For a week of emergency food you have two good options: freeze-dried meals, which are light, long-lasting and need only hot water, or a simple store of long-life food you already eat. Either way, plan for about 2,100 kcal per person per day, food that needs no fridge, and a way to heat water. Sweden's Agency for Civil Defence (MCF, formerly MSB) recommends every household manage at least one week on its own. Here is how to choose and plan it.
Reviewed by Oskar Bjork, defence engineer (Swedish Armed Forces) and adviser to Kapsel. Last updated 2026-06-23.
How much food you need
Plan around 2,100 kcal per person per day. For a week that is food for 7 person-days for one person and 28 for a family of four. Energy density matters more than variety when space is tight. This food store is the eating half of seven days of preparedness that MCF recommends.
Freeze-dried meals
- Very light and compact, with a long shelf life, often many years.
- Need only hot water, so pair them with a camping stove and fuel.
- Higher cost per meal, but no rotation worry and minimal weight, good for small spaces and a grab bag.
A simple long-life store
- Cheaper, built from food you already eat: tinned food, crispbread, rice, pasta, nuts, muesli, dried fruit, oil, honey.
- Needs rotation, eat and replace so nothing expires.
- Add a manual tin opener and some food that needs no cooking at all.
Which should you choose?
Most households do well with a mix: a base of long-life food you rotate, plus a few freeze-dried meals as a compact reserve and for a grab bag. Choose freeze-dried when weight and shelf life matter most, and a long-life store when cost and everyday use matter most.
Keep it current
The hard part is not buying food, it is keeping it usable. Store what you actually eat, write the date on it, and check it a couple of times a year. Include any special needs: baby food, gluten-free, and food for pets. See our food and water stores for a week and the complete checklist.
Where Kapsel fits
The Kapsel Core covers the system around your food: water and purification in the Water and Health capsule, heat and light to cook and see, and the tools to use it under stress, built to the MCF one-week recommendation and assembled in Boras. You add the food you like on top. See the Kapsel Core.
Frequently asked questions
How much emergency food do I need per person?
About 2,100 kcal per person per day. For a week that is food for 7 person-days per person, so 28 for a family of four.
Is freeze-dried food worth it for emergencies?
Yes if weight, space and a long shelf life matter most. It needs only hot water. A cheaper long-life store you rotate works just as well for many households.
What food lasts longest without a fridge?
Freeze-dried meals, tinned food, crispbread, rice, pasta, nuts, dried fruit, oil and honey all keep at room temperature. Rotate them so nothing expires.
Do I need to cook emergency food?
Keep some food that needs no cooking, plus a camping stove and fuel for freeze-dried meals and hot drinks. A hot meal matters when it is cold.
Sources: MCF (mcf.se), Livsmedelsverket, krisinformation.se.