The 9 foods households should stockpile for WW3

It’s the worst case scenario which absolutely nobody wants to think about. But with everything that’s going on in the world right now, there are not completely unfounded fears that World War 3 could genuinely be closer than we want to admit.

Just a few weeks ago, the Doomsday Clock was moved to just 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been. The clock has since just after the end of WWII been used to symbolise how close science believes the world is to annihilation, whether environmental, viral or indeed, nuclear.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, it triggered a cost of living crises that saw food prices skyrocket, as well as big leaps in energy prices and the cost of petrol and diesel.

This week, US president Donald Trump this week met Russian president Vladimir Putin to discuss peace talks for Ukraine – while Ukraine was barred from taking part. Meanwhile, UK PM Keir Starmer has pledged to send British troops to Ukraine should the need to stop Russia arise, and EU nations have begun to sharply increase defence spending.

In the same week, French president Emmanuel Macron refused to rule out WW3. “The Russians have globalised the war in Ukraine,” Macron said in response to a question asking if Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine could lead to World War III.

It could all come to nothing, but if any conflict does escalate, it is again likely to impact food prices as well as food availability, just as was seen at the start of Russia‘s invasion.

Retailer Food Bunker says: “Whilst still comparatively unlikely, the prospect of World War 3 poses significant challenges to the UK’s food security, with potential disruptions to international trade and domestic agricultural production.

“On a householder level, it would be wise for civilians to build their food reserves, learn how to grow and preserve their own food and to try and support their local food producers.”

According to sources including Business Insider and PBS Food , there are 9 key foods and food types households should focus on for stockpiling. These are:

Honey: This is because honey is high in calories and never goes off. Honey has been found inside Egyptian tombs in a condition that’s still edible and free from germs. That’s because bacteria cannot grow in honey.

Rice: Uncooked white rice will last up to five years, but rice stored in an oxygen free container (vacuum packed), will last a staggering 30 years, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

Peanut butter: Peanut butter is high in fat and calories, and also has Vitamin E. Peanut butter keeps for 3 to 5 years, and even if it goes off, it still won’t harm you, it just won’t taste as nice.

Energy bars: mashed up bars of oats, raisins, seeds and other dried goodness, energy bars effectively last forever, and are extremely high in nutrition.

Dehydrated meat: Dried meat, known as jerky in the US, is not that popular here, but homemade dehydrated meat will last up to two months according to the USDA. Vacuum sealing it, then freezing it, can take this to a year.

Indeed, most meat – including chicken, beef, pork and fish – is safe to freeze for one year.

OXO Cubes: Also known as bouillon cubes, these dried gravy-like flavour cubes last for a long time as long as the packaging is intact.

Tinned foods: A clear winner, tinned foods can last for years and years without issue. Tins of high calorie, high nutritional value goods like sweetcorn, carrots, potatoes, pulses, beans, lentils and soups will last for a long time, and are cheap.

Back in 2006,it was reported that a man ate a tin of chicken from 1956 without issue. Despite the fact that the tin was 50 years old, the 73-year-old opened the chicken from five decades ago and ate it.

Les and Beryl Lailey, of Denton, Greater Manchester, were given the chicken in a hamper on their wedding day in 1956.

“We kept it safe, and I always said ‘on my 50th wedding anniversary I’m going to eat that chicken’ – so I did,” said former soldier, Mr Lailey, aged 73, told the BBC.

He said he had no ill effects after eating it, which goes to show how useful tinned food would be in any long-term disruption to supplies.

Another good option is powdered milk. Unlike fresh milk, powdered milk is a shelf-stable food. Don’t worry about the best before date – it is likely to last indefinitely, with reports of non-fat powdered milk lasting for more than 25 years.

Finally, vanilla extract. In a worst case scenario, some food may get pretty bland – think rationed plain flour and butter every night. Vanilla extract lasts forever, and will at least bring a touch of flavour to your supplies.