In July last year, I asked everyone on Survival Threads whether they preferred to rotate their food stockpile or not:
When it comes to food storage, I’ve noticed that people typically fall into one of two types of camps: either they are all for rotating their food stockpile, or they prefer to just build it up, leave it alone and let it sit for whenever an emergency strikes.
I’m on the side of those who believe rotating through a food stockpile is a good idea. Foods that don’t expire will still often lose flavour over time, and if you’re stockpiling food that has a long-term expiry date, you stand a lot less of a chance of reaching that long-term expiry date if you’re eating through your older foods and replacing them with newer ones. I don’t like the idea of waste, and foods would certainly be wasted if I didn’t eat them in time before they expired (of course here I mean really expired, not just going by what the date on the packaging says!).
I certainly see validity in the reasoning from the other camp, however. It’s true that sometimes you just forget to replace the items you’ve used up – and if you don’t replace them and end up in a situation where you need them, you’re in a lot less of a good spot. That being said, I’m all for staying organized and having lists, which should solve this problem by preventing completely forgetting about replacing the food items that have been consumed.
What do you guys think about the topic? Do you rotate through your food stockpile yourself? Why or why not?
I had always been the type of person who was completely on the side of those who rotated through their entire food stockpile. I’m still more or less in that category of things – I still am a firm believer in rotating through food, but because of another food storage discussion that came up on Survival Threads a few months later, in December of 2015, my perspective has changed a touch with regards to the camp that believes its best to leave your food stockpile alone and let it sit for an emergency. But more on that in a bit.
First and foremost, I’d like to address what I see are the benefits to rotating through food stockpiles.
Benefits to Rotating a Food Stockpile
1. Your food has less of a chance of expiring.
Obvious, of course, but if you’re eating through older food and replacing it with new food, it’s much less likely you’ll get to the point where you have food that expires on you, because you’ll hopefully have rotated through all your food before you hit any expiry dates.
2. Since it stands less of a chance of expiring, you’ll not be wasting as much food.
There’s just something in me that hates throwing out food. It’s not that I’m against throwing any food away, but throwing food away that I would’ve pretty much liked eating anyway if it only wasn’t for that expiry date cropping up doesn’t sit well with me. Especially when I know in my head I could’ve rotated through my food stockpile to be able to use the food I had to throw out. Doesn’t sit well with me at all.
3. Not only will you not be wasting as much food, but you’ll be saving money on buying replacement food.
Money is valuable. Many of the preps that we preppers would like to work on revolve around money; whether it’s in the form of increasing emergency funds you have saved up, buffing up a stockpile of survival gear, investing in courses that teach us important prepper skills, investing in a bug out location that’s off the grid, buffing up our home security system, or really anything. That money you could have saved by eating through your food stockpile instead of buying replacement food could be used so many places elsewhere; ultimately helping you to be able to work on other preps, instead of continuously having huge financial resources being dumped into food that is never eaten and only saved for an emergency.
4. Since you’re eating through the food you’re saving for an emergency, you’ll be able to figure out what you like and what you don’t like of your stockpile.
It’s not the worst problem to have, but if you’ve never eaten the food you’ve saved up for an emergency and you realize a few days into an emergency that you just hate the stuff you’ve stockpiled, well that’s not likely going to be the greatest feeling in the world, especially if it’s all you got. If you’re constantly eating through your food stockpile, you’ll be able to assess whether the foods you buy are the best you can get for the job. Not a fan of that particular chili you bought? Get another kind or scratch chili off of the emergency stockpile food list completely. You don’t have to eat what you don’t like, and you can always stock less of what you feel would become redundant or boring to eat after a while. Rotating through your food stockpile will really help you to figure this bit out.
How My Perspective on Food Stockpile Rotation Changed
The food storage thread that changed my perspective on stocking up without rotating can be found here. Tfire1163 was telling us about a friend of his who asked for help with food storage organization. What he found was a complete and total mess – including a lack of air tight containers that led to food going bad, mice feces around the area where she kept her food, freezer burned frozen food, and basically a slew of food that could no longer be used because of the condition it was stored in. (Proper storage is a topic for another day, but until then, let Tfire1163’s friend’s food stockpile act as a reason to check up on your own food stockpile and make sure everything is okay and – you know, not overrun by a colony of mice!)
Within the context of his post, Tfire1163 mentioned that he was a firm believer in the first in, first out (FIFO) method of dealing with food stockpiles, and that he strongly felt that you should store only what you eat and eat what you store.
A few comments in, Mike Ash brought up a point that really made me think; and this is exactly what made me change my perspective on stocking up without rotating:
I don’t totally agree with the “store what you eat, eat what you store” philosophy guys. It sounds nice, succinct and rolls off the tongue pretty. But a survival food storage goes further than that. It is a good basis yet not overall strategy IMO.
Don’t get me wrong, not saying that you should go out and buy a shit ton of canned spinach and yams if your family hates them. Things that you can rotate is a great goal, but sometimes you will need to store a lot of something that you could never rotate totally with normal eating habits. But if you are thinking survival nutrition then you will just have to store them anyways. And if you think they are going bad, but not bad yet, give them away to families on an eat soon basis or add to compost. It would suck but it may be necessary to be truly prepared.
FIFO is definitely the best way to go but in some cases FI is far as it goes because you barely ever eat that product, but due to nutritional value or supplimental meal filler you should be storing for extended survival situation even of you never get to rotate.
A few examples: dry beans, rice, milk, ramen. I store more of this than anyone (other than an Asian food aficionado) would or could ever rotate or eat in a non survival situation. Im might store powered milk but i ain’t drinking that shit. I’ll get used to it and be happy with the change from smoky water if shtf happens. Although it breaks the rules on store what can eat, it is a nice source of protein, calories, and it is culinarily quite versatile. So I store it. Being dry foods, I’m guessing in my dark, semi-dry, stockpile they will safely last for over a decade with little or no deterioration.
I very rarely eat any of these items but I still store them and here’s why. Not to be preachy but in an extended bugout/bug in situation I receive per serving:
Dry milk: 80 cal, 8g protein, and vitamins and minerals. Not to mention ability to make bugout butter and cheese.
Beans: 70 cal, 8g protein, 22g carb, vitamins and minerals.
Rice: 160 cal, 3g protein, 35g carb, vitamins and minerals.
Ramen: 190 cal, 70 cal from fat, sodium 790mg, 26g carb, 4G protein, vitamins and minerals.
So I hope everyone sees that we can’t prep by just following a pretty statement. I personally feel that “store what you eat; eat what you store” is a great and the most efficient theory for stockpiling, it should be your core philosophy but not not a steadfast rule/law of stockpiling food. Other items should be in consideration to have a well-rounded overall diet and plan for survival.
If shtf happens we could end up eating a lot of things we aren’t used to or even comfortable eating, but that’s why it called surviving not camping. Otherwise I’d be eating steak, shrimp, hamburgers, and hot dogs on a daily basis.
Mike Ash (who by the way has a survival YouTube Channel you can check out!) is 100% on point with his comment. And even now – I couldn’t have said what he did better myself.
Main points he covered;
- While you shouldn’t go out and buy tonnes of things you hate eating, for nutrition purposes in SHTF emergencies, you will sometimes need to stockpile things you wouldn’t in a regular situation want to eat (ex: dry beans, rice, powdered milk, ramen noodles, etc.)
- Rotating through your entire food stockpile is a great goal, but sometimes you will need to store a lot of something to increase the amount of calories you have on hand in an emergency – a quantity that you could never rotate through totally with normal eating habits.
- You can always give away food items just before they expire to families that could use them or add them to compost heaps. It’s not ideal, but may be necessary to be truly prepared.
- “Store what you eat; eat what you store” should be your core philosophy but not a steadfast rule/law of stockpiling food. Other food items should be in consideration for your stockpile so that you will have a well-rounded overall diet and plan for survival & SHTF situations.
I mentioned later in the thread that I definitely agreed, and that I certainly think “first in, first out” should be the heart of the rule, and not the rule itself that’s important;
Definitely the objective is to have so much food stockpiled (eventually) that you couldn’t consume it all before it expired, but when you’re first starting, and especially if you’re tight on funds and can’t afford to see a lot go to waste, I definitely believe it’s wise to stick to “rotate your stock”/”store what you eat, eat what you store” and FIFO philosophies.
But when you do have the extra funds and the capacity to bulk up your food stockpile, don’t be afraid to buy things that, as Mike Ash pointed out, you really wouldn’t want to eat outside an emergency or disaster. Yes, you should have plenty of food you like eating and that you stockpiled because you actually eat, but if your food stockpile gets big enough to last you a long time, there will no doubt be items in it that stockpile you will not want to eat, but that are great to have on hand just because of their extended expiry date and nutritional value.
And, again, as Mike Ash said, if you can’t eat some of the food you’ve stockpiled yourself because you’ve gotten to the point where you have a lot more food stockpiled than you’re able to eat, and like me, you don’t like wasting – just give it away to someone else who will use it, compost it, or hell, even donate it a short while before it expires.
Your desire to rotate your food stockpile completely, however, should not impede you from growing your food stockpile to be as large as you can have it, so that you can withstand prolonged emergency situations.
So my perspective on things now has changed. I will definitely, to the best of my ability, still rotate my food stockpile to a great extent, sticking to the first in, first out principle as much as possible – but once I am able to grow my food stockpile past the extent to which I am able to eat through all the food that needs to be rotated, I won’t fear having food that I will never be able to get to, or food I don’t particularly like, because depending on how long an emergency situation ends up lasting, as we as preppers already know – I really might need it.
I’m late to the party here but would like to comment anyways. Above you said “and what you were saying about the economic crises – definitely that’s not the kind of prepping I gear myself toward”. Then you say a job loss is more what you prep for. An economic crises can mean many things to many people. A personal economic crises such as a lost of wages, reduction of hours is not the same as an economic collapse. An economic collapse with hyper inflation, like what is going on in Venezuela is beyond an individuals control. It’s like saying I prep for the EOTWAWKI event. That has many sub categories, think Katrina. I’m sure it felt like the end of the world for many who lived it. Or a mass coronal eruption from the sun that takes out the power grid vs. a temporary lost of power that’s more of an inconvenience. I’ve only been prepping for a few years. And I can’t and don’t have the means to prep for every possible scenario. You have a good site that encourages the reader to start prepping. Something is better than nothing. Just remember that most emergencies can be handled with planning and keeping a cool head. Sorry for the rant.
Anyways back to the question “Should You Rotate Through Your Food Stockpile?” This of course is just my opinion. I certainly believe in the FIFO method of rotation on most stored items. If your paying attention to expiration dates then your also checking the condition of the packaging for rust, bulging of cans, infestation and so on I would like to believe. I personally feel you should also store what you normally eat. If I don’t eat rutabaga in good times, what makes my wife think I’m going to eat it in bad times. I’d rather spend the money on something I’ll eat…LOL
I do have items that I haven’t rotated out yet since I’m fairly new to prepping. Examples are items stored for the long term such as rice, oats, wheat and so on. I packaged up plenty in 5 gal buckets with mylar bags and oxygen absorbers for the long haul. I’ve checked on them and they are compressed and well sealed. I also purchased #10 can’s of items from the LDS that are stored for the long term such as macaroni, spagetti bites, potato flakes that I keep in storage. Tried the items first to see if we liked them before making larger purchases. Do I open a can and eat it, sure we do. Do I have a separate 5 gal bucket of wheat that I use on a regular basis, sure I do. But I’m not going to crack open a 5 gal bucket that’s been stored for long term and waste a mylar bag, O2 absorber after just a few years. I’ll just replace what I generally use as it’s needed.
And by the way, tomato powder works pretty good for making tomato soup, tomato paste, and works well for making Spanish rice :-)
Yeah, it makes sense mate. I definitely see the logic in keeping the larger cans purely for oh shit moments. I guess because such bulk options are rare in my neck of the woods that I don’t really think about it. Most cans are at most 1 litre tops.
To me, “rotating” your supplies means removing them from your stockpile before they become inedible. This might mean you eat them, but it doesn’t have to.
There are plenty of places that would be happy to take bulk beans or grains that’re nearing their use-by dates. Your local church, food bank, or homeless shelter would probably be delighted to accept some bulk staples. Some grains can even be donated to animal rescue organizations as bird or cattle feed.
It may be tempting to store a 15- or 30-year shelf life item and then never look at it until an emergency happens, but you might find that it got wet or bug- or rodent-eaten in the mean time. Part of rotation is checking that your stores are still good, and replacing them if they’ve met an untimely end.
Totally fair. Definitely better to be used up by somebody, you’re right that somebody doesn’t have to be you.
And yes, I’ve heard some horror stories of rats getting into people’s stockpiles; definitely better to regularly check up on your stock! No matter how safe you think it is.
Thanks for stopping by with your advice :).
I tend to make self-contained food boxes and write the date on the side.
A box offers varied and balanced food, salt, vacuum-packed spices, supplements, etc.
As a rule, I don’t touch my stockpile. However, when getting around 2/3 towards expiration, I open that box and put it my pantry instead.
The reason for all this is in part because I find the boxes easy to transport or distribute; I know each unit contains what you need to survive and thrive; it reduces the chance of forgetting to restock a vital item.
I sort of lied up there. I do tend to grab one if I’m going camping or the like. It’s always all or nothing, though.
That’s a really good idea – moving the stockpile items to the pantry once they get 2/3 of the way to expiration. Very good organization required (much better than what I used to have) but certainly worthwhile as I’m sure this system works out infinitely better than the one I used to have (which was barely any system at all).
I like your system a lot, actually might try for something similar this time around (since I’m restarting my stockpile due to moving).
I only buy #10 cans for long term food storage. 20-30 year shelf life…..no waste. I also eat from them now so as to know how they taste and how to use the different items in recipes.
Don’t store ketchup. ….buy tomato powder and a few spices. I make everything from scratch. No mixes at all. Nothing to go bad or have to be donated either.
Where do you find tomato powder?
Very smart! I will look into these kinds of products (though if you have any recommendations that would be amazing!), cause those sound perfect for pretty much any stockpile!
Since we have already been thru the y2k farce and had to donate/throw out lots of long term foods along with grain mill, etc. circa 2001, I only buy stuff we eat all the time from grocery stores. I stock enough to get thru weather issues, no more.. When canned items go on sale, I buy more than average to save. rotating and checking exp. date is good idea for everyone. I have been hearing about economic collapses since around 1980.
Hi Laura, I agree. I’m over economic collapse conspiracy.
I now prep. out of sheer paranoia.
I don’t trust the barstards, and now approaching 60 yrs, I’ve seen and heard a lot from Governments who speak with forked tongues.
.
For me, it just is common sense to put away for a rainy (or stormy day).
Yikes, I have been just reading about the lead in City Supply pipes in USA. Here we have asbestos. pipe issues. I havn’t been on town water for 16 years, BUT am about to invest in a Berkey water filter just to ensure I don’t ingest heavy metals or other contaminates from bore water.
Travelling extensively around the Pacific Islands, this season, there are so many people who have got sick is a eye opener. Scary.
Last year in Fiji, there were less than 500 Reports of Malaria. This year,ALREADY, there are over 5000 !
Infrastructure has been smashed due to Cyclone Winston followed by another shortly after.
Shit does happen. Economic collapses are few and far between.
Local SHTF incidences are more likely in my opinion, so I plan accordingly.
I second Bob Ocean, and what you were saying about the economic crises – definitely that’s not the kind of prepping I gear myself toward because it really is unlikely to take place (though nice to be prepared if you have the money for even the very least likely).
But things like health problems and job loss – these are very possible things that I’d love to be completely prepared for. It’s hard to deal with job loss if you’re worried about where your next meal will come from. What if it takes a long time to find a new job? It’s just something I know I can take care of now so I don’t have to worry about it in the future in case any type of rough time happens.
Please explain the photos used with this article. They don’t appear to be relative to stockpiling or rotating of foods. Brum
We add photographs to make the posts look better and to make our articles easier to read. I didn’t happen to be spot on with the photography in this case, but I’m hoping people came more for article itself than the photography anyway.
Perhaps photographs that relate more directly to the subject matter would be more useful “to make your articles easier to read”. A properly chosen photograph can often convey its meaning or essence more effectively than a written description. e.g. Imagery makes the internet shopping experience so real and also enjoyable. Google even dedicated an entire medium to their search experience… “Google Images”
I shop at two popular stores in the northwest, Albertson’s & Fred Meyer (Kroger) & I always check use by dates when I shop. I’ve noticed lately that many of the weekly sales items are pretty close to date. Also at Albertson’s I’ve found weekly sales where every can was slightly dented. It wasn’t presented as a dented can sale & the reduced price wasn’t even that low. I guess it’s getting to be even more of a “buyer beware” situation. The only things I buy that we don’t eat regularly are powdered eggs, powdered milk & canned meats (tuna, salmon, spam).
I’ve bought things already expired before – hope to never make that mistake again. You really need to pay attention to what you’re purchasing, that’s for sure!
Linda S, I’m in the PNW as well. Washington girl here. I feel the same way as you do. Albertsons is very hit or miss.
Interesting subject.
I ALWAYS write the date purchased on items now.
NOT the expiry date, as this is not always consistent with purchase date. That needs to be checked when purchasing.
“Generally” food bought from a large store will be fresh (not old stock), as they have a higher turn over and operate on J.I.T. stock holding basis.
Much more likely to get old stock (or expired) from a small store.
When I bulk buy grains, I will freeze them for a minimum of 3x days then allow them to thaw, Then vacuum bag with bay leaves inside and write date on with masking tape.
Easy to see and rip off to change if required.
We like to think we will remember, but our memories are not as reliable as we think.
I’ve found food that has been stored for over 15 years and if it wasn’t for the date, would swear I only packed it last month. (bulk food)
And yes those Lentils and rice still taste good and have no reason to think the nutritional value has degraded too much.
That’s a good trick, writing the purchase date on I mean. I do need to work out a system I’m happy with – love hearing ideas like this as I know I wouldn’t have otherwise thought of it until I’d been pretty far into stockpiling already (we’re moving countries so we get the chance to completely re-start our stockpile – pretty sweet!).
My memory is never as reliable as I think, lol. Definitely would forget when I packed something if I didn’t write it down – yet wouldn’t think about it until I realized the food was not as fresh as I thought it would be while eating it!