The UK government's "Be Ready" campaign is urging households to stockpile a 15-item emergency food supply, including beans, tinned fish, and long-life milk, to prepare for severe weather and cyber attacks that could disrupt essential services.
The campaign warns that unexpected events "seem to becoming more common," according to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who said everyone should have "those supplies in the house to get you through those moments." Recent disruptions cited include a cyber attack on supermarket fridges that spoiled tonnes of food, as well as heatwaves, flooding, and the potential for attacks from a foreign power.
Official Advice on Water and Food
The government advises households to stock bottled water for three days, at a rate of 3 litres per person per day for drinking, with more needed for cooking and washing. For food, the recommendation is non-perishable items for three days—food with a long shelf life that doesn't need refrigeration or cooking, such as tinned meat, fish, or vegetables, dried fruit, and nuts. It's best to buy food you'd usually eat.
The BBC Good Food Guide has provided a detailed list of 15 recommended items. These include beans (baked beans, cooked chickpeas, peas, and lentils), packs of rice and grains, tinned fish and seafood (sardines, mackerel, tuna, and possibly trout, pollack, cockles, and whelks), pickles and olives (cornichons, gherkins, sauerkraut, kimchi), and condiments like mustard, chilli oil, ketchup, and soy sauce.
More Items on the List
Further suggestions include meze-style dishes in tins (stuffed vine leaves, baba ganoush, gigantes beans), tinned and jarred vegetables (white asparagus, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, red peppers), and tinned, jarred, and dried fruit, which count toward your 5 A Day. Cereal and long-life milk are also recommended, with the BBC suggesting smaller cartons of milk and granolas or mueslis heavy in nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.
Peanut butter and jam are highlighted as a strong choice, with the BBC noting that "PB&Js are popular" and that "Ollie reckons you could do three days on peanut butter and banana sandwiches, if necessary." Chocolate is suggested for morale, while bread, wraps, and oat cakes are recommended as ballast. Tinned meat is an option for those who don't like fish, and condensed milk is advised "for treats and desperate times." Hard cheese will keep for a while if it's cool.
The UK has been described as "light years" behind its neighbours in preparing for major disruption, and the government's advice is part of efforts to improve household readiness.
