Large-scale events can quickly cause significant economic, social, and political disruption in its wake. Studies have shown most households are not prepared for a two-week disruption, let alone a month-long ordeal such as what we are enduring with COVID-19. As a result, the public quickly sees how vulnerable they are to an emergency. An unprecedented strain has been put on our food system as a result of the initial food grab at the beginning of the health crisis.

With grocery items flying off the shelves and a huge demand on food banks, its no wonder that vegetable and garden seeds have been in high demand because of interest in sustainable food production. We now see that when a large population is hit with a rapid, far from equilibrium event, the system itself cannot keep up with the demand. The result, at best, shows how thin the protections of society are when this type of event happens and we must learn from this.

In the wake of the COVID-19 food panic, certain food staples disappeared almost immediately; almost all of which are listed in our 25 must-have survival foods. While toilet paper seems to be the one item that is ingrained in our memories as the grocery item that initially incited the run on the grocery stores, the items listed below have been in short supply if not out of stock for weeks on end.

10 Food Items That Disappeared Almost Immediately in the COVID-19 Health Crisis

1. Pasta and tomato sauce
2. Yeast
3. Flour
4. Sugar
5. Milk
6. Eggs
7. Butter
8. Rice
9. Beans
10. Peanut butter

While this disaster will go down in the history books as one of the most widely felt, there are lessons to be learned here. One of which is that everyone will want the same food items because they are the same items listed on multiple emergency preparedness lists. So the earlier you are in getting the items, the more successful you will be in stocking them in your home. That means starting early – before there is a threat of an emergency. With the COVID health crisis, you can bet that there will be more outbreaks and with that more panic buying. Therefore, when the country begins to open back up, have a plan to begin creating an emergency food supply. Here are some articles to get you started:

Save Money With These Food Storage Tips

How to Stock a Prepper Pantry

20 Must-Read Articles to Get Started Prepping

Emergency Items That Will Disappear First

Create a Food Pantry You Can Rely On

Build your emergency reserves every time you go to the grocery store. Look for the deals and invest in your longevity. If you need to take it slowly, check out our week-by-week preparedness lists.

Multi-dynamic foods are the best to store in the home as they will serve many purposes. As well, you want to store foods that have long shelf lives (these foods can last a lifetime and would make sound investments for future planning). With an economic crisis looming, many will be more careful with money.  Start stocking up on the items you see in short supply at the grocery stores due to COVID-19 and plan for a month supply.

You can stock a food pantry frugally! Discount stores have lots of brand name foods you can purchase and save money at the same time. Buying these types of food in bulk quantities and repackaging them for long-term storage will save you money in the long run and protect you from food inflation. You can also purchase certain perishable items and freeze them for later use. This is a great way to have fresh food on hand when an emergency hits.

Many fear that food prices and inflation will be right around the corner. Planning for that economic instability ahead of time will help you save money and invest in your future and your family’s livelihood.