Special Diets
Some people are allergic to gluten. Not just a “little” allergic, but literally deathly allergic. If the food is cooked, it has to be cooked in a thoroughly scrubbed utensil before any other foods which may contain gluten are prepared.
Others are lactose intolerant to the extent that even the hint of a milk derivative sends them to bed, if not to the hospital.
Then there are vegetarians.
The bottom line to all this is that if an organization is going to provision food for an emergency, it must consider all diets. Kosher is pretty common, and the nice thing about kosher is that everyone who can “eat anything” can eat kosher.
Veggies and dried fruit might be the answer to most diet concerns – providing gluten, dairy, nut, egg and other allergies are taken into consideration.
But what about the gluten-free diet? The lactose-free diet? The strictly vegetarian diet? As long as the attitude is to “provide for everyone,” there are emergency food options for almost every contingency.
Freshness
Freshness is another concern.
Granted, when you are thirsty – really thirsty – you will drink stale water. It may taste nasty, but it keeps you hydrated.
Foods requiring refrigeration are off the list. Power – if there is any – will be rationed for critical functions such as emergency lighting. Likewise for foods requiring stoves or microwaves to cook (no power and danger of explosion).
Canned foods and military rations have shelf lives.
Part of every good business continuity plan includes “maintenance” and replacing the pantry’s contents could be included. This might even work as a check to see that the plan is reviewed and that the larder is restocked.
A former rescue worker tells of having drills and meetings followed by post-event snacking that ate up the reserves and forced replenishment. Of course the diet was saltines and peanut butter – healthy, but for anyone but a 6-year-old, boring.
On the other hand, we are talking emergency rations, not dinner at the Savoy.
A casual survey of several rations vendors turns up shelf lives from two to 25 years. I confess, I have no experience eating meals that have been 25 years on any shelf.
One thing did become clear in my limited research: MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat) are a long way from the infamous C and K rations of yesteryear. Some vendors have expanded the emergency meal idea to almost complete dinners. All you have to supply is the drink.
Safety
One of the problems with military MREs is that the “Flameless Rations Heaters” (FRHs) are dangerous.
The military FRHs consist of a water-triggered chemical combination (magnesium-iron alloy) that, when activated, heats the food to a “just off the stove” temperature.
Not only is the FRH dangerous to the military personnel who use them, they also can be dangerous in storage.
Since the active components are activated by water, a defective chemical pouch could be activated by the high humidity found in some storage areas.
The US Army recently watched as a 20-foot long container burned while it sat on the dock in Guam. The fire was attributed to MRE packaging, which allowed moisture to contact the heating unit’s chemicals, which generated a “hydrogen gas temperature elevated higher than the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL).”
The bottom line is that when magnesium-iron alloy is used as the chemical combo to heat the food, the storage area must be vented to prevent a buildup of hydrogen (the gas that brought down the Hindenburg) and local emergency management people need to know to use a fog nozzle to flood the area rather than a solid stream if a fire erupts.
There are other methods available, but as this article was prepared, they were still not implemented by the US military.
Some commercial vendors make meals that are heated by a chemical reaction trigged by a water and sodium solution. The chemicals and the trigger solution are separately packaged in “a very strong poly” container. This container, in turn, is packed in a fairly robust box. Ordered in bulk, the box is shipped within a strong shipping container.
Under normal circumstances, there is very little chance of setting off the chemical reaction during shipping or while in storage. And, even if a chemical reaction were started, the heat generated by the package would not injure anyone. It would produce some steam, but the potential for injury due to an accidental chemical reaction is almost nil.
Still, other companies believe the risks are so significant, they sell their self-contained heater products only to the military (and with plenty of warnings and proper use instructions). Most of the commercial products must be heated in a microwave, boiling water, or a vertical steamer. They may also be eaten at room temperature.
At Home On The Road
Although I have yet to include emergency supplies in a business continuity plan, I regularly consider them for myself – at the house and on the road. Notice I used the word “supplies,” not “rations.” This opens a larger shopping bag.
Personal emergency supplies include at least a week’s supply of canned goods, most of which can be eaten without additional preparation. I have a small propane stove and several mini-bottles of fuel for it. Dry cereal (various flakes mostly) and dry fruit (led by individual packages of raisins) are well represented on the shelves. Cans of tuna, sardines, and salmon line the shelves, all of which open with a “pop top” or with a hand-crank can opener.
Candles are bought in bulk. The only thing I need to remember is to keep matches or a lighter handy. Extra water is stored if a severe storm is anticipated.
On the road, I schlep along the aforementioned goodies in appropriate quantities, but I also include a bottle or two of water, a can of Sterno (heat and cooking fuel in lieu of the propane stove), blankets, pillows, and first aid supplies.
Given the roads I normally travel (interstates and major U.S. highways) there is minimal chance I ever will be trapped for more than a few hours in the Explorer.
Final Thought
One last thought – a topic for another day, I guess – is waste disposal. We will not only have to deal with wrappers and one-time cutlery, but human waste as well. We are, after all, just simple “I/O” devices. What goes in, must come out.
If we are planning on being trapped in a building for an extended period without working restrooms, it seems reasonable to consider alternative disposal methods.
Like I said, perhaps this is a subject for another day.
John Glenn, CRP, CBCP, has been helping Fortune 100s and state government survive disasters since 1994. Comments about this article may be sent to JGlennCRP@yahoo.com.
