vegetables, potatoes and chicken-flavored pot pie, savory stroganoff, teriyaki rice, and a brown sugar and maple multi-grain cereal for breakfast. Everything is sealed in airtight Mylar pouches and rehydrates with any temperature of water.Key SpecsNumber of Servings60Weight3 lbs.Shelf LifeUp to 25 yrs.Dimensions12.95 × 12.36 × 12.28 in.This emergency food kit comes from popular brand The Mountain House, which makes its meals without any artificial colors or flavors.The box contains 18 servings of hearty entrees, providing enough food for one person for three days. For lunch and dinner, there’s biscuits and gravy, chicken and dumplings, beef stroganoff with noodles, and chicken fried rice.Key SpecsNumber of Servings18Weight3.6 lbs.Shelf Life30-yearsDimensions12.75 x 9.875 x 8.875 in.Rachel is the Deputy Editor of Reviews for Hearst's Enthusiast and Wellness Group where she supports Popular Mechanics, Runner's World, and Best Products. Her background is in service journalism and earlier in her career she worked as a daily newspaper reporter and book editor. She spent more than a decade as a staff editor and writer at TripAdvisor and Penguin Random House and her byline has appeared in Time Out New York, the New York Daily News, and New York Magazine. Outside of work, Rachel can be found planning her next trip, visiting museums and galleries, and walking her wirehaired dachshund in Central Park.