After spending countless hours researching food storage and putting together a food storage calculator (to help individuals and families determine how much food they need to have in their storage), we have compiled a list of specific food items to make it easier for you to find quality bulk items that are worth adding to your pantry.
For convenience, we structured our recommended food storage items based on our food storage calculator.
Best Long-Term Food Storage List
The BEST foods for long-term food storage include these types of food:
- Grains (Wheat, Rice, Flour, Oats, Pasta, etc.)
- Canned and Dried Meats
- Fats and Oils (Vegetable Oil, Shortening, etc.)
- Beans
- Milk and Dairy
- Sugars
- Cooking Essentials (Salt, Yeast, Baking Powder/soda, etc.)
- Fruits and Vegetables (Freeze Dried and Canned)
- Full Freeze Dried Meals (Breakfast, Dinner, etc.)
There are several places that are good for buying shelf-stable foods in addition to ordering online from Amazon or various other food storage companies. We also like to shop at in-person grocery stores (see the cheapest grocery stores near you), especially bulk food stores. We really like some Amish bulk food stores (see this list of 400+ Amish stores to find one near you). There are Amish stores all over the U.S. not just in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
What are the best foods for long-term storage?
An easy and great way to find the best foods for long-term storage is to start looking for a company that produces food that is meant to be stored for the long term. These companies do things like freeze-drying, dehydrating, and packaging foods, even full meals, with the intent of keeping their nutritional value while being stored for years and years. See my top 5 below:
My Top 5 Favorite Food Storage Companies:
- ReadyWise Food Storage Company (Check out ReadyWise’s Food on Amazon)
What I like most – ReadyWise has a great variety of reasonably priced bulk meals that have a good taste (taste is subjective) and they use quality ingredients.
- Nutristore Freeze Dried Food (Check out Nutristore Food on Amazon)
What I like most – Nutristore is my favorite top-quality, nutritious freeze-dried food. This makes it a little more expensive but well worth it.
- Augason Farm Food Storage (Check out Augason Farm’s Foods on Amazon)
What I like most – Augason Farms has a large variety of individual shelf-stable food options (like dried onions) that I like to use in my cooking.
- Mountain House (Check out Mountain House’s Food on Amazon)
What I like most – Mountain House is a good company that started making meals for special forces back in Vietnam so they have stood the test of time.
- Peak Refual (Check out Peak Refual’s Food on Amazon)
What I like most – Peak Refual has quality freeze-dried meals and pouches that are convenient for backpacking, camping, and hunting.
In addition, I have spent days compiling these helpful lists –
- My favorite freeze-dried foods
- Comprehensive list of foods that last a long time without refrigeration
- Foods that last a long time: Ultimate List of Ideas
Please check them out to gain additional ideas of great options to add to your long-term emergency food storage.
Pro Tip: Anyone who stores food long-term should consider what factors affect food storage life and how to prolong it.
Grains (Wheat, Oats, Rice, Flour, Pasta, and Cornmeal)
Wheat
To know if storing wheat is worth it for you see if grinding your own flour is actually cheaper.
Hard White Wheat Berries • 25 lbs Bucket
Hard white wheat, which is high in protein, produces flours suitable for products requiring a stronger structure, such as breads, buns, hard rolls, and yeast-raised sweet rolls. Great for Food Storage, Emergencies, Survival, and Everyday Use. Up to 25-year shelf life!
Soft Wheat Berries 50lbs
Soft Wheat is used for stuff made from batters, such as cakes, cookies, muffins, and as a thickener in liquids such as soups. Great for Food Storage, Emergencies, Survival, and Everyday Use. Up to 30-year shelf life!
How do I use hard and soft wheat?
Wheat berries have a longer shelf life than ground wheat (or Flour). To use wheat berries you will need a wheat grinder to grind them down into flour or whole wheat flour. You can grind as much or as little as you need.
Some of the most common things to make with fresh ground hard wheat are bread, rolls, pie crust, and even cookies. Common things to make with fresh ground soft wheat are cakes, cookies, muffins, and as a thickener in liquids such as soups.
To know exactly which Grain Mill (Wheat/Flour Grinder) is right for you check out our article Selecting the Best Grain/Flour Mill, Ultimate Buyers Guide.
WonderMill Grain/Flour Mill
Easy for grinding both hard and soft wheat berries into flour for baking. It will also grind corn, rice, legumes, beans, and other small grains like Quinoa and Amaranth.
Click here to see the price on Amazon
How do I use a wheat grinder? Using a wheat grinder is super easy! You feed the hard wheat berries into the hopper. Once you turn the machine on or start the handle, the wheat is then fed through where it is ground into a fine flour-like powder which can then be used for baking and anything else you would use flour or whole wheat flour in.
Oats
Rolled Oats
Regular Rolled Oats are the perfect whole grain food for baking or for a hot breakfast cereal. Up to 30-year shelf life!
10-pound bucket
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Rolled Quick Oats
These Oats are certified Organic, kosher-approved Rolled Oats. 100% whole grain, natural rolled oats. Up to 30-year shelf life!
Organic Rolled Oats
These Oats are certified Organic, Certified Gluten-Free Rolled Oats. 100% whole grain, natural rolled oats. Up to 30-year shelf life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Stell Cut Oats
TThese Rolled Oats are Gluten-free. Great to use in short-term rotational food storage or long-term if the package is left unopened.
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Rice
When storing large amounts of rice in your long-term food storage it’s important to know the shelf-life of rice and how to extend it. See our article Shelf Life of the 14 Most Commonly Used Rice.
Brown Rice
Brown rice is a highly nutritious, gluten-free grain that contains vitamins, minerals, and beneficial compounds. Consuming whole grains like brown rice can help prevent or improve several health conditions, including diabetes and heart disease. Up to a 7-Year Shelf Life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
White Rice
White rice is milled rice that has had its husk, bran, and germ removed. This alters the flavor, texture, and appearance of the rice and helps prevent spoilage, and extends its storage life. Up to 30-year shelf life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Asian Jasmine Rice, 25 Pound
Jasmine rice is originally from Thailand and is commonly used in Southeast Asian cooking. This is a long-grain variety of rice that has a subtle floral aroma and a soft, sticky texture when cooked.
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Flour
When storing large amounts of flour in your long-term food storage it’s important to know the shelf-life of flour and how to extend it. See our article What is the Shelf Life of Flour? 6 Commonly Used Flours.
White Flour/All-Purpose Flour – 25lbs
This All-Purpose flour is great for making cookies, cakes, muffins, biscuits, and more. Lower shelf life than wheat berries but can last a year or more in the pantry. 25-pounds!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Organic Whole Wheat Flour – 25 lb
Whole-wheat flour is used in the baking of bread and other baked goods, and it can be mixed with “white” unbleached or bleached flours (that have been treated with flour bleaching agents) to restore nutrients (especially fiber, protein, and vitamins), texture, and body to the white flours that can be lost. Click here to see the price on Amazon
Pasta
Pasta is an important part of long-term food storage. Know how to store pasta long-term and what its shelf life is under the conditions that you choose to store it in.
Penne Rigate Pasta 20 Lb
Penne pasta pairs well with chunky meat or vegetable-based sauces because its ridges can easily capture the sauce. The shelf life of a sealed bag should be up to 5 years.
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Elbows / Macaroni Pasta 20 Lb
Macaroni pairs well with just about any type of sauce, baked recipes, soups, salads, or stir-fry dishes. Great used in macaroni and cheese dishes but is also a popular choice for pasta salads. The shelf life of a sealed bag should be up to 5 years.
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Elbows / Macaroni Pasta 20 Lb
Macaroni pairs well with just about any type of sauce, baked recipes, soups, salads, or stir-fry dishes. Great used in macaroni and cheese dishes but is also a popular choice for pasta salads. The shelf life of a sealed bag should be up to 5 years.
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Cornmeal
Cornmeal
Cornmeal has a wide variety of great uses like cornbread, biscotti, pancakes, muffins, corndogs, pudding, and much more. Shelf life is more than 2 years. Click here to see the price on Amazon
Storage Buckets and Mylar Bags for Wheat, Oats, Rice, and Flour
The proper packaging of dry foods like wheat, flour, oats, and rice will help extend the life of your food storage. We like to use mylar bags to divide out the use of our dry food storage and use oxygen absorbers in the bags (see how to use oxygen absorbers with your dry food storage). Then we place those mylar bags in 5-gallon buckets or containers for another level of protection.
We like these 6-gallon food storage buckets because the screw-on lids make them convenient to access and they seal well. (Click here to check the price on Amazon)
Mylar bags help protect your food storage and along with oxygen absorbers keep dry foods good for longer. These mylar bags come in 3 different sizes. (Click here to check the price on Amazon)
Canned and Dried Meats
Freeze Dried Meat Variety 60 Servings
This is our favorite freeze-dried meat! Simply add hot water and it’s ready in about 12-15 minutes. Also, easily add to your favorite meal! This is a great choice for easy to use, long-lasting variety of meat.
- Various styles of Beef and Chicken
15-Year Shelf Life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Wild Tuna 5 Ounce, 12 Count
This is a great choice for canned Tuna and is great for much more than simply tuna fish sandwiches. At least a 3-Year Shelf Life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Strips 30 Count
Great source of protein to have on hand in case of emergencies and if you’re like me you can eat this jerky on a regular basis and rotate it through your food storage. At least a 2-3 Year Shelf Life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Fully Cooked Canned Bacon 12 Cans, 9 ounces each
If you like Bacon you HAVE to try this canned bacon. The taste is actually pretty good! It is lean, not fatty, and not cheap bacon. Surprised by how much bacon is fit in each can. The best part is it has a 10 Year Shelf Life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Spam, 12 Cans, 12 ounces each
Spam is a great shelf-stable source of protein! Some say Spam stays good forever…
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Fats and Oils
Peanut Butter, Pack of 6, 4 Pounds each, total 24lbs
Peanut Butter is a great source of protein in a time of need. We like this large 6 pack of Jif, which equals 16 pounds total.
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Crisco All Vegetable Shortening 12 pack, 3lbs per can, total 36lbs
As a solid fat, vegetable shortening is often used in place of butter or lard in baking or for greasing pans. Great for doughs like pie crust. At least a 2-year shelf life.
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Vegetable Oil, 1 Gallon, 8lbs
Vegetable oil can be used for deep frying and stir-frying. It’s a basic universal oil that can be used in almost any recipe and its inexpensive. At least a 2-year shelf life.
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Here is a great alternative option Organic, Unrefined, Virgin Coconut Oil
Beans And Legumes
Dry Pinto Beans – 20lbs Bulk Bag
Pinto beans are a high-protein, high-fiber powerhouse. They are easy to cook and taste delicious as a side dish or a main ingredient in soups, stews, dips, and burritos. At least a 3-year shelf life.
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Dry Black Beans – 20lbs Bulk Bag
Black beans are prized for their high protein and fiber content. They also contain several other key vitamins and minerals that are good for you. At least a 3-year shelf life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Hearty Vegetable Beef Flavored Soup Mix 2lb 12 oz No. 10 Can
For Dry Soup Mix, this stuff is pretty good! You can get 21 servings and a total of 3,990 calories out of this soup mix and not to mention a shelf life of up to 25 years!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Milk and Dairy
Instant 100% Nonfat Dry Milk – 160 Ounces, 10lbs
In our opinion, this is one of the better-powdered milk options. It’s useful in recipes that call for milk; just add the appropriate amount of water. Made from whole cow’s milk! 10-year shelf life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Dried Whole Egg Powder (approx. 72 eggs)
These powder eggs can be used in any recipe that calls for eggs or just rehydrated and cooked into scrambled eggs or omelets. we have found it to be a great substitute for fresh eggs. 10-year shelf life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Augason Farms Scrambled Egg Mix
This scrambled egg mix is great to add to breakfast and numerous other meals. We use it while camping and keep it on hand for emergencies in our long-term storage. It lasts for at least 10 years!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Butter Powder – 2 lbs 4 oz No. 10 Can
This powder butter can be used in any recipe that calls for butter. As we found it to be a great all-around butter source. As it is very low in fat, it does not melt but does dissolve, so mixing a spoonful in with veggies while cooking, or with your eggs, gives a good butter taste without all the calories. 10-year shelf life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Sugars
When storing large amounts of sugar in your long-term food storage it’s important to know the shelf-life of sugar and how to extend it. See our article Shelf Life of Sugar: Do Sugars Go Bad & How to Store Them.
White Granulated Sugar – 40 Pound Pail
Granulated White Sugar is a universal sweetener and works well in baking. The long shelf life makes it ideal for emergency food storage, as well as for your everyday use. 30-year shelf life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Honey Powder – 3 lb #10 Can
You can use this honey in dry rubs, cereals, to sweeten hot and cold drinks, and on nuts and seeds before roasting. In powder form, it works sprinkled over buttered toast or mixed into butter. unopened 20-year shelf life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Fruits and Vegetables
There are a couple of different ways to store fruits and vegetables long-term including freeze drying, dehydrating, canning, and freezing. You should look for those types of fruits and vegetables when building up your long-term food storage supply. Also, learn how to preserve fruits and vegetables yourself for example how to blanch corn before freezing.
120 Serving Freeze Dried Fruit Bucket
Add hot water and let sit for only 10 minutes to rehydrate or eat as is! Freeze dried fruits are tasty. Also use them in pancakes, muffins, smoothies, cereal, and more. 20-year shelf life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
120 Serving Freeze Dried Vegetable Bucket
Blend freeze-dried vegetables into a powder and add them to soups, casseroles, sauces, ground beef, and whatever else you can think of. 25-year shelf life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Full Freeze Dried Meals
Ready Wise Company 30-Day Emergency Food Supply, 298 servings (Full Meals)
1,800 Calories | 50 Grams Protein per day
Variety pack of Entrees, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and drinks. Quick and easy to use in emergency situations, just add water! 25-year shelf life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Augason Farms 30-Day 1-Person Emergency Food Supply – QSS Certified
I really like this option because
- It’s easy,
- It is a great price,
- It is a full 30 days for 1 person,
- Just add water,
- Easy to grab and go, take camping, or use when the power goes out.
A variety pack that has a 25-year shelf life!
Click here to see the price on Amazon
Bulk Freeze Dried Meals
- ReadyWise Long Term Emergency Food Supply, Breakfast and Entree Variety
1080 servings | 9 buckets | 186 pounds | prep time 12-15 minutes |
See ReadyWise Long Term Food Supply’s price on Amazon »
Cooking/prep: Only requires 8 oz (1 cup) of water per serving and 12-15 minute prep time.
Nutrition: Real ingredients including meats (on average 30 grams of protein)
Just below-average amounts of sodium compared to competitors
Cost: Average or slightly less than average
Includes: 3 month supply – 3 servings of food per day for 4 adults or 2 adults and 4 children.
12 month supply – 3 servings per day for 1 adult.
- 12 pouches of Cheesy Lasagna (48 total servings)
- 18 pouches of Creamy Pasta (72 total servings)
- 12 pouches of Pasta Alfredo (48 total servings)
- 12 pouches of Chili Mac (48 total servings)
- 18 pouches of Chicken Noodle Soup (72 total servings)
- 18 pouches of Savory Stroganoff (72 total servings)
- 12 pouches of Hearty Tortilla Soup (48 total servings)
- 12 pouches of Potato Pot Pie (48 total servings)
- 6 pouch of Teriyaki and Rice (24 total servings)
- 12 pouches of Baked Potato Casserole (48 total servings)
- 18 pouches of Tomato Basil Soup (72 total servings)
- 18 pouches of Southwest Beans and Rice (72 total servings)
- 12 pouches of Cheesy Macaroni (48 total servings)
- 15 pouches of Strawberry Granola Crunch (60 Servings)
- 30 pouches of Brown Sugar and Maple Multi-Grain Cereal (120 Servings)
- 15 pouches of Crunchy Granola (60 Servings)
- 30 pouches of Apple Cinnamon Cereal (120 Servings)
Shelf-life: 25-year shelf life
We are adding more recommended items periodically! Check back soon!