Prep1 month food stockpile list
At a month, the question changes from what to buy to where to put it and how to use it up. This list shows the scale, and you can change it for your household.
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
- 10 ×Baked beans400 g tin
- 10 ×Tuna in water145 g tin
- 10 ×Chickpeas400 g tin
Vegetables
- 8 ×Chopped tomatoes400 g tin
- 8 ×Sweetcorn198 g tin
- 8 ×Sliced carrots300 g tin
Fruit
- 6 ×Peaches in juice410 g tin
- 6 ×Pineapple in juice432 g tin
Rice, pasta and grains
- 7 ×White rice1 kg bag
- 13 ×Dried pasta500 g bag
- 5 ×Porridge oats1 kg bag
Oil, nuts and peanut butter
- 4 ×Peanut butter340 g jar
- 6 ×Mixed nuts200 g bag
- 1 ×Olive oil500 ml bottle
Milk
- 4 ×Dried skimmed milk340 g tin
- 7 ×UHT whole milk1 L carton
Sugar and treats
- 4 ×Jam340 g jar
- 2 ×Biscuits300 g pack
- 1 ×Granulated sugar1 kg bag
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 1 month
Two adults and two children at 7,200 kcal a day is 216,000 kcal. This is the list with cooking.
| Food | Pack | How many |
|---|---|---|
| Baked beans | 400 g tin | 18 |
| Tuna in water | 145 g tin | 18 |
| Chickpeas | 400 g tin | 18 |
| Chopped tomatoes | 400 g tin | 15 |
| Sweetcorn | 198 g tin | 15 |
| Sliced carrots | 300 g tin | 15 |
| Peaches in juice | 410 g tin | 11 |
| Pineapple in juice | 432 g tin | 11 |
| White rice | 1 kg bag | 12 |
| Dried pasta | 500 g bag | 23 |
| Porridge oats | 1 kg bag | 11 |
| Peanut butter | 340 g jar | 6 |
| Mixed nuts | 200 g bag | 10 |
| Olive oil | 500 ml bottle | 1 |
| Dried skimmed milk | 340 g tin | 7 |
| UHT whole milk | 1 L carton | 13 |
| Jam | 340 g jar | 7 |
| Biscuits | 300 g pack | 4 |
| Granulated sugar | 1 kg bag | 2 |
From preppantry.app. Checked 2 November 2026. Independent tool, not official advice.
How it works
Two adults and two children need 7,200 kcal a day at our planning figures, or 216,000 kcal over 30 days.
This is well beyond official advice. Be Ready asks for 3 days, and nobody needs a month of food to follow it.
Use what you store. A month's food only makes sense if it's food you eat. Keep it in with your normal food where you can, and put new tins behind old ones so the oldest gets used first.
Dates start to matter. A best-before date is about quality, so food past it is usually still fine. A use-by date is about safety, so never eat food after it. Most of this list is best-before food.
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.
Common questions
How much food does one person need for a month?
At the app's planning figure of 2,000 kcal a day, an adult needs 60,000 kcal. Set the household to one adult and the list will show it.
Where do you keep a month of food?
Wherever stays cool and dry. Storage times in USDA's data assume a cool room. Avoid places that get hot, such as next to a boiler or cooker.
Should I buy it all at once?
No. Be Ready says to build up gradually on your regular shops. It spreads the cost and avoids leaving shelves empty.
Does it need to be special long-life food?
No. Ordinary tins and dry food are fine, and you're more likely to eat them.
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.