The UK government is encouraging households to stockpile essential supplies, including non-perishable food, bottled water, cash, torches and first aid kits, to prepare for extreme weather and the possibility of war. In response, a survival expert has shared a list of 20 food items that he says could last for decades if stored properly.
Expert's recommendations
Charlie Survival, who runs a YouTube channel with 103,000 subscribers, claims to have "years of practical UK preparedness and survival experience rooted in a rural upbringing and farming family". He has compiled a shopping list of long-lasting staples for Brits to stock up on.
Charlie said: "If every supermarket in your town shut tomorrow, what would you actually eat? Not in theory, in real life, in your house, right now. Most people in the UK have about three days of food, once you strip out takeaways and Deliveroo."
He added: "I'm going to show you almost 20 foods that never go off if you store them right. Stuff you can buy in Tesco, Lidl, Aldi, Asda, that quietly sit on your shelf for years quietly, waiting for the next bit of UK chaos."
Five categories of staples
Charlie divided the products into five categories: long-lasting protein staples; durable carb staples; fats, sugars and salt; tinned fruit and vegetables; and morale and flavour essentials. Many suggestions may already be in people's cupboards, such as tinned fish, peanut butter, white rice and pasta.
On peanut butter, he said: "This is the king of don't leave home without it. Most jars last unopened for years." Most items are inexpensive and calorie-dense, and they will last years if stored properly. However, Charlie warned "none of this matters if you store it badly".
Storage tips and the full list
He outlined three essential tips for ensuring long shelf-life food lasts for decades: keep it cool, keep it dark and consume the oldest products first. He said: "Keep it cool, not next to the boiler. Dry, off the floor, away from damp walls. Keep it dark. Cardboards, under bed, boxes, a wardrobe, anywhere out of direct sunlight."
He added: "Use first in, first out. New tins go to the back. Older tins, come to the front. Eat from your preps, every week so nothing feels weird or emergency only."
The complete list of stockpiling essentials includes tinned fish, tinned chicken, tinned ham or corned beef, dried beans, red lentils, peanut butter or any nut butter, white rice, dry pasta, oats, instant mash flakes, cooking oil and ghee, sugar, honey, salt, tinned tomatoes, tinned vegetables, tinned fruit, powdered milk, tea, coffee and hot chocolate, and spices, stock cubes and gravy granules.
