As concerns over disasters grow, self-identified preppers are building food reserves that include not just staples but also comforts like coffee and chocolate. A 2024 FEMA survey found 83 percent of respondents had taken at least three preparedness actions, up from 57 percent the previous year. Experts emphasize that familiar foods boost morale during crises.
The COVID-19 pandemic, starting six years ago, brought prepping into the mainstream, with people stocking up on items like toilet paper and canned tomatoes during lockdowns. Today, amid frequent news of wars, economic instability, and climate disruptions, disaster preparedness ranks as a top worry for many, third behind health and bills according to the 2024 national household survey by FEMA.
FEMA's 1994 manual highlights the role of food beyond survival: “Familiar foods are important. They lift morale and give a feeling of security in times of stress.” It advises prioritizing enjoyable, nutritious, non-perishable items. Common prepper recommendations from online communities like Reddit's r/preppers include dried beans, shelf-stable grains, canned tuna in olive oil for healthy fats, and three days' worth of bottled water or filtration methods.
However, variety and treats are key to avoiding burnout. A Swedish government wartime guide suggests stocking chocolate and fruit custard. One r/preppers user noted, “If you eat the same thing, over and over, you will get burnt out on it. And even if you are starving, you will not want to eat it.” Stephanie Rost, a collapsology researcher at the University of Gothenburg, stresses personal responsibility for food security amid climate change: “Individuals are going to have to take more personal responsibility for their own food security and survival, much more than they do now.” She adds that ordinary foods could become precious treats, and cocoa powder stored airtight with sugar can yield something chocolatey.
Al Nordz in Los Angeles stocks instant coffee and beans in the freezer, following the “Eat what you prep” approach to avoid waste. “It is something that makes us feel good,” Nordz said. In rural Appalachia, Scout Cardinal grows staples like squash and beans, plus Aleppo and Korean red chili peppers for homemade gochugaru, aligning with the prepper adage to store what you eat.
Cardinal, involved with Lonesome Pine Mutual Aid in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, shifted from pandemic food distribution to disaster relief after events like Hurricane Helene. In February last year, the group hosted a preparedness event distributing go bags with hand-crank radios, teaching foraging and water filtering, and providing rice and beans. “We’ve been talking a lot as a group about the need for long-term disaster preparedness, because it’s very clear by the prevalence and regularity of these events that they’re not going to stop happening,” Cardinal said. They focus on community resilience through gardening: “I’m really good at growing food.”
Rost cautions that preparation helps but does not guarantee outcomes in uncertain crises.