PrepFood stockpile calculator
Tell us who's at home and how long you want to cover. You'll get the calories to store and a shopping list of normal supermarket food, not bulk survival rations. Nothing leaves this browser.
Who's at home?
Saved in this browser for the other tools.
Pets aren't counted here, so add their food yourself.
What should it cover?
Use government figures by age and sex
Public Health England's estimated energy needs. Enter how many people in each group. This replaces the household above for calories, and they're averages, so individual needs vary.
| Age | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Age 1765 / 717 kcal | ||
| 2 to 31,088 / 1,004 kcal | ||
| 4 to 61,482 / 1,378 kcal | ||
| 7 to 101,817 / 1,703 kcal | ||
| 11 to 182,500 / 2,000 kcal | ||
| 19 to 642,500 / 2,000 kcal | ||
| 65 to 742,342 / 1,912 kcal | ||
| 75 and over2,294 / 1,840 kcal |
Your shopping list
Beans, fish and meat
- 7 ×Baked beans400 g tin
- 7 ×Tuna in water145 g tin
Vegetables
- 6 ×Chopped tomatoes400 g tin
- 6 ×Sweetcorn198 g tin
Fruit
- 3 ×Peaches in juice410 g tin
- 3 ×Pineapple in juice432 g tin
Rice, pasta and grains
- 4 ×White rice1 kg bag
- 9 ×Dried pasta500 g bag
Oil, nuts and peanut butter
- 2 ×Peanut butter340 g jar
- 4 ×Mixed nuts200 g bag
Milk
- 2 ×Dried skimmed milk340 g tin
- 4 ×UHT whole milk1 L carton
Sugar and treats
- 3 ×Jam340 g jar
- 2 ×Biscuits300 g pack
Rice, pasta and lentils need water and a way to cook them, which isn't counted here. Tins of beans, fish and vegetables can be eaten cold if you have to.
Example: a family of 4 for 2 weeks
Two adults and two children at 7,200 kcal a day is 100,800 kcal. This is the list with cooking.
| Food | Pack | How many |
|---|---|---|
| Baked beans | 400 g tin | 9 |
| Tuna in water | 145 g tin | 9 |
| Chickpeas | 400 g tin | 9 |
| Chopped tomatoes | 400 g tin | 7 |
| Sweetcorn | 198 g tin | 7 |
| Sliced carrots | 300 g tin | 7 |
| Peaches in juice | 410 g tin | 6 |
| Pineapple in juice | 432 g tin | 6 |
| White rice | 1 kg bag | 5 |
| Dried pasta | 500 g bag | 11 |
| Porridge oats | 1 kg bag | 4 |
| Peanut butter | 340 g jar | 3 |
| Mixed nuts | 200 g bag | 5 |
| Olive oil | 500 ml bottle | 1 |
| Dried skimmed milk | 340 g tin | 3 |
| UHT whole milk | 1 L carton | 6 |
| Jam | 340 g jar | 4 |
| Biscuits | 300 g pack | 3 |
| Granulated sugar | 1 kg bag | 1 |
From preppantry.app. Checked 2 November 2026. Independent tool, not official advice.
How it works
We work out the calories your household needs in a day, multiply by the number of days, then turn that into a shopping list.
Each adult is counted at 2,000 kcal a day and each child at 1,600. These are the Prep app's planning figures, not official ones. The NHS gives 2,500 kcal for an average man and 2,000 for an average woman, so you can use the government's table by age and sex instead.
The list has two parts. Tins of beans, fish, vegetables and fruit are set per person, so meals have some variety. Staples such as rice, pasta and peanut butter make up the remaining calories. That mix is our own. It isn't official, and it isn't a diet plan.
Pack sizes are typical ones we chose, and calories come from USDA FoodData Central, so your labels will differ a little. We round up to whole packs, so the list comes to slightly more than the target.
No cooking: Be Ready asks for food with a long shelf life that doesn't need refrigeration or cooking, such as tinned meat, fish or vegetables, dried fruit and nuts. Choose no cooking and the list only uses food like that. Everything else needs water and heat, which you may not have, so don't rely on cooking for your first 3 days.
Pets and babies: pets count as 0 kcal here, and this list isn't suitable for babies. Be Ready says to plan for pet food and baby formula as well.
Common questions
How much food should I stockpile?
The UK government's Be Ready campaign suggests 3 days of food that doesn't need a fridge or cooking. Going further is your choice. This calculator shows what each length of time means in real shopping.
How much food does a family of 4 need for 2 weeks?
At our planning figures, two adults and two children need 7,200 kcal a day, or 100,800 kcal for 2 weeks. The example on the 2 weeks page turns that into a list.
Is it OK to stockpile food?
Yes, and the government encourages it. Be Ready says to build up gradually, picking up an extra item or two on your regular shop, so you don't need to do it all at once.
What are the best foods to stockpile?
Food you'd usually eat. Be Ready suggests tinned meat, fish or vegetables, dried fruit and nuts. Rice, pasta and oats add a lot of calories for their size, but they need water and a way to cook.
Does this include water?
No. Use the water storage calculator for that, and remember that rice, pasta and lentils need extra water to cook.
Sources
- Be Ready checklist
- NHS: understanding calories
- Public Health England: government dietary recommendations (energy by age and sex)
- Food Standards Agency: food fact checker (use by and best before)
- USDA FoodData Central (energy per 100 g)
- USDA FoodKeeper data (storage times)
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Checked on 2 November 2026. This is an independent tool and not official advice. See sources and method.