Prep1 year food supply for a family of 4
A year of food is a very large amount, and no official advice asks for it. This page shows what it would really take, so you can decide how far to go.
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
- 122 ×Baked beans400 g tin
- 122 ×Tuna in water145 g tin
- 122 ×Chickpeas400 g tin
Vegetables
- 98 ×Chopped tomatoes400 g tin
- 98 ×Sweetcorn198 g tin
- 98 ×Sliced carrots300 g tin
Fruit
- 73 ×Peaches in juice410 g tin
- 73 ×Pineapple in juice432 g tin
Rice, pasta and grains
- 77 ×White rice1 kg bag
- 151 ×Dried pasta500 g bag
- 74 ×Porridge oats1 kg bag
Oil, nuts and peanut butter
- 39 ×Peanut butter340 g jar
- 65 ×Mixed nuts200 g bag
- 17 ×Olive oil500 ml bottle
Milk
- 43 ×Dried skimmed milk340 g tin
- 84 ×UHT whole milk1 L carton
Sugar and treats
- 47 ×Jam340 g jar
- 30 ×Biscuits300 g pack
- 12 ×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 year
Two adults and two children at 7,200 kcal a day is 2,628,000 kcal. This is the list with cooking.
| Food | Pack | How many |
|---|---|---|
| Baked beans | 400 g tin | 219 |
| Tuna in water | 145 g tin | 219 |
| Chickpeas | 400 g tin | 219 |
| Chopped tomatoes | 400 g tin | 176 |
| Sweetcorn | 198 g tin | 176 |
| Sliced carrots | 300 g tin | 176 |
| Peaches in juice | 410 g tin | 132 |
| Pineapple in juice | 432 g tin | 132 |
| White rice | 1 kg bag | 138 |
| Dried pasta | 500 g bag | 271 |
| Porridge oats | 1 kg bag | 133 |
| Peanut butter | 340 g jar | 69 |
| Mixed nuts | 200 g bag | 117 |
| Olive oil | 500 ml bottle | 33 |
| Dried skimmed milk | 340 g tin | 77 |
| UHT whole milk | 1 L carton | 150 |
| Jam | 340 g jar | 84 |
| Biscuits | 300 g pack | 55 |
| Granulated sugar | 1 kg bag | 21 |
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 2,628,000 kcal over a year.
You don't need this to be prepared. Be Ready asks for 3 days. Germany plans for 10 days and Sweden for at least a week. A solid 2 weeks that you'll use is worth more than a year of food you won't get through.
Not everything lasts a year. USDA's FoodKeeper gives 6 to 12 months for unopened oil, 6 to 12 months for white flour and 12 months for porridge oats, in a cool room, as quality guides. A year's store has to be eaten and replaced as you go.
This isn't a balanced diet for a year. The list covers calories, with some variety. It isn't planned for vitamins and minerals, and it wouldn't suit anyone with a medical diet. Talk to a dietitian or your GP before relying on stored food for months.
If you do want to go this far, build it slowly over many months, and only from food your household actually eats.
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 a family of 4 need for a year?
At our planning figures, 2,628,000 kcal. The table on this page shows it as a shopping list.
Do I need a year's supply of food?
No official UK advice asks for this. Be Ready asks for 3 days.
Will it all keep for a year?
Not all of it. Tins and white rice generally keep well, but oil, flour and oats may not last the year, so the store has to be used and replaced as you go.
Can you live on this list for a year?
It covers calories, not a full range of nutrients. It's a guide to scale, not a diet plan.
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.