Choose plastic bottles, tins, cartons and pouches over glass: glass breaks and is heavy to carry.
Water and drinks
- Bottled water
In plastic bottles or boxes; 3 L per person per day for drinking and cooking - UHT milk
Cartons keep for months unopened - Milk powder
Light and long-lasting; good for cooking - Coffee
Ground or instant - Tea
- Squash or cordial
In plastic bottles; masks the taste of treated water
Dry goods
- Rice
- Pasta
- Oats
Breakfast that needs only hot water - Couscous
Cooks in 5 minutes off the heat: saves fuel - Dried lentils
Red lentils cook fastest - Dried beans
Soak overnight to save fuel - Instant noodles
- Flour
For flatbread or pancakes on the stove - Crispbread or crackers
Bread that needs no oven - Muesli or granola
Eat with UHT milk - Cereal bars
Protein
- Tinned fish (tuna, sardines, mackerel, salmon)
Oily fish has the best nutrition - Tinned meat (chicken, corned beef, sausages)
- Tinned beans or chickpeas
Edible cold from the tin - Peanut butter
In plastic jars; very calorie-dense - Mixed nuts
Keep sealed
Fruit and vegetables
- Tinned tomatoes
- Tinned vegetables (sweetcorn, peas, carrots)
- Tinned fruit
- Apple sauce or fruit purée
Pouches or plastic tubs, not glass jars - Dried fruit (raisins, apricots, dates)
Fats and oils
- Sunflower or rapeseed oil
In plastic bottles - Olive oil
Tins or plastic bottles
Flavour and staples
- Salt
- Sugar
- Honey
Squeeze bottle; keeps indefinitely - Stock cubes
- Chocolate
Morale matters - Dried herbs and spices (pepper, paprika, curry, oregano)
One of each per household
Fresh, for the first week
- Potatoes
Store cool and dark - Onions
Keep for weeks if cool and dry - Carrots
Store cool and dark - Garlic
Vitamins
- Multivitamin
- Vitamin C
Important when there is little fresh fruit
Hygiene
- Toilet paper
Easy to underestimate - Toothpaste
About one tube per person per month - Soap and shampoo
- Washing-up liquid
- Resealable freezer bags
Also work as small dry bags
Pharmacy or drugstore
- Nausea / vomiting remedy
- Go-bag toiletries
- Oral rehydration salts (electrolytes)
First line for diarrhoea and vomiting, especially for children and older people; also useful in heatwaves. - Wound disinfectant and healing ointment
Top up what the first aid kit contains. - Period products / nappies
- Dry-eye drops
Useful with smoke or dust. - Burn gel / burn ointment
- Anti-diarrhoea tablets
Relevant when water quality is uncertain. Not for young children without advice. - Wet wipes
- Cold, cough and sore-throat remedies
- Antihistamine tablets
For allergic reactions and insect bites. Not a substitute for a prescribed adrenaline auto-injector. - Pain and fever relief
Paracetamol and/or ibuprofen are the usual choices; aspirin (ASA) is an option for adults but not for children. Follow the leaflet; check expiry yearly. - Hand sanitiser
- Children's formulations (fever syrup, child ORS)
Only if the household has children; use child-specific products.
Supermarket extras
- Unscented household bleach (water treatment)
Plain, unscented chlorine bleach. Follow official guidance for treating water. - Heavy-duty bin bags and ties
Line the toilet with them when the water is off. - Baby food / formula
If you have a baby. - Candles / tea lights
Never leave burning candles unattended. - Pet food and water
If you have pets.
Hardware or outdoor store
- Stove fuel cartridges
Cartridges that match your stove. - Heater fuel (kerosene / propane)
Fuel that matches your heater. Store it away from living areas. - Plastic sheeting
Use with duct tape to seal windows and doors.
To arrange
- Spare glasses / contact lenses
- Cash in small notes and coins
Small notes and coins. Norway also advises payment cards from more than one bank. - Full fuel tank / charged EV
- Paper list of emergency contacts
Printed: phones and cloud contacts fail in an outage. - Warm-room plan
Pick one room to keep warm; gather blankets, sleeping bags and the heater there. - Copies of ID and key documents
Keep them in a waterproof pouch. - Personal medication supply
At least one week's supply, and a written list of what you take. - Household emergency plan
A meeting point, who picks up whom, and key contacts. - One month of prescription medication
Ask your doctor or pharmacist what's possible. - Spare house and car keys
Buying and storing
- Buy supermarket own brands: the same nutrition for much less. Stock up when staples like rice, pasta, tinned fish and tomatoes are on offer.
- Repack dry goods (rice, flour, pasta, oats) into airtight plastic boxes or buckets with a moisture absorber. Damp and pests ruin them faster than time.
- Rotate: use the oldest first and replace as you go, so the stock never expires all at once.
- Save fuel: couscous, instant noodles, oats and soaked lentils or beans cook fast. A pressure cooker cuts fuel use a lot.
- Dry staples need water to cook. Count that water in your storage.