Are you ready for an emergency?

To help prepare you for an emergency, a team of NZ Registered Dietitians and Registered Nutritionists compiled the following tips to help ensure your nutrition readiness for natural disasters....

Plan!

Good planning is essential to eating well at any time. You should also put forethought into planning the food in your survival kit.

Prepare!

Keep your kit stocked and readily accessible at ALL times – don’t rely on being able to make a last-minute dash for supplies.

What food items should I pack in an emergency kit?

Prioritise your food needs:

Aim to have at least a three (3)-day water and non-perishable food supply.

• Clean and safe drinking water (allow at least 3L/day per person).

  • It can also be helpful to have some iodine tablets to sanitise water, should your supply run out

• Canned or dried foods - these may require cooking, and you may not have power (see below).

  • Fruit, vegetables,

  • Legumes eg baked beans, lentils, chilli beans, split peas, chickpeas

  • Fish eg tuna, salmon, sardines

  • Meat eg dried meat or canned chicken

  • Grain foods eg breakfast cereals, pasta, rice, crackers, crispbreads or oats.

  • Dried / dehydrated meals or soup mixes (will likely require additional water for reconstitution and this should be factored in addition to the water allowance above)

• Snack foods

  • dried fruit,

  • nuts,

  • seeds,

  • muesli bars etc

• Dairy or dairy alternatives:

  • UHT, powdered milk or substitute

• Oils for cooking eg olive, rice bran or canola

Cater for special diets:

Does anyone in your household have special dietary requirements? Ensure you cater for any food allergies, safe foods, special diets, and/or sensory needs.

• Remember to include food or formula for infants and pets, if applicable

Consider including some high-energy foods and comfort foods:

Some individuals may be required to undertake tasks that are physically demanding, requiring higher-energy foods. Others may like familiar or comfort foods to help them through a time of crisis. In these instances, you could include some items such as:

• Scroggin,

• Nut butters,

• Energy bars/gels,

• Chocolate or lollies

• Tea, coffee, milo or similar.

Make the most of routines

Think about what food/meal routines could be maintained in an emergency. These can provide comfort in stressful situations. What family favourites could you make with the foods in your kit?

Food preparation items to include in your emergency kit

In addition to your food items, it is also essential to ensure that you have the means available to prepare these foods.

• NB: these may require cooking, and you may not have power (see below).

Non-food essentials to aid preparation and cooking:

• Can opener

• Cutlery (including a sharp knife),

• Dishware (plates, bowls, cups)

• Cooking pots

  • Stove/BBQ top kettle (although you could also use a pot to boil water)

• Camping stove or BBQ (if possible) with a full gas canister or bottle

  • Some log burners can also be used as cooktops

• Lighter

• Paper towels, dish cloths and/or tea towels

• Dishwashing liquid

• Sanitiser

Rotation of food items in your emergency kit

Despite their long shelf-lives, food items should be rotated to ensure that you always have edible food and safe water available. We suggest checking expiry dates and rotating food items annually. It can be helpful to link this in with Daylight Saving (or a Holiday weekend) as part of your annual to-do list

Keeping food cool during a power outage

If you are still at home and have not had to evacuate, promptly store your frozen and fridge items in a chilly bin or insulated bag. The frozen items can help to keep the refrigerator items cool.

• If you don’t have access to a chilly bin, limit opening the doors of your fridge / freezer.

• You could also move refrigerator items to the freezer compartment to help keep them cool.

  • Be mindful if the power turns back on, you may need to move the refrigerator items back into the freezer.

• Use refrigerator items first - consume within four hours, if sitting above 3 degrees.

• Use freezer items next and within two days of thawing.

Additional items to include in your emergency kit

Head over to the Civil Defence - Get Ready website to find a full list of additional items to include in your Emergency Kit

Keep cash on hand: Shops may be open but EFTPOS may be out.

Remember, emergencies are not everyday situations and while the food suggested may not reflect an everyday nutritious diet, it is more than adequate to meet short-term nutrition needs.

We suggest contacting a registered dietitian or registered nutritionist if you would like personalised advice.

---

Based on information originally compiled by:

• Ange Berrill: ABC Nutrition Founder / Owner

• Caroline Worth: NZRD - ABC Dietitian

• Louise Fangupo: NZRD

• Sara Lake: NZ RNutr

• Nikki Hart: NZ RNutr