An emergency food supply is one of the most important things to consider when prepping. There are plenty of staple foods when it comes to long-term emergency food—canned goods, granola bars, freeze-dried foods, and dry staples such as beef jerky.
And for those with the time and energy, building your own emergency food kit is a great option for disaster preparedness. But when it comes to convenience, reliability, and taste, pre-made emergency meals and kits are the way to go.
We'll dive in deeper on each of these recommendations, but here's an overview of the best emergency food supply options on the market.
- Best Emergency Food Kit - Readywise
- Best Overall Emergency Food Supply Company - Valley Food Storage
- Easiest to Prepare Emergency Food - Mountain House
- Most Nutrient Dense Emergency Food Supply - Nutrient Survival
- Best Single Ingredient Emergency Food Supplier - Emergency Essentials
- Best Gluten Free Emergency Food Supply - Legacy Food Storage
- Best Budget Emergency Food Supply - Auguson Farms
- Best Selling Emergency Food Kid - 4Patriots
Keep reading to learn more.
Our Selection Criteria
Every emergency food kit on this list has been tested, evaluated, and reviewed by our team to meet the most important quality standards — flavor, value, reliability, durability, shelf-life, packaging, ingredients, and ease of use.
We've been in the shelf-stable, non-perishable food business for over 90 years and four generations, so we know a thing or two about emergency food.
We approach reviewing things such as emergency food kits seriously, because they are important to the health and safety of you and your family when you need it most. All of our recommendations are products we choose for ourselves and recommend to our family.
1. 4Patriots
This Nashville, Tennessee business creates a variety of high-quality products to help people become more self-reliant and prepared. 4Patriots Survival Food is designed to last up to 25 years and comes highly rated. One of the highlights of the 4Patriots Emergency Survival Food Kit is the versatility of the meal options.
They sold over 422,876 kits in 2020.
Best Tasting Meal Options from 4Patriots: Chicken Fried Rice, Buttermilk Pancake Mix, Creamy Rice and Vegetable Dinner, and Sweet Oatmeal.
They have over 600, 5-Star reviews on their website.
Key Specs
- Price: $247.00
- Number of Servings: 196
- Total Calories: 38,000
- Calories Per Serving: 194
- Price Per Calorie: $0.007
- Shelf Life: 25 years
Shop: 4Patriots Emergency Survival Food Kit 4 Week - $247.00
2. Valley Food Storage
Valley Food Storage is a leader in the natural food space. They use simple and clean ingredients to provide a great tasting meal. Some other food storage companies cut corners with artificial ingredients and preservatives, but Valley Food Storage sticks to the all natural. They package all of their meals in mylar bags for increased durability.
Best Tasting Meal Options from Valley Food Storage: Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal, Irish Pub Cheddar Potato Soup, Sweet & Sour Asian Rice, Pasta Primavera.
They have over 44, 4.9-Star Reviews on their website.
Key Specs
- Price: $299.95
- Number of Servings: 175
- Total Calories: 23,600
- Calories Per Serving: 135
- Price Per Calorie: $0.013
- Shelf Life: 25 years
Shop: Valley Food Storage Long Term Kits - $337
3. ReadyWise
ReadyWise approaches long-term food storage through innovation. They provide simple, affordable, and delicious ready-made freeze dry and dehydrated food. One of the benefits of ReadyWise is their ease to use. Simply add water to enjoy. Most of their entrees contain real meat and are high in protein.
Best Tasting Meal Options from ReadyWise: Cheesy Macaroni, Strawberry Granola Crunch, Teriyaki and Rice.
They have an average rating of 4.2-Stars with 5,740 reviews.
Key Specs
- Price: $559.95
- Number of Servings: 240
- Total Calories: 58,000
- Calories Per Serving: 242
- Price Per Calorie: $0.010
- Shelf Life: 25 years
Shop: ReadyWise Long Term Storage Kits - $629
4. Legacy Food Storage
The Legacy Food Storage company is one of the best options on a cost-per-pound and cost-per-serving basis. Legacy Food Storage does contain slightly higher levels of sodium and added sugar, but the flavor is one of the best.
For people who need a gluten-free solution or other dietary restrictions, most of the companies on this list offer a limited selection of options, but not for Legacy, who offers a half-dozen options as part of their product lineup.
Best Flavor Emergency Food from Legacy: Classic Chili, Beef Stroganoff, White Bean Chili, and Pasta Alfredo.
The Legacy Food Storage brand received an average 4.7 Star rating from over 5,200+ Reviews.
Key Specs
- Price: $399.00
- Number of Servings: 183
- Total Calories: 40,720
- Calories Per Serving: 223
- Price Per Calorie: $0.010
- Shelf Life: 25 years
Shop: Legacy Food Storage - $359.00
5. Augason Farms
One of the pioneers in the survival food business, Augason Farms sources, formulates, and produces highly nutritious emergency food.
They have a large variety of options, but the food is sold individually and in smaller kits. You’ll have to build your own emergency food kit which gives you more control.
They are one of the best budget options out there, coming in at the cheapest price per calorie. Overall, we found this kit to have the least flavor, but the price is hard to beat.
Best Flavor Emergency Food from Augason Farms: Scrambled Eggs, Creamy Potato Soup, Hearty Vegetable Chicken Soup.
Augason Farms has an average 4.5-Star rating on 1,000+ reviews.
Key Specs
- Price: $199.99
- Number of Servings: 307
- Total Calories: 55,630
- Calories Per Serving: 181
- Price Per Calorie: $0.004
- Shelf Life: 25 years
Shop: Augason Farms 30-Day 1-Person Survival Kit - QSS Certified - $110
6. Mountain House
Mountain House is popular in the backpacking and hiking world. They are leaders in the frozen foods and dried foods space.
They have expanded their product focus to emergency preparedness food kits as well. The Emergency Essential Assortment Bucket contains 22 servings of their most delicious meals. Each packet is gluten-free and packed with protein and nutrients. They feature many freeze-dried food options.
Best Flavor Emergency Food from Mountain House Foods: Scrambled Eggs with Bacon (Powdered Eggs), Diced Beef, Classic Spaghetti with Meat Sauce.
Mountain House has an average star rating of 4.8 with 22 reviews.
Key Specs
- Price: $109.99
- Number of Servings: 22
- Total Calories: 3,020
- Calories Per Serving: 265
- Price Per Calorie: $0.036
- Shelf Life: 25 years
Shop: Mountain House Emergency Assortment Bucket - $109
7. Emergency Essentials
Emergency Essentials is a great source for quality emergency food supplies.
They are experts in long-term storage packaging, dehydration, and freeze-drying techniques. They offer home-style taste in their kits. They claim that their meals are made for emergencies, but customers like them so much that they eat them everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
For those that have some cooking skills and aren't afraid to cook during emergency situations, Emergency Essentials is a great option to source raw ingredients for the emergency pantry. They have an excellent selection of freeze-dried items.
Best Flavor Emergency Food from Emergency Essentials: Rancher's Black Beans & Rice, Creamy Beef Stroganoff, Cheesy Broccoli & Rice Soup.
Emergency Essentials has an average star rating of 4.5 with 1200+ reviews.
Key Specs
- Price: $289.99
- Number of Servings: 268
- Total Calories: 60,340
- Calories Per Serving: 225
- Price Per Calorie: $0.005
- Shelf Life: 25 years
Shop: Emergency Essentials 1-Month (30 Day) Emergency Food Kit - $289.99
8. Nutrient Survival
Nutrient Survival is one of the newcomers to the emergency food scene. They make a high quality and delicious product. They claim to make “special-ops-quality” food. Their packages are delicious, lightweight, and long-lasting food that has been specifically designed to the standards of the US military. Their slogan says it all, “Perfect for Today, Ready for Tomorrow.”
Best Flavor Emergency Food from Nutrient Survival: Triple Cheese Mac, Hearty Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Chocolate Grain Crunch.
Key Specs
- Price: $530.00
- Number of Servings: 240
- Total Calories: 40,680
- Calories Per Serving: 170
- Price Per Calorie: $0.013
- Shelf Life: 25 years
Shop: Nutrient Survival - $530.00
6 Things to Consider with Emergency Food Kits
There are a few things to consider when comparing emergency food bundles for your survival kit. Each of the recommendations in this buying guide meet the following criteria.
1. Don't Ignore the Importance of Flavor
You might not consider it, but flavor is an important part of selecting an emergency food. It can bring comfort, warmth, and happiness during difficult times.
2. You'll Care about Nutrition when It Matters Most
Healthy emergency meals should contain a good blend of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Protein being the most important nutrient. Cheap, lower-quality emergency kits are filled with carbohydrates and fats. Sodium content can also be a concern as some kits are loaded with sodium as a preservative. Keep an eye on sodium levels.
The kit should also feature freeze-dried fruits and vegetables which offer additional vitamins and minerals.
Pro Tip
Target a minimum of 10g - 12g of Protein per Serving plus a few vegetables when it comes to Emergency Meals. This signals a higher quality source.
3. Packaging that Stands Up to Anything
One of the more overlooked, but important, elements of an emergency food kit is the durability of the packaging. Emergency food is primarily used for worst case scenarios such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and other disasters.
For that reason, the food needs to be packaged to withstand adverse conditions. Food buckets are the most common and best option for food storage because they can be stacked. Within the bucket, the food needs to be packaged in single serving sizes, often in pouches.
Emergency food storage is key.
4. A Long Shelf Life Will Prevent Worry
The minimum acceptable time for an emergency food kit is 10 years. You don’t want to replace the emergency food kit on a regular basis. Once you’ve figured out your option, you’ll want to keep it in a safe place and not have to worry about it.
5. You Don't Want to Worry about Cooking
The last thing you will want to do in an emergency is prepare or cook food. You need sustenance in the quickest and easiest way possible. You’ll want nutrients and minerals delivered in an easy to eat package. The most cooking that is required for items on this buying guide is adding water and mixing.
6. Consider the Size and Length of the Kit
Emergency kits are built for different lengths of time. They can range from 72 hours to three days, two weeks to two months, and up from there. It really comes down to your needs. You can always mix and match kits with different lengths of time for a little variation as well.
Pay Attention to Total Calories and Price Per Calorie
Each emergency kit has different values for calories per serving, servings per day, and calories per day. The best way to compare emergency kits is with total calories and price per calorie. You can determine your required daily calorie total and work backwards.
Bonus Tip
Don’t forget to include a healthy stash of non-perishable snacks. When disaster strikes, you’re going to want options. High protein snacks are a great supplement to emergency food bundles. Some favorites include canned foods, energy bars, dried fruits and vegetables, dry grains, and of course, beef jerky.
There’s a reason beef jerky is considered the best survival food — it offers high protein in a nutrient dense package. Protein can be one of the most difficult nutrition sources to find in emergency food kits, and that’s why beef jerky is a great addition. Plus, whether it’s for one person or many people, everyone loves beef jerky.
Our beef jerky is best enjoyed within one year of the packaging date, but can be eaten well after the first year. When properly stored, it never goes bad.
A Must Have in Your Emergency Kit
I’ve been eating People’s Choice Beef Jerky for years. It’s part of my regular diet. I always make sure to have some in my emergency supplies. When things go wrong, I know I’ll want protein and I’ll want flavor. With People’s Choice, I get both. Don’t think, order some.
-Robert T, Charleston, West Virginia
