If you’ve read the news at all then you’ve seen “food shortage” plastered across your screen at some point.
Here is: why there are food shortages, what food shortages mean, how to prepare, store, and even free printable doomsday prepper lists both filled out and blank.
Food Shortages
If you’ve read the news at all then you’ve seen “food shortage” plastered across your screen at some point. The food shortage of 2022 is not only in the USA, but also around the world, global if you will.
That being said, we’ve already seen in the news places like Europe have already started panic buying. But, now is not the time to panic about the food shortages, and here is why.
First and foremost, God did not give us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. And this is a must here.
Back in 2020 when the “pandemic” was rampant and everyone was shutting everything down, there was a news story warning of food shortages and famine of biblical proportions.
WHO warned that shutting down everything would cause severe supply chain disruptions worldwide. While it would affect most countries, third world countries would suffer the most.
Unfortunately, everyone is starting to feel the food shortage coming quickly to grocery stores near you. We even feel the food shortage in Texas.
That’s why when you go to the store, or when you order groceries things are not there.
What Is A Food Shortage?
What is the definition of a food shortage? According to The Free Dictionary it takes us to the word Famine which means:
1. extreme and general scarcity of food, esp. within a large geographical area.2. any extreme scarcity.
3. Archaic. starvation.
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Food+shortage
While we aren’t quite to starvation and extreme scarcity right now, the shelves are looking more and more bare at the grocery stores.
But Why Are There Food Shortages Right Now?
Is it still Covid causing the supply chain disruptions? Yes, Covid and the ongoing shut downs and mandates severely hurt the supply chain. This has caused a long-term issue.
Not just because of the shutdowns, but because of the whole firing people over the vaccine and the protests.
No truck drivers means goods aren’t getting around.
Now, you add the severe inflation, which they tell us is around 7%, but speculation puts it over 20% and things are harder to buy and harder to supply.
And we cannot forget about the skyrocketing gas prices. I recall a couple weeks ago it literally jumped 20+ cents and now, it’s nearly a dollar higher, and that’s for regular gas.
When gas and oil goes up, goods are harder to get around.
Can’t forget about the fertilizer shortages and climbing costs making it harder on farmers.
Add in other things like storms and natural disasters as well.
And then the war.
In short, all of the calamities mean food shortages. And when things are in short supply or look rough, people panic.
But you don’t have to panic about the food shortages in your state, the US, or wherever. There is still time to build your stockpile, learn homesteading, and homemaking.
But What Foods Are In Short Supply?
Food Shortage List
What foods are in short supply this year? Well, the foods that are in short supply are:
- Poultry
- Beef
- Pork (Potentially)
- Salmon
- Dairy- such as milk cheese, cream, yogurt, etc
- Eggs
- Plant Based Protein- soy based and almond milk, etc)
- Fruits and Vegetables- and anything that requires them i.e soups.
- Canned shortages- due to lack of aluminum
- Imported Goods- boba, cheese, etc
- Coffee
- Chocolate
- Pet Food
- Bottled Water
- Soda
- Mineral Water
- Toilet Paper
- Paper Towels
- Tissues
- Pasta
- Corn
- Oats
- Soybeans
- Avocados
- Wheat Products (including flour)
- Liquor
- Juice Boxes
- Lunchables
- Baby Formula
That’s a lot. Those are the staples and ingredients for a lot of beloved foods we’ve come accustomed to enjoying. But here is the thing, it isn’t the end of the world, yet anyway.
Preparing For Food Shortages
Whether these food shortages last or whether there are more in the future, it is simple to prepare. Since we don’t know when the food shortage will end, we will have to start to prepare for the long-term and now.
So, what kinds of things should you buy in case of a food shortage? Well, that’s the easy-ish part.
But before we get to that part, allow me to give some words of advice.
How To Prep and Stockpile Properly
Easy prepping is the best prepping, and shouldn’t be hard, but there are a couple things to note.
1. Buy Things Your Family Will Eat
Try to buy the things your family will eat. If your family hates broccoli, then stockpiling freeze dried broccoli isn’t in your best interest if it will go to waste, though it could be used for bartering, I don’t suggest it.
2. Explore Survival Recipes
Survival recipes and minimal ingredient recipes can be great or hit and miss. Don’t just stockpile random things, but things you can turn into meals. These recipes are super important to explore especially if you have picky eaters. Sometimes during emergencies is NOT the time to explore what your kids will and will not eat. We’ve been spoiled for a long time and going from eating pb&j and chicken nuggets to real food can be hard.
3. Have A Revolving Pantry
Some things will last a long time, especially if you vacuum seal it, dehydrate, or freeze dry the food. Other things not so much. So make sure you’re using items before they go bad, and replace them.
4. Survival Food Doesn’t Have To Be Bland and Sad
Seasoning, gravies, and such are a must. We want to know we can survive and I’m sure if we’re hungry enough we can power through the saddest of meals. But we would like to avoid that, so keep that in mind as well.
5. Do Not Panic Shop
Don’t panic and be like “I have to have it all right now.” It’s expensive, a waste, and further hurts supply chains. Buy a little bit here and there as you do your regular grocery shopping. It’ll add up.
6. Prepping Isn’t Just About Hoarding
Prepping isn’t just about hoarding, rather, it’s about sharing too. Prepping is being prepared to take care of family and friends, and sometimes others in times of need.
What Should I Buy In Case Of A Food Shortage?
Now, you may be wondering what foods you should actually buy. It’s tempting to go to the store and just stock up on everything on sale, but that isn’t always the best bet.
While having food in general is good, you also want to think of nutrition. Not everything will have vitamins and minerals and some things are empty calories, which are better than nothing, but you really want something that will keep you going.
Foods You Should Stockpile:
- Water
- Mineral or Seltzer Water
- Canned Meat
- Dried Meats (I.e jerky, freeze dried meats)
- Canned Milk
- Canned Broth
- Powdered Milk
- Powdered Eggs
- Powdered Butter
- Hard Cheeses (Wax sealed)
- Protein Bars and/or Shakes
- Coffee
- Sugar
- Bouillon
- Tea
- Lard
- Tallow
- Ghey
- Flour
- Bisquick
- Potato Flakes
- Dehydrated/Freeze Dried Vegetables
- Corn Meal
- Corn Starch
- Popcorn
- Oats
- Beans
- Rice
- Lentils
- Pasta
- Dehydrated/Freeze Dried Fruit
- Jellies
- Canned Goods
- Nut Butters
- Honey
- Salt
- Pepper
- Favorite Seasoning
- Molasses
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Condiments
- Candy
- Vitamins
- Vinegar/Apple Cider Vinegar
- Vodka
- Whiskey
- Wine
- Beer
- Yeast
- Vanilla Extract
- Jarred Sauces
Those are a lot of great foods that, when stored properly, will last a hot minute and if you have a revolving pantry, you never have to worry about anything going bad.
Free Printable Prepper List
I put together a free printable doomsday prepper list. There are two of them. Both have cute little beans on them, but 1 is already filled out and the second one is blank with check boxes. The blank one doesn’t have as many lines, but it’s a good way to add extra things to your regular shopping list and you can change it to fit your family’s needs.
Get Your Free Printable Doomsday Prepper List PDF File Here
Stocking Up On Ready Meals
Don’t feel like trying to figure out where to store all the random food stuff you buy? That is fine, there are ready meal buckets that are super convenient. This is NOT a sponsored post, but these are brands I have in my personal food cache and trust.
Understand this option is a bit more pricey, but can be worth it in the long run due to how long the food lasts and the fact that it is freeze dried so it keeps a lot of its integrity and nutritional value.
- Mountain House
- My Patriot Supply
- 4 Patriots
- Camping Survival (Where I get most of my supplies)
- MRE Supply
How To Store Food For Emergencies
There are a number of ways to store the food you buy. Obviously dry cool places are the best. If you bought buckets of food, then you don’t have much to worry about. But loose stuff from the store can be tricky.
Most people store them in containers and will freeze the rice, beans, and lentils to ensure there are no pests and store them with bay leaves.
I personally vacuum seal most of my dried goods with moisture wicking packets.
You can, can a lot of food, if you have experience, or you can learn. That’s the next thing I want to learn.
How Much Food Should You Store?
Well, that depends. How many people do you have? How much money and space do you have? How long do you feel comfortable with?
My suggestion is to have at least a couple months of food and water per person. You don’t have to buy that much all at once. Start out buying a couple days worth. Then keep adding until you have a week’s worth. Then 2 weeks, and so on and so forth.
Even if you don’t have a disaster, you can still eat it. Beans and rice are delicious. Lentils are great in stews and curry. And have you ever had fried spam with an egg and rice? So good.
I live in an area where hurricanes hit and after Harvey and not being prepared I learned that it’s good to have extra food. Because when things are tight and there is no food and you can’t go to the store….you realize how important it is to be ready.
And while the news is always grim because bad news sells, I don’t want to watch the news, and feel all these warning bells go off and ignore it and have another Harvey and be staring at an empty fridge and pantry.
Isn’t Prepping Expensive?
I mean, it can be, but it doesn’t have to be. Buying a couple extra cans of food shouldn’t make that huge of a dent in your grocery bill, nor should a small bag of rice and beans here and there. You don’t have to get the most expensive things.
Some things will be expensive, my vacuum sealer wasn’t cheap.
But you can even prep at the Dollar Tree! (My bad, $1.25 Tree.)
Have you ever had their Vigo Yellow Rice? Sooooo good. Like no joke, it’s really good.
They have Knorr Rice and Noodle sides.
Campbell’s soup, Swanson broth, and great seasonings like Goya Sazon as well as stuff like Minute rice and more.
I won’t say everything from the Dollar Tree is good, because obviously that isn’t true, but some of it is pretty great. I do intend on doing cheap eats from the Dollar Tree one of these days, because I know a lot of people are very skeptical when it comes to cheap foods.
Did you know you can also buy vegetables and freeze them? Some of them have to be blanched, but I’ve done this a number of times!
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is, don’t panic. The world is crazy, but it always has been since the fall of man (Genesis) and your trust should be in God. So don’t hoard and go crazy, but make sure your family has what they need.
It’s okay to prepare, even God told Joseph to prepare in Egypt. But there is an art to prepping. So take it slow, try things out, and ensure your family and friends are prepared regardless of what happens.
