Emergency food calculator: how much food does your family need?
Most adults need about 1,600 to 3,000 calories a day, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. Children need less and teenage boys can need up to 3,200. Ready.gov tells families to keep at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food. Enter who lives with you below to get your daily total, what to store, and how long the food you already have will last.
Stores empty fast once a storm is forecast, and after it hits there may be no power to cook or keep food cold. The food you store before it happens is the food your family eats.
Work out your total
Daily ranges are from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 (USDA and HHS), as set out by the American Academy of Family Physicians. "Active" uses the top of each range, "quiet" uses the bottom. Not for babies under 2, or for pregnant or breastfeeding women, whose needs differ.
How to use the number
- Count calories, not meals. Check the calories on each label and add them up. That total is what to type into the calculator to see how many days your food lasts.
- Pick food your family will actually eat. Ready.gov says to choose foods your family will eat and to remember any special dietary needs.
- Plan to open it without power. Ready.gov says to include a manual can opener and eating utensils.
- Plan for growing kids. The Dietary Guidelines show calorie needs climb through the teens, so a supply that fit last year may be short this year.
Common mistakes
- Storing food nobody in the house will eat. Ready.gov says to choose foods your family will eat.
- Forgetting a manual can opener. Ready.gov lists one with your emergency food.
- Using last year's numbers for growing children. The Dietary Guidelines ranges rise sharply from age 9 to 18.
Gear for this
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Freeze-dried emergency food bucket
Long shelf life and the calories are printed on the label, so you can add them straight into the calculator.
Manual can opener
An electric opener is useless in a power outage. Ready.gov says to include one.
Can rotation rack
Dispenses the oldest can first, so your stored food stays in date.
Questions people ask
How many calories does an adult need a day in an emergency?
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans give about 1,600 to 2,400 a day for women and 2,200 to 3,000 for men aged 19 to 59. Active days, such as cleanup, sit at the top of the range.
How much food should I store?
Ready.gov says at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food. Use the calculator to turn that into calories for your household.
How long will my food last?
Add up the calories on the labels of the food you have and enter the total in the calculator. It divides by what your household needs each day.
Sources
- USDA and HHS: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Dietary Guidelines 2020-2025 summary
- Ready.gov (FEMA): Food
- Ready.gov (FEMA): Build a Kit
Related entries
- W-02How much water to store for an emergency1 gallon per person per day. Work out your household total in 10 seconds.
- F-02How long does canned food last?12 to 18 months for high-acid cans, 2 to 5 years for low-acid. When to throw a can out.
- G-04Best freeze-dried emergency foodCount calories, not servings. Kits compared on calories, shelf life, water to cook and storage.
General safety information only, not medical or professional advice. Rules can change, so check the linked sources and follow your local officials. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.