Strategic food supply. "Strategic reserve"

Many things and actions are peculiar to humans, which resemble some behavior of wild animals. For example, creating a strategic stock of products. This subconscious habit of having in stock a certain arsenal of food and some other goods often saved people in difficult times. What do they buy in reserve? We will try to answer this question.

Minimum stock, or how to save

All people are different, and what they buy in reserve is different. For some, the accumulation of strategic reserves becomes a mania. And for some, this is just a necessary supply of food. However, there is a certain recommended list of things and products that it is desirable to have in stock.

Modern life is an eternal lack of time and energy to lead household... Precisely so that at home there was an opportunity to cook Tasty dinner or dinner, to meet unexpected guests, in case of illness, you must always have at hand necessary products nutrition. In this case, you must follow the rules and terms of their storage. Of course, first of all, when buying a stock, you need to take care in advance about the place, conditions and duration of storage.

Only products with a long shelf life can be purchased for future use without risk to life and health, without losing their quality. Otherwise, the whole point of the stock is lost. After all, thrifty people are thrifty, but if there is no savings, and the entire stock turns into a pile of spoilage, then you should not make this stock.

Stock types

There is a grocery stock and a general one. The food supply includes the necessary foodstuffs. In general - basic household items, such as medicines, personal hygiene products, detergents and

Food is the most expensive item in the family budget. To minimize daily food costs, you should create a supply of food for all family members, replenishing it as you use it. There are practically no housewives who do not make any household supplies. Products purchased in advance and some blanks are already the minimum required stock of products, which will help to save money in the future.

Sources of receipt of products

There are several sources of receipt for products in stock. They can be classified as:


Seasonal blanks

Seasonal preparations are a stock of some products for the winter and spring. Everything that the housewives and owners have collected and purchased from seasonal products, and subsequently rolled up, dried or frozen, will be an excellent help in winter and spring. The larger the stock, the longer it will last. The terms and conditions of storage of products prepared for the season allow them to be stored and used for a long period. So, conservation home production can be stored for 2 or 3 years. The cheapest seasonal products that are bought in reserve are a good investment of the family budget.

Occasional blanks

Sometimes people accidentally shop in reserve. Promotions, discounts, sale of "deposits" - all this affects the buying activity. Favorable prices are conducive to the purchase of goods in small wholesale. Of course, these are unplanned expenses, but they then pay off. The main thing is to get necessary products, and not cheap nonsense. It is imperative to pay attention to the shelf life and sale of products sold under the promotion. Often, sales for are held on the occasion of their expiration date. Therefore, you need to be careful, you cannot put expired products in stock.

Planned blanks

Permanent procurement of stock of products for future use is made in a controlled and planned manner. Everything is decided in advance. Usually a list is made and the stock is updated regularly. Such a stock includes products that are used constantly. Each person decides for himself what he needs for life and what not.

There is also a so-called "strategic reserve" - ​​in the event of a deterioration in the financial situation of a family or a deterioration in the economy in the country, the onset of a crisis. These reserves will help to hold out in difficult times without starving. You can use such a stock in case sharp leap prices during a financial crisis, in a period of cataclysms, hostilities or loss of livelihood. What goods are bought in reserve in this case? This list includes foods and essentials. Having such products in the required volume, you don't have to worry about random troubles. Just do not forget to update stocks.

List

Here is a list of what products are bought in stock:

  • finely ground wheat flour;
  • whole cereals, various;
  • rafinated sugar;
  • natural honey;
  • dairy, fish, vegetable, stew, jam, salads, condensed milk, pates, fish, etc.
  • milk powder and;
  • pasta from flour hard varieties;
  • vegetable oil;
  • salt;
  • condiments and spices;
  • tea and natural coffee;
  • alcohol;
  • long-term storage vegetables: potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, cabbage, beets;
  • baking soda and vinegar;
  • nuts.

Flour

Flour is essential in those families where they often bake. This product has a long shelf life, but flour cannot be stored for more than 12 months. Otherwise, it loses its taste and nutritional qualities. The ideal period for renewing the flour stock is six months. The optimal stock is 50 kilograms.

Store flour - both rye and wheat - under certain conditions: in dry rooms with zero air temperature. It is optimal to store flour in 5 liter linen bags. Pre-soak the bags in a saline solution. This will protect any product stored in the bag from insects.

Sugar

Sugar has always been a strategic product. Many people cannot imagine life without sugar. During the war sweet water gave strength to the exhausted, helped to survive the blockade.

Shelf life of this product- 8 years. However, it should be remembered that granulated sugar and refined sugar quickly absorb foreign odors. Therefore, it is better to store sugar in tight plastic bags, packaged in 5 kilograms. The stock of this strategic product is from 25 to 150 kilograms. The sugar storage room should be well ventilated with low humidity. Sugar is stored at room temperature on shelves.

Cereals

Cereals in stock can be varied. For long-term storage, buckwheat, rice, millet, pearl barley, peas are suitable. All these cereals will be stored longer if they are rolled up in glass jars, having previously fried. In a good way to extend the shelf life of cereals will be a pod of red pepper placed in a container with a product. This will additionally protect against bugs.

The strategic volume of cereals may vary. It should be noted that crimped cereal products are not stored for long, and it is not recommended to harvest them for future use.

Pasta

Durum wheat pasta and pasta have a long shelf life. The drier the room, the longer the storage space. Pasta is stored in Usually, pasta that is bought in reserve has a shelf life of 3 to 5 years.

You should not purchase pasta with additives for long-term storage. Their implementation period is short. Typically, a strategic stock of pasta is 20 kilograms or more.

Vegetable oil

Vegetable oils for a stock it is better to store in a glass container. It should be from sunflower, corn, olives, or canola. Do not store oils in cold conditions, as well as near heating devices. Vegetable oils are a source of vitamins. Its presence in the diet of people is required. Therefore, this product is classified as strategic.

Conservation

Canned food has a long shelf life. Especially it concerns meat products... Usually, after 5 years, the packaging collapses from corrosion, and the product remains the same tasty and nutritious. It is this fact that requires careful attention to the storage of canned food. If there is no damage from rust on the container, there is no swelling, then the preservation can be stored for a long time. Canned food must be airtight, without damaging the cans. Optimal storage conditions: low humidity and air from 7 to 10 degrees Celsius.

Honey

Honey can be stored under normal conditions in a hermetically sealed container, preferably made of glass. The quantity is not limited. Honey is a storehouse of vitamins, minerals and trace elements necessary for the human body. If you have a lot of honey in stock, then you shouldn't stock up on a lot of sugar.

The rest of the products are stored under normal conditions that meet their standards. This is just a short answer to the question: "What products do you buy in stock?"

Things "in reserve"

There is also a small list of what goods are bought in reserve. These are essential supplies and medicines. What do they buy in reserve in small quantities? This is:

  • hygiene kit for women;
  • detergent and soap;
  • plastic bags;
  • toilet paper or napkins;
  • a set of locksmith tools and fasteners;
  • flashlight and spare batteries;
  • a sanitary set of bandage and plaster;
  • first aid kit with the most necessary medicines.

There can be different products and things in the “strategic set”. In this article, only the recommended ones are indicated, those that are the basis.

Do not stock up on a large amount of food that requires special storage conditions, such as a freezer. In the absence of electricity, all this supply will be lost.

Water is an essential product

But having several tens of liters of drinking water in stock is convenient and prudent. Even under normal conditions, in case of an unforeseen cutoff of water in the water intake, during the repair of pipes, the supply of drinking water will always come in handy.

It is one thing to properly organize a week-long hike. But to prepare for wintering in the taiga or, what is even cooler, in surviving in the conditions of the alleged BP ... well, or some kind of cataclysm, still Big P ... is quite another thing. The difference between these actions is like between the ninth grade of high school and the graduation course of the university. It all lies in psychological approach... A real survivalist must be ready not only technically and physically, but also mentally. And all three of these factors are extremely important. Many are already organizing caches, taking equipment there, and other supplies of food - in a word, they are preparing in detail.

However, the longer the food is stored, the higher the risk that it will deteriorate at the most inopportune moment. Although, to be honest, if it comes to the PSU, any moment will be inappropriate. In those conditions, the usual can become a serious test for the victim. Therefore, it is better to learn in advance to determine when a particular product begins to deteriorate and how long it can, in principle, be stored. So.

Possible food supplies in case of PSU

Canned food

There is documentary evidence of the consumption of canned food made in the century before last. Yes, they were stored, of course, in permafrost conditions, but nevertheless. Soviet canned food, stewed meat in particular, easily overcomes the period of 25 years and does not lose its taste. Modern ones are stored less, but they will last 5 years without problems. So any survivalist will always carry a supply of this great product... But canned food also spoils. And, if you eat a slightly moldy sausage, you can get by with the usual food poisoning, then spoiled canned food threatens with botulism or other extremely serious consequences for the body. How can this situation be prevented? First, we look at the date - this will give a rough idea of ​​the shelf life and possible risks.

After that, we carefully examine the bank. If there are traces of rust, holes and swelling, the product is not suitable for use. There are exceptions, though. For example, the swelling of a can - bombing - can be observed when canned food freezes in winter conditions or high-altitude travel. Ice, on the other hand, takes up a larger volume than water. So, this bombing disappears when the jar is thawed. If, when the can is opened, the contents begin to flow out under pressure, this is also an alarm signal. This means that microorganisms could multiply there, and the pressure is due to the accumulation of their waste products. On the other hand, in high altitude conditions this is completely normal precisely due to the lower ambient pressure.

Also, formations may appear on the walls of the cans that are not evidence of product spoilage - caramelization of condensed milk, the appearance of black plaque on the lids and necks. glass jars, discoloration of products that have come into contact with the air remaining in the cans. In addition, canned meat with a high content of broth is much worse stored at high temperatures - taste qualities meat decreases markedly. But this, again, is not dangerous for life. Canned by-products, such as pate, also do not tolerate high temperatures well - they soften and lose their taste.

The documented shelf life of stewed meat is 2 years... In practice - 3 times longer.

Rusks

An excellent source of carbohydrates. Easy to make, stored for a long time, almost do not deteriorate. Almost. Storage conditions must be observed. They must be stored in piles, folded in cloth bags, which are packed in a plastic bag, which in turn is tucked into a large canvas bag. Why such difficulties? For protection from moisture, insects and mutual damage. Actually, it is easy to determine the deterioration of crackers - mold on the surface and discoloration. Rye and rye-wheat rusks are stored two years, the rest - up to a year.

Biscuits

Excellent storage properties thanks to hermetically sealed vacuum packaging. Actually, if this tightness is broken, then the damage begins quite quickly. It is accompanied by a musty odor and a noticeable deterioration in taste. Shelf life - 2 years.

Pasta

Due to the almost complete absence of liquid, they are perfectly stored. But over time, proteins begin to disintegrate, carotenoids begin to oxidize, and the pasta itself starts to turn rancid. Fortunately, they can still be eaten. Only they are no longer so tasty and crumble into small pieces when cooking. If the storage regime is violated, they can also be exposed to mold, which makes them completely unusable. Shelf life without egg and dairy additives - 12 months, that is, a year. With additives - half a year and less.

Cereals

Everything is absolutely the same. Store improperly - there will be mold. If there is mold, you can't eat. If you store it correctly, the product will spoil sooner or later. The normal aroma will disappear first. Then the color will change (rancidity and oxidation), and then the taste. You can still eat, but it's not that. Shelf life without changing properties - up to three years.

Sugar and salt

Where can we go without them. Here you can not be afraid of mold. However, high humidity, again, causes some damage to the stock - individual grains clump, stick together and melt. This, however, does not particularly affect the taste. Shelf life - formally is not limited.

Dried fruits

In addition to proteins, fats and carbohydrates, vitamins are also needed for long-term survival in extreme conditions. And in dried fruits they are just contained. Yes. less than fresh fruit, however, they are stored much longer. But again, it all depends on the storage conditions. Exclude the access of insects, exclude excess moisture - and, in fact, that's it. At least guaranteed half a year you have in stock.

Chocolate

Year he will definitely live - if of poor quality. If you did not regret the money and bought normal chocolate, moreover, black one (and milk, by the way, is not chocolate at all, it is pressed sugar with powdered milk and preservatives, to which a little cocoa is added), then do not worry - some years it will not only be possible to eat it yet, but it will also be very good to survive when all other products run out. A square of chocolate a day is enough to support life - not the most pleasant, of course, and very hungry, but nonetheless.

Even at the front in World War II, the soldiers, in addition to the basic first-aid kit, usually had several bars of chocolate with them. By the way, the fact that chocolate is so nutritious is a clarification: if you do not want your personal BP to happen to you, eat chocolate in normal life (it is one of the best guarantees for the natural production of insulin, without which there is nothing), but do not abuse it. A few squares a day, if you have other products, will definitely be enough.

We remind you that the terms indicated by us are officially announced. In practice, they can easily be doubled or even more. Otherwise, everything is quite simple - create conditions that exclude high humidity, check the condition of the caches for the quality of the products stored there every six months, avoid stocks with a high water content, try to maintain a cool temperature - and you can be sure that the PSU will not find you unprepared. At least in terms of food supplies.

One of the most secret organizations in the country is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. And the management of the service decided to slightly lift the veil of secrecy and tell about their work. For this, an impromptu museum of the Federal Reserve was opened in the Southern Department of the Ministry of Emergencies.

The Rosrezerv service is engaged in the formation, storage and maintenance of strategic reserves of the state, which are needed in case of emergency situations. For example, after a natural disaster, during a war, or to provide humanitarian assistance. By the way, 60 thousand tons of food and medicine, which over the past two years were taken to Donbass by humanitarian convoys, were mainly taken from the warehouses of the southern administration. However, more on that later.

This department is considered one of the main elements of the state security system. It is known that food is stored in its storerooms, different types fuel and a variety of other strategic products. Statistical data (how much and what is in the warehouses), as well as the location of the warehouses itself, is a state secret. It is known only to the employees of the service and the top leadership of the country. This information is almost more secure than the location of Russia's largest nuclear mines or space defense equipment.

Employees of the service sign commitments to preserve state secrets, and talking to these people is a great journalistic success.

Six centuries of security

Russian historians have found the first mention of state reserves in the annals of the 7th century. The documents say that at that time long-term storage goods were placed in warehouses - mainly grain. This made it possible to insure against mass famine in terrible lean years or after numerous wars that shook ancient Russia.

True, then it was a personal initiative of the princes. The nationwide system of reserves began to take shape only in the XIV century, during the reign of Ivan Kalita, a collector of Russian lands.

The first specialized organization, the so-called Provision Order, appeared in 1700, under Peter I. The Order was responsible for supplying the regular army with food. Stores (that is, special warehouses) were located in Moscow, Kiev, Bryansk, Smolensk and other cities and were used during the Northern War. In 1716, the Order was transformed into the Provision Office, and after the victory of Russia, in 1724, it became part of the Military Collegium.

In 1920, for the first time in our country, it was possible to create a specialized grain fund, in 1927 a permanent grain fund began to form. Of course, during the difficult revolutionary and war years, the reserves were at a minimum level. But after the war, when the world was facing the threat of a global nuclear war, Soviet specialists, as they say, brought the system to perfection.

No statute of limitations

According to the employees of the service, today the only Institute for Storage Problems in the world operates in Moscow, which deals with the issues of saving food and other products.

It turned out that some Russian technologies allow storing food for decades, while they do not lose their gastronomic and energy properties at all. True, these developments are needed rather as a safety net - products are stored in warehouses for a strictly set time. Delay is not allowed.

Storing such a huge volume so that it is not wasted and used efficiently is not an easy task. Therefore, personnel is a special pride of the service.

It so happened that at the plants of the Federal Reserve Board they mainly work with whole families, for several generations. Why this is happening, the service workers themselves do not say. This is probably due to increased secrecy: if grandparents, as well as parents, have worked in this system all their lives and have shown themselves in the best possible way, they will probably teach their children to keep secrets.

It is only known that there are dynasties that have a cumulative work experience of more than 180 years. Most employees have one entry in the work book.

Save Donbass

When an armed conflict broke out in Donbass, it became clear that local residents were on the brink of a humanitarian disaster. Groceries disappeared from store shelves, and the Ukrainian authorities stopped supplying medicines, including essential ones. Then, in agreement with the local authorities, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations began to supply all the necessary products.

I could not help but take the opportunity and asked the leadership of the southern Federal Reserve about how it was. First of all, I wanted to know how unexpected these events were for the service and whether there were any disruptions in supplies, because, fortunately, they did not actually encounter such a volume of work in modern Russia.

One of our main tasks is to be one hundred percent ready for any emergency at any given time. Therefore, when the order came to form cargo consignments to Donbass, no difficulties arose. We worked in accordance with our instructions, which are regularly worked out in a quiet time, - said Alexei Butenko, deputy head of the Federal Reserve Agency for the Southern Federal District, to RG. - In August 2014, I managed to talk to the drivers of the first humanitarian convoy, which took medicines and food to Donbass. They were all people with big hearts. After all, many of them volunteered to go, despite the risk of being fired upon by the Ukrainian military. So, they, adult men, with tears in their eyes, told how the locals greeted them with flowers, and then sorted out all the products that the rescuers had brought in, bit by bit. How one woman swept the floor in the back with a broom to collect the remnants of spilled cereals and feed her family. It is scary to imagine how many people would have to die without medical assistance and from hunger, if not for timely assistance.

Unfortunately, there are such cases. We helped people during the conflict in Ossetia, after the floods in the Kuban in 2002 and so on, ”says Butenko. “And today, when the world is again restless, we, as always, stand guard over the safety of our citizens and are ready to help at any moment.

85 years ago, a unified federal system of state material reserve was created

Evgeny VLADIMIROV

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On October 17, one of the backbone structures in the sphere of national security of our country, the Federal Agency for State Reserves (Rosrezerv), celebrates its anniversary. It is in charge of the formation and maintenance of strategic reserves of the state in case of war, natural disasters and man-made disasters.

State reserves are maintained in most developed countries; in the modern world, this is a popular tool that allows you to maintain the internal stability of the state in any crisis situations.

The Russian system of reserves includes a network of mills located throughout the country. The warehouses are located so that material values, if necessary, could be shipped as quickly as possible and delivered to any point in Russia. Combines are reliably protected, some of them are located deep underground and are capable of withstanding even a nuclear strike.

The strategic reserves of the state include food and oil products, medicines and rescue equipment, machinery, equipment, and industrial raw materials.

The main purpose of the reserves is to meet the country's mobilization needs. The reserves are actively used in peacetime. Rosrezerv employees are involved in emergency response and humanitarian operations in Russia and abroad.

Strategic reserves can act as a factor in stabilizing the economy. In emergency situations of supply disruption, by decision of the government, fuel for agricultural producers, fuel for boiler houses, industrial raw materials and materials for the most important industries are provided from the state reserve.

Six years ago, legislation established the possibility of carrying out commodity interventions with the involvement of state reserve stocks, the purpose of which is to protect the population from speculative growth in prices for basic food products and oil products.

THE RESCUE

Banknotes will not help people freezing

During the flood in the Primorsky Territory, food, fuel, power generators, heat guns, pumps, blankets were sent to the victims from the Rosrezerv funds. And this case is far from the only one. In the last five years alone, Rosrezerv has taken part in dozens of rescue operations in Russia, conducted more than 60 actions of humanitarian aid to residents of 30 states.

Power generators of increased power, promptly delivered to Crimea, allowed the peninsula to survive the power blockade last winter. For many residents of the southeast of Ukraine and Syria, help from Rosrezerv warehouses made it possible to hold out in the most difficult times. Agency employees took part in extinguishing forest fires in Siberia, took part in the elimination of the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station, saved the Far North villages deprived of heat supply from the cold, provided the flooded regions of the Far East with food, rescue equipment and essential goods.

The richest experience in rescue has shown the effectiveness of storing material stocks. After all, government agencies usually provide assistance in cash, and it takes time to purchase goods that people need right now. State-owned tents, blankets and heaters have always come in handy.

SOTSOPROS

Russians hope for the country

The All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) conducted a special study, during which the attitude of Russians to the formation of state reserves in the context of possible emergencies was clarified. 72% of the respondents noted that the presence of strategic reserves in the country in itself increases the feeling of security and confidence in the future. Sociologists have found that most of all the country's residents fear the economic crisis, natural disasters and terrorist attacks. In such situations, it is the state that should take upon itself the provision of the population with essential goods - this is the opinion of 96% of the respondents.

First of all, in the opinion of the majority of Russians, it is necessary to have a sufficient reserve of medicines and foodstuffs. However, 90% also believe that in the context of economic sanctions, it is necessary, among other things, to form stocks of oil products and industrial raw materials - this is the key to the smooth operation of strategic enterprises.

EXPEDITION

Living in the Arctic

In the summer of this year, specialists from the Research Institute for Storage Problems of Rosrezerv conducted another, already the fifth expedition to the Taimyr Peninsula. The purpose of the expeditions is to study in the long term the possibilities of storing stocks of food and industrial goods in permafrost conditions.

This experiment started more than 40 years ago - after a warehouse of products of the Russian polar expedition of 1900-1902, led by the scientist and traveler Eduard Toll, was found on Taimyr in 1973. It turned out that for 70 years the products have not lost their consumer qualities and fully comply with modern safety indicators.

During the expeditions of 1974, 1980, 2004, 2010 and 2016, the products left by Toll were confiscated, and their place was taken by samples of modern food products... These studies should help scientists develop the scientific basis for the creation of reliable life support systems in the Far North. Indeed, in recent years, Russia has been expanding its presence in the Arctic, and the reserves may be needed by law enforcement agencies, rescue services, and researchers.

A LITTLE HISTORY

Starting point

The words "To keep the reserves great" became the motto of the Federal Reserve. This is a quote from the "Punished memory of the storage of grain reserves", written by the Grand Duke of All Russia Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov in 1629. From time immemorial, the rulers paid great attention to the content, and the Provisional Order created by Peter the Great largely became the prototype of the current Federal Reserve.

The starting point of the modern history of the Russian system of the state material reserve is October 17, 1931, when the Committee of Reserves under the Council of Labor and Defense was created by the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. When, at the end of the 30s, war began to blow, the committee managed to increase mobilization reserves for the army and industry by more than one and a half times in a short time. And on the morning of June 22, 1941, the state reserve system switched to a round-the-clock operating mode, which ceased to operate only in 1948 - after the abolition of the rationing system.

During the Cold War, the state reserve collected everything necessary to keep the industry running even in conditions of complete isolation. In the 50s, due to tensions with China, the USSR faced a serious shortage of tin and antimony. New supply channels were not found immediately, and entire industries worked on state reserves.

After the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, thousands of tons of lead for the construction of the sarcophagus over the reactor were delivered from the state reserve warehouses.

In the early 90s, in conditions of total shortage, the food basket of residents of many regions consisted of half of the food saved by the Federal Reserve. To then provide the population with food, it was necessary to sell and stocks of rare earth elements, non-ferrous metals and fuel. Later, the volume of these reserves was restored.

FACTS SPEAK

Quality comes first

Ensuring the quality and safety of products pledged and produced from the state material reserve is the most important task of the Federal Reserve.

Increased requirements are imposed on the quality of products that make up strategic stocks:

full compliance with GOST standards and technical conditions,

high consumer properties,

additional quality margin for long-term storage,

increased grade of raw materials,

special packing strength.

Everything that enters the storage facilities of Rosrezerv is checked many times: upon receipt, during storage and, of course, upon release.

If a defect is found at any stage, the supplier is obliged to replace the entire batch and pay a fine to the state budget.


● Salt. It can be used both as a food flavoring and food storage medium, and as a bait for game. In many places, the use of salt springs is prohibited, since with their help it becomes too easy to hunt, which means that sports interest is lost.

If you do not live near a salt spring, you will never have too much salt. Salt is now cheap and sold everywhere, but when times are tough, it will become a real shortage in many continental regions of the Earth. Moreover, it has no expiration date. Inquire about possible natural deposits of this white gold near your hideout - after the end of the world, this information will be very valuable.




Make a total salt supply based on 20 kg for each family member. The total amount will seem overstated, but keep in mind that a certain part will go to bait animals. The iodized version should be preferred as salt for cooking.

● Fig. I prefer brown rice because of its useful properties(although its shelf life is shorter than that of white). The total amount of this stored product should be calculated using the formula 15 kg per adult per year. Rice usually has a shelf life of about eight years.

● Wheat (or other fiber-rich grains). This stock is the key to preparation. Soon it will probably not be as easy to buy cereals as it is today, so let's start: 110 kg for each adult family member per year (a certain part of this stock can be in the form of pasta) and, of course, a lot for exchange.

I do not advise stocking up on flour - its shelf life is limited to two or three years, while grain can be stored for more than 30 years, and its the nutritional value only 20% lower than conventional flour. Better buy grain and a hand mill.

Do not forget about the simplest method of preparing cereals - soaking the seeds: 24-36 hours in water is enough to make the tough kernels soft and juicy, like berries, and then heated up for a delicious breakfast.

● Corn. The ears hold better than peeled grains or any corn-based food. The annual rate of this product for an adult is about 25 kg. It can be stored in its entirety for 8–12 years, and divided into several parts or cleaned - only 8–36 months.

● Buckwheat. The shelf life of buckwheat is only 12 months. The consumption rate for one adult is 3.5 kg per year. Therefore, large stocks should not be made, only if you provide for the option of exchanging for other products and things.

Oat groats... Its annual supply should be calculated as 10 kg per person. Shelf life is three to seven years (depending on the variety and packaging method).

● Fats and oils. I advise you to buy mainly olive oil(in plastic bottles and kept frozen), mayonnaise, butter in cans and peanut. The total weight of the annual allowance for these products per person is about 50 kg. Food stored in cans should be continually used as it becomes available (or distributed twice a year as humanitarian aid). According to the order of purchase, frozen olive oil should also be consumed (or given to those in need once every four years).

Powdered milk... Buy the lean version. The annual rate per person should be about 12 kg. Try to buy it with preservatives - this will provide a maximum shelf life of five years or more.

● Canned fruits and vegetables. It is practical (also from the point of view of economy) to make canned food yourself. Canned foods should be used on a first-come, first-served basis, so you should not store more than two years of canned food. The amount of these fruits and vegetables depends on your preference.

Canned meat... Their stock must be constantly renewed and kept no more than what you can eat in two years.

● Sugar. Of the sweets, I prefer honey (although babies cannot be given it). However, someone will want to stock up on sugar, molasses or jam. The annual rate of such products per person should be about 25 kg.

P.S. About preservatives. Thanks to these substances, the shelf life of many products reaches 8-10 years, and grains are even longer, so I recommend buying food products enriched with preservatives, if their usual shelf life is relatively short, for example, dried peas, powdered milk.