One of the best ways to prepare yourself and your family for an unfortunate disaster or crisis is to keep an emergency food kit stored away for such circumstances. We all hope that we would never need to resort to using our emergency supplies, but it is important to be prepared. The best emergency food kits are made from quality ingredients to create a well-balanced collection of meals that can be stored away for many years without concern. They’re chock full of essential nutrients, easy to prepare, and taste good.
We reviewed dozens of different emergency food kits and have identified the best available to buy online. Considering factors such as shelf life, a balanced approach to nutrition, and food variety we have chosen our top picks for your emergency food needs. These are the best emergency food kits that you can buy on Amazon right now.
We chose the Northwest Fork Emergency Food Supply as our overall top pick. It has a good variety of nutritionally-dense meals that are freeze-dried to ensure their outstanding shelf life. Additionally, the food is 100% plant-based and does not skimp on protein.
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The 5 Top-Rated Emergency Food Kits
| Editor’s Picks | Brand | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Best Emergency Food Kit Overall | Northwest Fork Emergency Food Supply | 4.5 |
| Best Emergency Food Kit Variety | Augason Farms Emergency Food Supply | 4.5 |
| Best Budget Emergency Food Kit | The Survival Tabs | 4.9 |
| Best Long Term Emergency Food Kit | Wise Company Long Term Food Supply | 4.5 |
| Best MRE Emergency Food Kit | XMRE Blue LINE Kit | 4.6 |
*Ratings are from Amazon at the time of publication and can change
Best Emergency Food Kit Overall: Northwest Fork Emergency Food Supply
Most emergency food kits feature freeze-dried food like what you will find in the Northwest Form Emergency Food Supply kit. The difference here is the wonderful variety of flavor-packed plant-based meals contained within the kit. There are six different meal types in each kit that include tasty and nutritious combinations such as strawberry banana oatmeal, black bean chipotle stew, and seasoned green pea soup. Northwest Fork has made it their mission to prove that emergency food does not have to be bland, and users who have tried the food have attested to its great flavor.
Finding wholly plant-based emergency foods can be difficult. We like that this kit is kosher, vegan-friendly, nut-free, dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, and non-GMO. While some of those terms may scare away meat lovers, you can rest assured that these meals are loaded with high-protein ingredients to formulate a well-balanced, nutritionally-fulfilling diet. When rehydrated with hot water each serving makes a pint of hearty food to enjoy.
The ingredients are primarily grown and processed in the USA’s own Pacific Northwest and are packaged at the moment when an order is placed to ensure maximum freshness. Each meal is packaged in a 15-serving size durable resealable bag so that you can keep your food preserved for a long time even after opening the package. Alternatively, these meals can also make for great lightweight backpacking foods.
Northwest Fork Emergency Food Supply Key Features:
- 10-year shelf life
- 30-day supply for one person
- Kosher, non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free
- All plant-based ingredients
Best Emergency Food Kit Variety: Augason Farms Emergency Food Supply
We are at once speaking here about the Augason Farms Emergency Food Supply emergency food kit and the entire line of Augason Farms emergency and bulk food supplies, all of which can be accessed through the links we have provided to this specific 30-day food kit. While this kit is our favorite of the bunch, we encourage you to explore the entire line of Augason Farms food products to find the variety of flavors and nutrients that most appeal to you.
The kit we’ve featured here contains a 30-day supply of food for one person or a week’s worth for a family of four. Banana chips, homestyle mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, and creamy chicken-flavored rice are a few of the meals included in the kit. Most items within this food supply kit have an incredible 25-year shelf life while some of the products have a 10-year shelf life.
You’ll feel fully nourished with this emergency food supply as it provides 1,854 calories and 47 grams of protein per day. The food is stored in non-resealable mylar bags inside of a durable, stackable, water-tight five-gallon bucket that makes storage safe and easy. This meal set will certainly help to see you through an emergency, and the amazing variety there is to discover in Augason Farms’ product line will make sure you never grow tired of the emergency food you have stored away.
Augason Farms Emergency Food Supply Key Features:
- Up to 25-year shelf life
- 30-day supply for one person
- 30 and 45-day meal plans included
- Unmatched meal variety
Best Budget Emergency Food Kit: The Survival Tabs
There is no ready-to-eat product out there more nutritionally-dense than The Survival Tabs. Unlike the freeze-dried products on our list, there’s no need to rehydrate The Survival Tabs. Their highly-concentrated formula can be consumed right away without wasting any water. Each tab features a well-balanced mix of protein, fat, and carbohydrates that is fortified with the United States recommended daily allowance of 12 essential vitamins and minerals.
The small packaging and amazing 25-year shelf life enable you to store this emergency food supply anywhere and everywhere. Your house and garage are certainly able to store a wealth of food, but this kit is so small and well-preserved that you can keep a package in your car for road trips or stuff a package in your backpack as you travel around the globe. There’s no limit to where you can take these tabs. You might as well grab several to ensure that you always have an emergency food supply at hand.
A tab per hour is the recommended serving suggestion during emergency situations to provide ample nutrition throughout the day while keeping hunger at bay. Users have found that the tabs have a chocolate flavor and taste much better than expected. They’re gluten-free and non-GMO. Even if you already have an emergency food plan in place, The Survival Tabs can be an affordable backup to your backup food supply.
The Survival Tabs Key Features:
- 25-year shelf life
- 10-day supply for one person
- Gluten-free and non-GMO
- Contains U.S. RDA of 12 essential vitamins & minerals
Best Long Term Emergency Food Kit: Wise Company Long Term Food Supply
Order anywhere from 2 to 36 buckets of nutritionally-rich, freeze-fried food when you place your order for a Wise Company Long Term Food Supply emergency food kit. This is the best way to stock up for the long haul whether you want to stockpile enough food for yourself or an entire family for extended periods of time. In a single order, you can acquire enough food to feed a family of four for 1.5 years or yourself for about six years.
Each bucket contains 30 separate four-serving Metallyte pouches. Orders larger than the basic two-bucket order can have as many as 17 different meal varieties that include tasty offerings like cheesy lasagna, tomato basil soup, and apple cinnamon cereal. There is no better prepper food supply kit on Amazon for those who want to prepare for the long haul.
No cooking is necessary as the meals only require water to rehydrate the food. The meals are contained in stackable buckets that can lock into each other for secure storage, and they each have a carry handle so that they can be moved about easily. With a 25-year shelf life, you won’t have to worry about rotating out your emergency food supply for decades, and thanks to the many different ordering options you can tailor your kit to the exact amount of food you need and the budget you have.
Wise Company Long Term Food Supply Key Features:
- 25-year shelf life
- 30 to 540-day supply options for a family of four
- Purchase 2 to 36 buckets at once
- 5 to 17 meal variety available
Best MRE Emergency Food Kit: XMRE Blue LINE Kit
MREs are self-contained meals in weatherproof packaging that were originally designed for active-duty military personnel out in the field where organized meal preparation stations were not available. They’re still used in the military today, and the XMRE Blue LINE Kit has taken that time-tested formula and replicated it for at-home storage of emergency food supplies.
An MRE is a fully-cooked meal that does not need to be rehydrated, and as such it does not pack away as well as the freeze-dried emergency food kits on our list. Each box contains 12 calorie-dense MREs that could sustain an individual for 12 days if necessary, but if you want more than one meal per day, or need to feed multiple people, you will need to order extra kits. The boxes do stack and store well, and XMRE can ship in large quantities if necessary as the company often fulfills large orders for institutions such as medical facilities and office buildings.
Each meal pack contains an entree, multiple side dishes, dessert, bread, a beverage or two, a spoon, napkin, condiments, and a flameless heater to warm the food. The list of available entrees does rotate, but you can expect mouth-watering offerings such as shredded barbecue beef, spaghetti with meat sauce, and lemon pepper tuna. These MREs may not last in storage as long as the freeze-dried stuff, but with such a delicious array of meals to try you may be tempted to sample these dishes before the expiration dates approach.
XMRE Blue LINE Kit Key Features:
- 5-year shelf life
- Fully-cooked ready to eat meals
- 12 high-calorie meals per box
- Weatherproof packaging
It’s good to be prepared, and getting ahead of the game with an emergency food kit is something we should all consider. No matter which of the above emergency food kits you choose from, you’re going to be better prepared for any disasters or food shortages that may come your way. You can continue that line of forward-thinking by fitting your home or emergency shelter with a proper water filter to ensure that your drinking water will be free of contaminants during a crisis. Once your food, water, and shelter are covered what more do you really need?
