Emergency food supply: Essentials for families

Emergency food supply: how much food and water do you actually need?

When planning an emergency food supply, the first thing worth sorting out is daily energy needs. An average adult usually needs around 2,000–2,500 calories per day, depending on activity levels. A child often needs 1,400–2,000 calories per day, again shaped by age and how active they are. In a stressful situation or when moving around more than usual, these numbers can easily rise, so having a bit more set aside is never a bad idea.

Water planning matters just as much. For drinking and cooking, you should expect a minimum of 2–3 litres per person per day. If you want water for hygiene, washing hands, basic cleaning, or a quick shower – you’ll need extra. A rough guide is an additional 2–3 litres per person per day for simple hygiene, though many families store a bit more for comfort.

When you add everything up for several days or a full week, it becomes clear how helpful it is to store food that’s light, space-saving, and simple to prepare.

Why REAL Meals are a strong fit for any emergency food supplies

Freeze-dried REAL Meals tick the boxes that matter when you’re building an emergency food supply:

• Lasting nutrition and energy
  REAL Meals are proper meals made to give steady fuel when you need it the most.
• Long shelf-life
  Lasts for five years from the production date, which means you can store them for a long time.
• Lightweight
  Each pre-prepared portion weighs around 120-150 g, so you can keep plenty on a shelf.
• Small and easy to pack
  The compact packaging makes organisation simple, especially when space is tight.
• Quick to prepare
  Just add hot water, wait about ten minutes, and you’ve got a hot meal ready to eat.
• Something for everyone
  With 20+ meals, including gluten-free, lactose-free, milk-free, vegetarian, and vegan options, you can keep the whole household sorted.

Freeze-drying keeps the flavour and texture intact, which is helpful if you’re relying on stored meals for several days. When nerves are high, a proper hot meal can do more for morale than people expect.

The preparedness pack: one week of meals for a family of four

To keep planning simple, we’ve put together a Preparedness Pack containing 28 REAL Meals enough for a family of four for one week (one meal per person per day). Pair it with your stored water, and you’ve already covered a full week of reliable, tasty, quick-to-prepare dinner meals that don’t take over your cupboards.

If you’re setting up or upgrading your emergency food supplies, this pack gives you an organised, ready-to-store solution that fits the calorie needs of adults and children while keeping meal prep stress-free.