Ask any experienced prepper if they like industrial canned foods (as compared to foods we can ourselves) and you’ll get three different answers. Some swear by them. Others hate them. Most are somewhere in between. I’m a big fan of them for a very particular type of prepper, the “Late Prepper” who isn’t too picky.
My wife cannot stand canned foods. The only thing she’ll occasionally eat is chicken noodle soup, and then usually only to draw on a memory from her childhood. But if the crap hits the fan and we’re forced into a bug-in situation for an extended period of time, she’ll be diving into the Vienna sausages like the rest of us.
Let’s look at the positives and negatives of industrial canned foods for prepping, followed by my reason for recommending them.
Negatives
Let’s start with the downsides so those who are considering canned foods as a primary method of filling their prepper pantry can know before they get too packed. These are general attributes, but obviously canned asparagus is going to be very different from canned spaghetti.
- Too heavy for bugging out: If you need to fill a bugout bag or your trunk, canned foods tend to weigh more than just about any other option. Most are packed with liquids, making them dense. Freeze dried food of the same volume will weigh far less, which is fantastic unless you’re low on water.
- Either flavorless or too salty: Most of the soups, pastas, meats, and even some of the vegetables that are canned are loaded with salt. Most canned fruits are loaded with added sugar. Those that are not too salty or sweet taste like pale clones of their original form. I’ve had two canned foods in my life that were not too salty but still had flavor, and both were expensive Wolfgang Puck brand soups.
- Usually ultra-processed and therefore horrible for you: If you’re not already familiar with the dangers of eating ultra-processed foods, now’s the time to do so. They’re awful for you.
- Mediocre at best for nutrition: Read the labels of every canned food you’re considering buying. In fact, you should read the label of every food you’re considering, period. It’s a best practice to have a prepper nutrition plan for if you’re stuck bugging in for a long time, which may include supplements or other options. But if all you’re eating is canned foods, at some point you may face malnutrition challenges.
- Unpredictable shelf-life: Most canned foods have a two year “best by” date. Experts say you can eat most canned foods three to five years after they’re sealed. Planning for a very long bugging in scenario can be hard with canned foods. As a best practice, always examine a can that is old, then examine the food itself before consuming it.
Positives
If you are still reading and didn’t get turned off by all the negatives of industrial canned foods, then you’re still considering it. That’s good. Here are the reasons to do so…
- Relatively inexpensive: On a per-meal basis, canned foods are relatively inexpensive. They’re not as cheap as beans and rice, but since they can be bought in small or large batches it makes stocking up over time less stressful on the pocketbook. A can of Campbell’s soup at Walmart is around a buck-fifty right now. That’s not the best bang for the buck but it’s far from the worst. You can get 5-20 cans of soup for the same price as a single Meal-Ready-To-Eat (MRE).
- Wide variety: The biggest complaint that people don’t realize they’ll have until it’s too late is variety during the apocalypse. I heard last year how Joe Rogan had stocked up on tons of beans and rice. For some, eating the same thing every day for months or years seems acceptable… until they’re actually stuck doing it. I am a huge fan of beans and rice as they form a complete protein when eaten together and they’re still (currently) very inexpensive, but I would strongly recommend adding variety to the mix. This is where canned foods come in.
- Lots of calories: What many consider a negative in modern society will actually be a benefit should society collapse. Calories are extremely important in any long-term emergency situation and canned foods generally have lots of them.
- Easy to use and rotate today: As much as I hate eating anything unhealthy, I hate waste as well. As I mentioned, my wife won’t eat canned foods which means most of them are taken down to the local soup kitchen when they’re approaching their “best by” date, then replenished in the pantry.
The Biggest Reason I Recommend Canned Foods
The reason I’m so stocked up that my family could eat nothing but canned foods for a year if necessary is because I love the fact that they require nothing but a can opener. The food is already cooked. You don’t generally need to add water or anything else. In a pinch, you can go from starving to eating in a matter of seconds, which isn’t true for rice, beans, freeze dried, or frozen foods.
And if things get REALLY bad to the point that there are no utilities and no easy access to water, many cans have water in them to store the food. As unappetizing as it may sound to survive on nasty canned green bean water for a little while, it’s better than dehydration.
Some will rightly argue that most canned foods have so much salt that it counteracts the benefits of the liquid. They’ll be mostly right in this regard. This is why we check labels. Don’t just fill up you can area with Vienna sausages and soups. Make sure you have some fruits and vegetables in there as well.
To be extremely clear, I’m not recommending canned foods as the ideal. The ideal would be to grow your own food, then can or freeze dry the surplus. Those who are already in a proper preparedness system may not have any industrial canned foods at all in their pantry, and that’s fantastic! But for most of us, it’s just more practical to keep a bunch of cans ready to go since we don’t have a big garden and chicken coop in our back yards.
I’m sure there will be comments saying I’m crazy for embracing industrial canned foods. If I had been properly preparing for years or if I had tons of money to build a better system, I would. But since I’m a “Late Prepper” like so many others, my extensive research tells me it’s practical to have canned foods as part of my preparedness plan.
And no, neither Campbell’s nor Chef Boyardee are sponsors.
What do you think? Sound off on the Late Prepper Substack.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
