Emergency Food? What Is Available That Is gluten-free?

[Cara in Boston]

With the help of this board and others, we finally have the whole gluten-free diet thing figured out and have been gluten-free for more than 6 months. In that time, we have become much more sensitive so even the smallest amount will make us sick. (Son is more sensitive than me.) My new concern is that there will some sort of emergency situation where we will have to leave our house for an extended period of time - like if we were evacuated to a shelter - and I want to have some emergency food on hand that we can take with us. I'm all set if we get snowed in and have to stay home - plenty of food in the pantry that we could prepare for several days. Just looking for shelf-stable, portable food that we could take with us if we had to leave. I have LARA bars and some hummus packets that we like . . . just looking for more suggestions. I would just keep it packed in a backpack with our other emergency stuff.

Do they make prepared gluten-free emergency rations?

What do other families do in this situation?

Cara

[Takala]

Rice cakes, peanut butter.

[pricklypear1971]

Funny you ask. I have a closet full of old (meaning Pre gluten-free) emergency food I'm donating.

I think the key is rotation. They tell you to eat what you store and now it's truer than ever.

Nut bars - nature valley has a gluten-free one

Fruit bars - there's at least one gluten-free one...

Mixed bars - Laara, Kind

Chips

Nuts

Dried fruit

Canned meat

Canned fruit

Canned veggies

Bottled water

I think I saw one emergency ration online store a long ago that listed allergens...who knows if it's still around.

[lynnelise]

These are expensive but they make these Go Picnic boxed meals that would work. I keep them in the car for emergencies. Open Original Shared Link

[BabsV]

If you eat meat, don't forget about jerky (beef, turkey, buffalo -- yes I found buffalo jerky online and it was really expensive but really really tasty!) Jerky is my new portable "go to" snack -- I'm honestly sick of nuts and Kind bars (cannot stand Larabars...)

[Cara in Boston]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I like the GoPicnic kits but many of the sides in them are processed in a facility that also processes wheat. So they are gluten free (ingredients) but my sensitive kid steers clear of anything with that tag. I have managed to buy some of the components of the kits (like the hummus) and they have been great for snacks and quick meals on the go.

Keep the ideas coming . . .

Cara

[Dr. Jill]

I second the jerky recommendation. I make my own in the oven...very easy and inexpensive. Canned chili, canned salmon/tuna are other ideas packed with protein.

[Katrala]

Funyuns.

[AndrewNYC]

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[Skylark]

Progresso soups, canned chili, canned tuna and chicken, canned fruit and veggies. I keep canned food is stacked in one place in the pantry and I replace cans with fresh as I eat them so that I always have a reasonable supply. I'd also grab Larabars, nuts, dried fruit, cereal, chips, crackers, etc.

I don't worry about keeping a backpack of food packed for emergencies. What is the scenario where you can go get a backpack but wouldn't have time to dump a bunch of canned food in a grocery bag? In my area there's either a wildfire with plenty of time to evacuate or an earthquake that's so sudden it doesn't matter where the emergency food is. Once a quake is over, if your house is standing you have all the time in the world to empty the pantry. I do keep an emergency kit with a crank flashlight, radio, candles & matches, first aid kit, and some nifty backpacking stuff so that I'm not trying to worry about a long list of items if I need to leave the house for a while.

[Adalaide]

I'm pretty big on the emergency preparedness thing. Our family keeps a pretty significant stock of things that are shelf stable for 25 years. That is something I am not into though, I don't see the point of buying all this crap you'll never eat. I like to keep the cans of dried fruits and veggies around, which are great for soups, casseroles, desserts, pretty much anything. I especially love the fruits for just snacking. While a lot of the stuff isn't grab and go food, the fruit at least is. I was initially worried going through my food storage as everything is processed in a facility with wheat, but found on their website that they do have a dedicated gluten free facility. I can buy my stuff in stores here, but it's also available online. Open Original Shared Link

I'm in a similar situation as Skylark, where if there's an emergency I'll either have hours to evacuate or if there's an earthquake I'm pretty much stuck home. I did grow up in PA just a few miles from a nuclear power plant, so I am aware that there are emergencies where evacuation is so immediate that you either grab what's at hand, or grab nothing and flee as quickly as possible. While maybe not ideal, if I were to move back home I'd definitely keep a large can of honey coated banana slices and a can opener in what was handy to leave with in an emergency.

[BeFree]

How about some of those little individual cups of applesauce? Those are good and they have so many different flavors now.

[mamaw]

There are several companies that carry the 20 -25 long term storage survival food & they are gluten-free. I do have to disagree with another poster who thought this was crazy to have a longtime food source...Most of us carry house insurance , health ins...car ins & life ins. Things that none of us ever want to use or even need but we carry these insurances for for survival reasons, Health if we get sick, car so if we do cause an accident we have the means to cover the daMAGE & NOT GO BANKRUPT

[mamaw]

wow, I was just replying to this message when my message just stopped & disapppeared!

There are companies that have gluten-free 20 - 25 year survival food storage.. not a big selection but gluten-free...

I do have to disagree with another poster that they think long term storage is crazy..In this day & age of bizarre weather , unstable economy & job losses we all should be preparing for when it hits our family..we are living in uncertain times...

Another thought is we carry, homeowners ins. to protect our homes, we carry health ins. in case we need medical treatment. We carry car ins to protect ourselves in case we cause an accident. we have life ins. to pay for our funeral expense....these all are insurances we hope & pray we never have to use but we have them for protection. So why wouldn't we think or consider food ins? We can't live without water & we may survive a while without food but for me I think that would be a terrible exisitence...

Then what about children who look to their parents for their care... Sorry honey, you can go hungry!!!!!! I didn't feel or ever think we wouldn't have food.. oopsie!!!!

You are a very smart person to hope for the best & prepare for the worse...

We all need to be on top of a game plan...no goverment is going to care for us...

This is a very emotional topic for many because they can't imagine any hurriacane, tornado or the economy will change their lifestyle...but just look at New Orleans, or Haiti still years later they are not re-built...just ask a family whose Dad lost his job & can't find work & has spent every penney they had saved...& have nothing no even their home......

Happens on a daily basis.. Foreclosures abound ...

Sad but true...

In the arms of a disaster it is hard enough to get food into places then add in gluten-free!!! I drive over 1 1/2 hour to buy gluten-free food at present or do online ordering.. And its a little hard to get an online order delivered to a hurraincane struck area!!! Only the unimformed don't prepare!!!

Blessings

mamaw

[Adalaide]

Unless in my migraine fog I am totally missing something someone else said, no one at all said long term food storage is crazy but I am guessing that you are referring to me. I'm sorry if anyone else entirely misunderstood what I said. I don't think long term food storage is crazy. I simply think it's crazy to stock up on a bunch of stuff you will literally throw away when it expires in 25 years. (As is the common practice of food storage where I live.) Instead, my long term food storage is based on things that I will actually use and I do use it. I believe it is prudent to keep about a year's worth of food on hand. I just choose for that food to be things I'll use. I just replace each can I open as I open it. I'm now in what will be a very slow process of replacing most of what I have with items from a gluten free facility.

[Chad Sines]

For emergency hunger or when the blood sugar is low and you have cravings, go with the staples. Chips, fritos, tuna, hot dogs that are gluten-free, etc.

I find many of the purposefully made gluten-free items to not be good when that evil raving hunger hits.

[mamaw]

yep, I misunderstood! Sorry. I agree that one shouldn't buy food that no one will eat.. I rotate my long term food supply but it is 20- 25 shelf life but it consists of veggies dehyrated, meats, rice & things like that.. Much of the long term foods are things we as gluten-free can not eat like the asian meals, spaghetti, lasagne ,crackers etc...But again there now are a couple companies who has done a gluten-free package which I think is great to keep for some event.

I also do many canned products like the canned chicken & turkey from Sam's or Costco's they have a 2 year shelf life I believe so again I use them & rotate my stock so I always have some on hand.. And it is good.....I also keep freeze=dried eggs& egg whites , sugar & spices for the long haul...for bread making ....

They also have garden seeds that will supply a family with food , then one saves the seeds from the fruit & replants the next year....

blessings mamaw

[Cara in Boston]

Thanks for the ideas so far. Here in Boston, most emergency situations would have some sort of warning (blizzard, hurricane) but there is always the occasional toxic leak (we are near a major highway) or gas leak where entire neighborhoods have been evacuated very quickly. Even a recent family emergency made it necessary for my two kids to go to their aunt's house for the entire day. Having a backpack of food that would be safe for my son would have been very helpful and a great relief to the person caring for him . . . she was afraid to feed him anything (and frankly didn't have tons of choices that were safe for him). Now I have lots of healthy (sort of) snacks packed that could also serve as breakfast, lunch, and dinner if necessary.

I just worry that we will be in some sort of situation where meals will be distributed and none of the food available will be gluten free. Most of the long-term "rations" all seem to be full of gluten.

Cara

[mamaw]

Open Original Shared Link

[mamaw]

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