UK Government 72-Hour Emergency Food Supply: What You Need to Keep at Home

In October 2026 the UK government launched Be Ready, a three-year public campaign asking households to keep a small supply of food, water and essentials at home. The message is simple: if storms, flooding, a power cut or a cyber incident disrupt everyday services, being able to look after yourself for 3 days (72 hours) lets emergency support reach the people who need it most.

This guide explains what the official advice actually says, how much food and water each person needs, which foods to buy, what else belongs in your kit, and how to put it all together without overspending.

What the UK government's Be Ready campaign recommends

Be Ready was announced by the Cabinet Office on 22 October 2026 as the first stage of a three-year preparedness campaign. It builds on the "Prepare" guidance first published in 2024 and brings the UK in line with countries such as France, Ireland and the Netherlands, which already run similar campaigns.

The official Be Ready checklist is built around one idea: "Being ready for 3 days helps you manage while support reaches those most in need." It is deliberately calm and practical. The government stresses that this is about sensible precautions, not stockpiling, and that many of the steps are free.

The checklist covers ten areas:

• Water — bottled water for 3 days
• Food — non-perishable food for 3 days
• Hygiene — hand sanitiser, wet wipes and bathroom products
• Light and warmth — a torch with spare batteries, blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothing
• Communication — a battery or wind-up FM radio and a charged power bank
• Money and documents — some cash, copies of ID and important documents
• Important phone numbers — written on paper, including a list of regular medication
• Medical and health — a first aid kit and your essential medication
• Baby products — ready-to-feed formula, nappies and wipes
• Pet products — pet food and bottled water

Alongside the kit, the campaign recommends three free actions: sign up for UK emergency alerts, check whether you're eligible for the Priority Services Register, and write a simple household emergency plan.

How much food and water does each person need?

Water: 3 litres per person per day

The Be Ready checklist recommends 3 litres of bottled water per person per day for drinking, and notes that more is needed for cooking and washing. For a 72-hour supply, that means:

The "extra" column is our own planning suggestion, not an official figure. When the earlier Prepare guidance launched in 2024, it was reported that around 10 litres per person per day was suggested for more comfortable levels including cooking and hygiene — a useful upper target if you have the space.

Remember to add water for pets, and more in hot weather, during illness, or for anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding.

Food: 3 days of meals per person

Be Ready doesn't set a calorie target. A sensible benchmark is the NHS reference intake of about 2,000 kcal a day for women and 2,500 kcal a day for men. Over 3 days that's roughly 6,000–7,500 kcal per adult, while children need less depending on age.

In practice, you don't need to count calories precisely. Aim for three simple meals plus snacks per person per day. For one adult, 3 days might look like:

• Breakfasts: 3 portions of cereal or granola with UHT milk, or oatcakes with peanut butter
• Lunches: 3 tins of soup or beans, with crackers
• Dinners: 3 tins of fish, chicken or chickpeas with tinned vegetables
• Snacks: a bag of nuts, dried fruit and 3–4 cereal or protein bars
• Drinks: long-life juice or UHT milk on top of your water

Which tinned and non-perishable foods should you store?

The official advice is to choose "food with a long shelf life that doesn't need refrigeration or cooking" — for example tinned meat, fish or vegetables, dried fruit and nuts — and, importantly, food you'd usually eat. Familiar food is easier to rotate into everyday meals before it expires and more comforting during a stressful situation.

Good UK supermarket choices include:

• Tinned fish: tuna, sardines, mackerel, salmon
• Tinned meat: chicken, corned beef, ham, ready-to-eat chilli or stew
• Tinned vegetables and pulses: baked beans, chickpeas, lentils, sweetcorn, peas, carrots
• Ready-to-eat tins: soup, rice pudding, custard
• Tinned fruit in juice rather than syrup
• Dry goods: oatcakes, crackers, crispbreads, breakfast cereal, granola
• Spreads: peanut butter, other nut butters, jam or honey
• Snacks: unsalted nuts, raisins, dried apricots, cereal or protein bars
• Long-life drinks: UHT milk or plant milk, cartons of fruit juice

Avoid relying on foods that need lots of water or long cooking (such as dried pasta) for your 72-hour supply — if the power and water are off, you may not be able to cook them. Choose lower-salt options where possible, as salty foods make you thirstier. And always pack a manual tin opener, or choose ring-pull tins.

For a longer list with shelf lives, see our guide to the 25 best long-lasting emergency foods.

Essential supplies beyond food

Food and water are only part of the picture. The Be Ready checklist also recommends:

• A torch and spare batteries. The government notes torches are safer than candles.
• Blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothing. Homes cool down quickly when the heating stops.
• A battery or wind-up FM radio. Write down the frequencies of the national and local stations you use.
• A charged power bank for phones or compatible medical devices.
• Cash in coins and notes, in case card payments and cash machines are down.
• Printed copies of important documents — passports, birth certificates, insurance details and instructions for any medical equipment you rely on.
• Important phone numbers on paper, including the power cut line (105 in England, Scotland and Wales; 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland).
• A first aid kit with plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash, sterile dressings, gloves, medical tape and tweezers.
• Essential medication. The guidance advises requesting repeat prescriptions up to 5 working days before you need them, so you're less likely to run out.
• Baby supplies. Ready-to-feed formula is best, because you may not be able to boil water to make up powdered formula safely.
• Pet food and bottled water for every animal in your home.

How to prepare without overspending

You don't need specialist survival kits or expensive freeze-dried meals. The government's own advice is to build your readiness step by step:

1. See what you already have. Most households already own a torch, blankets, a first aid box and a few tins.
2. Plan for your household. List what's missing, including medical supplies, baby formula or pet food.
3. Build it gradually. Add one or two items to each weekly shop to spread the cost. An extra tin of beans or a 6-pack of bottled water costs very little.
4. Check it regularly. Set a reminder every six months to check expiry dates and swap out anything that needs replacing.
5. Connect with your community. Swap contact details with neighbours and agree how you might help each other during an outage.

A few more money-saving tips:

• Buy supermarket own-brand tins and multipacks — they keep just as well as branded products.
• Rotate rather than waste. Eat the oldest items in normal meals and replace them, so nothing is thrown away. Our complete guide to storing emergency food explains how.
• Refill clean bottles with tap water for washing and cleaning water, and keep shop-bought bottled water for drinking.
• Don't buy everything at once. The campaign is explicit that you can build up over time.

Keep track of it all with SupplyTrack AI

The hardest part of a 72-hour kit isn't buying it — it's remembering what you have and when it expires. SupplyTrack AI lets you record each item and batch, see what's expiring first, get reminders before things go out of date, and follow a transparent 72-hour checklist based on public guidance. Create a free account and start with what's already in your cupboard.

Frequently asked questions

How much water should I store for 3 days in the UK?

At least 3 litres per person per day for drinking, so 9 litres per person for 3 days. Store more if you can for cooking, washing, pets and hot weather.

Does the UK government recommend stockpiling?

No. The government describes Be Ready as sensible, gradual preparation — a small supply of food and water for 3 days — rather than stockpiling.

What food should I keep for an emergency in the UK?

Non-perishable food that doesn't need a fridge or cooking, such as tinned meat, fish and vegetables, dried fruit, nuts, crackers and cereal bars. Choose food your household normally eats.

How often should I check my emergency kit?

The official checklist suggests every six months, to check expiry dates and update the kit if your household's needs have changed.

Is the UK advice different from the US advice?

The core idea — 3 days of food and water — is the same, but the water amounts differ. Read our UK vs USA emergency food supply comparison for the details.

Sources

• Cabinet Office, Households encouraged to take small, simple steps to stay prepared in an emergency, GOV.UK, 22 October 2026
• Be ready for emergencies — Be Ready checklist, UK Government
• Prepare an emergency kit, British Red Cross
• Understanding calories, NHS

This article is general preparedness information. Always follow instructions from emergency services and your local authority.