Plan food for 30 days
Convert pantry stock into a transparent meal and work plan that protects nutrition, fuel and morale.
Critical caution: Do not impose severe calorie restriction on children, pregnant people, sick or injured people, or those doing essential heavy work.
- Time
- 1–2 hours planning
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Outcome
- Turn food stock into a sustainable, fair plan
Survival lens: Gehring’s self-reliance lens emphasises staples, seasonal planning and preservation. Hudson’s goal-setting turns a frightening shortage into a measurable seven-day cycle.
Before you begin
- Identify allergies and therapeutic diets
- Separate unsafe or spoiled food
- Record people, animals and expected duration
What you need
- Kitchen scales and measuring cup
- Inventory sheets
- Marker and labels
- Menu board
- Calculator
Step-by-step procedure
- Inventory in usable units. Record grams, litres and serves. Note water, fuel and preparation requirements. Do not count food that cannot be safely prepared.
- Map nutritional roles. Group staple energy, protein, fats, vegetables/fruit, salt and morale foods. Identify the limiting group.
- Use the perishability ladder. Plan safely refrigerated food first, then fresh produce and opened goods, then dry and canned staples.
- Build a seven-day menu. Use familiar meals, repeat ingredients and batch cooking. Include no-cook options for illness or fuel shortage.
- Allocate transparently. Account for age, pregnancy, illness and workload. Publish the method without exposing private diagnoses.
- Measure actual use. Record daily opening and closing stock. Adjust menu, work and procurement before emergency reserves are reached.
How to check it is working
- Menu fits available water and fuel
- Vulnerable needs are recorded
- Seven-day use matches stock forecast
- A reserve is isolated and release criteria are known
Common mistakes
- Dividing every item equally regardless of need
- Rationing water dangerously
- Planning recipes that consume too much fuel
- Ignoring animal food requirements
Sources and further reading
- Australian Red Cross: Prepare for emergencies — get packing
- Sphere Handbook: humanitarian minimum standards
How this guide was checked
Editorial synthesis: Editorial synthesis of food-security planning
Independent specialist review: not yet completed. How review works.
Last updated: Nov 2026 · edition 1.0.
Open in the library to print or download · Suggest a correction · Kit planner