UK Government asks stores to stockpile food
 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle4276490.ece

Hmmm, looks interesting.

I've been a lurker on GIM for a while now, and have noticed that most of the discussions seem to be centred around the USA (probably where a good majority of the members come from).

So it's interesting lately to hear subtle remarks from UK authorities and media, reporting how things "might get a little harder for families in the near future".

I'm quite surprised about how many "survival prep" operations there seems to be in the States, especially companies where you can buy long-term supplies from.

Does anyone know how people in the UK can do similar?

Other than buying tinned food etc. with a shelf life of 2-3 years from the supermarkets, where does someone over here get those large quantities of food with shelf lives of 10+ years (e.g. large freeze dried, vacuum containers of meat, like the army surplus ones mentioned here recently)?

There doesn't seem to be much call for this sort of thing over here, probably because we're such a small island, that there's fewer remote isolated locations where people can live "off the grid".

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Re: UK Government asks stores to stockpile food
 

There MUST be a contingent of population that knows something is waaaaaaaaaaay wrong .... they can just feeel it in there bones. I guess if you get more agressive in your searching these small encalves can be sniffed out.


Better provisions manufactures would probally be in surrounding nations (just grabbing at straws)



T

Re: UK Government asks stores to stockpile food
 

Oh yeah.....


Welcome to GIM ....... you are among good friends.


T

Re: UK Government asks stores to stockpile food
 

Re: UK Government asks stores to stockpile food
 

UK here too, Kookoo.
They won't knock a penny off diesel, ever, IMO. And the 2p rise in fuel tax might be delayed? Who cares, it's going up by about a penny a week anyway!
I would LOVE to see 1000 lorries going to London, stopping in the middle of the road, and the drivers just going to the pub. Only 1 in 40 cops are trained, and hence allowed, to drive one - if they can even find a set of keys.
I run my car on red diesel, it's an old heap anyway and they haven't been dipping for "jungle juice" where I live for months. 70p a litre is a bit easier on the wallet - or if your car is old enough, veggie oil at 80p a litre works fine as well. Newer cars don't like it though. The worst they can do, if theey happen to catch you running the red, is to put their hand on the roof, and say "I sieze this vehicle in the name of the Crown".
It must be nearly ten years back, but I had a VW caught like that - I solemnly placed my hand on top of his, and said "I unsieze this vehicle in the name of our lord, Jesus of Nazareth".
He cracked up laughing, as did I, and I got an "On yer way!" from Her Majesty's man. I still have that old Golf. :D

Re: UK Government asks stores to stockpile food
 

Thanks for the welcome...

Food is one area where I've become very fascinated lately... agriculture investments are my only other sector that I'm focusing on in addition to PM's.

But recently have thought it wise to stockpile the basic necessities in case of events beyond our control.

Living in a housing estate doesn't really compare to lots of you guys that seem to have acres of land out in the middle of nowhere to construct your own self-sufficient lifestyles, so stocking up on essentials is about all I can do. Reckon I've got about 6 months worth of stuff to hand, not just food but also toiletries and other household items, but more and more media articles are coming out, usually about the price of oil and the knock-on effects this could have on our supply networks.

Haven't considered any sort of power generation in case the "lights go out", and don't really think that's very feasible to implement where I live, but at least I can do something.

My actions are probably more influenced by rising prices more than possible supply problems, although if this happens then at least I'm ok.

Got a modern car, so can't substitute alternative fuels, but at the moment gas prices aren't really an issue for the amount of mileage I do.

Re: UK Government asks stores to stockpile food
 

seems a bit of a catch-22 here
asking supermarkets to stockpile food while being in the business of selling food
and if the infrastructure does break down,
who is going to stand in front of the store and protect these stockpiles from hungry people ?

Re: UK Government asks stores to stockpile food
 

Speak for yourself Twisted.

That's very co-dependent

Re: UK Government asks stores to stockpile food
 

Hi Kookoo great article thanks for posting. As I too am in UK I would suggest you go to the preps forum for ideas of what to do & adapt to what we have available here as best you can. Food is skyrocketing here for example I ordered some tinned peaches recently which were 19p by the time they came the next day they had gone up to 29p, 2 days later they were @ 35p & only recently they have gone up again.

Rather than worry about obtaining the freeze dried food availability problems here I would suggest you try & accumulate what you can. 6 months will not be enough look more towards 12 to 18 months of stored food to start with & don't worry about the use by dates so much. Then try & get some sealed jars the likes of Kilner then you can transfer some of the dried stuff into them & they will keep longer than the use by date. Also start to think of meals you would like to eat or could make with the ingredients you order & work out how much you would consume of items per week then multiply by number of weeks, you will be amazed how many tins alone you will need. If bread becomes unavailable you will have to think about getting the ingredients to make your own. At least you will be 10 steps ahead of everyone else & food is going up faster then PM's etc so you would be better stocking up on food first & getting the basics & things you will need if the shops are closed or out of items, here is some suggestions to get you started. Most people in my experience are clueless here of what is coming except that they know prices are rising but just think the government will have to do things. They don't understand that grain stores around the world are empty so they can't magic food to appear. People are going to be in for a very nasty shock especially the young who think food comes out of a packet & some can't even boil an egg or think food just lands on their plate. People have no stores of food as they just buy from week to week, so there will be hungry bellies for some.

Pasta
Rice
Sugar
Dried milk
Tea & coffee
Cereals
Seasonings
Tinned Veg
Tinned soup
Tinned meat
Flour
Dried Yeast
Dried veg
Dried pulses eg lentils, beans, peas
Tinned Fruit
Tinned milk
Sauces to go with pasta & rice
Toilet roll
etc etc

I've had a couple of large orders done online as I wouldn't have been able to do a shop that big in store even if I was able. First driver asked do I sell this stuff abroad the next asked was I having a party!! :D Start to grow things if you have a garden & order plenty of seeds.

Re: UK Government asks stores to stockpile food
 

Hi Kookoo and welcome to GIM, especially the survival forum. I'm a prep newbie but I'd like to make the following suggestion.

You don't really need the freeze-dried foods if you're willing to rotate your food storage during "normal times". Canned vegies and meat/fish last a very long time. They can last a lot longer than the stamped "best by" date. From the limited research that I have done, canned foods should last at least 5-10 years given they're not damaged or rusted and stored in a reasonably consistent climate.

So, what you can do is buy about 12-18 months worth of canned vegies and meats that would replace what you eat normally and gradually rotate them throughout a period of say 5 years.

So every year, you would eat 1/5 of your food storage and replace it with fresh stock. If you can do that, you won't have to worry about getting freeze-dried, which is too expensive for me anyway. And, you will always have a good edible store of food items.

Re: UK Government asks stores to stockpile food
 

Jellylegs is right on the mark imho. Allow 2500 calories per day per adult male and 2000 for female. Try and keep a good balance between the food groups, protein /carbs etc. Also make sure you have alternative cooking and heating options. Personally I have three alternative cooking and lighting methods before I need to resort to an open fire. Of the forums I have lurked I have found the Birdflu sites easily have the best "prepping threads", they are looking at an 18 month plus scenario and are loaded with good ideas.

Re: UK Government asks stores to stockpile food
 

What happens in the U.K usually follows here.

Re: UK Government asks stores to stockpile food
 

Like imperial pride and loss of empire? :wink: