Emergency meals

The fact is that emergencies. occur and having a plan within. the household, business and faithbased. organisations, educational. institutions, and communities at. the local, regional, and international. levels remain critical, and may. perhaps be helpful to individuals in. the decision-making process.

Being prepared for an emergency. is essential. Whatever the case,. prior to an emergency you and. members of your household, community,. or even among colleagues. and/or office mates can collaborate. and develop an appropriate plan. of action. For example, parents/. guardians might choose to discuss. with their children and other family. members, bringing awareness. to the family communication plan,. what to do if a disaster occurs or. when there is no electricity, the. emergency food plan, the availability. of drinking water, storage and. other essential information, such. as emergency contact, etc.

Keeping the focus. From another perspective, maintaining. one’s health always should. be the primary focus. Emergencies. be it natural disasters (earthquakes,. hurricanes, landslides, tsunami,. floods, droughts and cyclones),. biological, societal, technological,. accidents, fires r the malfunction. of cooking and storage equipment. may occur unexpectedly. For an. emergency can sometimes not only. negatively affect one’s health, but. also may have significant impact. on economic, social and public. health for a longer period even after. the disaster is long gone.

According to the World Health. Organization, globally many. countries are affected by threats. to public health. These range. from infectious disease outbreaks,. chemical and radiation contamination,. unsafe food and water supply,. natural and technological hazards,. wars, societal conflicts, and health. consequences that might be associated. with climate change.

Maintaining health and preventing. potential risk for disease. remain critical; hence countries. should devise a strategic plan to. meet the various challenges. Moreover,. countries are “encouraged to. strengthen emergency risk management. which includes but should. not be limited to measures of prevention,. preparedness, mitigation,. response and recovery.”.

An approach to consider. The goal is to select foods which. can aid you in meeting your daily. nutritional requirements. Therefore,. as meal managers, chefs,. cafeteria operators, and caterers,. planning ahead can be quite beneficial,. to ensure availability and. access to food, clean water, and any. other emergency supplies; this of. course may include prescription. medicine, baby food or formula,. flashlights, battery-powered radio,. extra batteries, sleeping bags and. blankets, and first aid kit and instructions,. just to list a few. A three. to five days’ supply of food that. will not spoil along with clean containers. for storing gallons of water. should be included in your plan. (Centers for Disease Control and. Prevention).

You should aim to have a nutritious. diet, along with drinking water. available in plain or flavoured. forms. This of course, may also include. planning balanced meals and. healthy snacks, doing a quick inventory. of the pantry, implementing. the principles of food safety. and sanitation, and incorporating. local produce – canned, frozen or. even fresh. The menu should comprise. of these foods.

When purchasing canned foods,. check the expiration date on the. products, take some time to read. the food label, and ensure that. the cans are free from bulges and. dents; for example, you can choose. to buy canned fish such as sardines. and tuna packed in water, chicken. ravioli in tomato sauce, peas and. beans, fruit in its natural juice,. and vegetables. Other products. you might wish to on the grocery. list such as crackers, granola bars,. ready-to-eat cereal, cassava farine,. cassava cakes, rice cakes, peanut. butter, cheese spread, dried fruits,. roasted nuts, bottled channa,. canned liquid milk or dry powder. milk, dehydrated potato flakes,. mayonnaise, macaroni and cheese. and much more.

A brief overview shows that. from the foods mentioned above,. all the food groups are represented.

Always keep some emergency food. on hand, and you can also plan a. few emergency menus. You should. note that depending on the storage. equipment available and the type. of emergency, the menus may differ. somewhat.

Some emergency menus. Breakfast:. canned or fresh fruit, ready-to eat. cereal with milk, crackers and. cheese cubes. canned or fresh fruit, granola. with yoghurt, crackers with peanut. butter.

Lunch:. chicken ravioli in tomato sauce,. veggies, canned fruit. peas and beans, macaroni and. cheese, vegetables, canned fruit.

Supper:. crackers with tuna spread, veggies,. yoghurt with canned or fresh. fruit pieces crackers with cheese. spread, vegetable salad, canned or. fresh fruit, plain or flavoured milk. Take home message: choose. healthy foods and snacks already. prepared for the emergency menu;. keep in mind that each individual. or household should develop a. plan of action for emergency use.

Claudette Mitchell, PhD, RD is. Assistant Professor, University of the. Southern Caribbean, School of Science,. Technology, and Allied Health.