Food Storage for People with Food Allergies & Special Needs

[AZ Prepper]

Please share suggestions, ideas, methods, etc. for storing food for those with food allergies and special needs.

[ChefTessBakeresse]

In general, if you prepare the food storage items as "whole foods", either preparing mixes yourself or storing single ingredients, it will greatly help with food allergy issues. Case in point, it is much easier to make a cream soup mix and control all the ingredients than to try to find one prepackaged and have to read through several listed ingredients to see if there is any wheat or nuts...or dairy. If you make it, you know the product hasn't been mislabeled as well. Most of my clients who have food allergies find it most helpful to learn how to cook with basic ingredients so those problems are completely alleviated. I know this is simple, but be acutely aware and have allergy meds in ample supply on hand. Knowing how to make gravy to go on potatoes that uses cornstarch as the thickener instead of flour and make the stock without any added allergens. Just basics like that. Get some good recipes for basic cooking and start using them so you know what your family will like. I'm adding as many as I can that are "scratch" mixes and ways to use the year supply items. I have a whole gluten free section on my regular blog, as I have many people who don't use wheat or gluten in their cooking. If you would like, I think we could start a cooking section with recipes that focus on that issue. Other allergies, I would be happy to add recipes. I just need to know the allergy specifics.

Other tips:
If you have family with nut allergies, don't even add any nuts to any of the year supply. You never know who will actually still be left alive to eat the food, and if a parent isn't there to supervise in an emergency situation, will the child know if there are nuts in the family food?! It may be a little more difficult, but making all the food safe for the one with allergies, is always a better idea than having to keep that one person from eating at all. Right?
At Stake Girls Camp we had two girls who had nut allergies. Two. We cooked everything whole food so they could eat regular meals at the camp tables with their friends. It sounds dumb, but I had them in my kitchen in tears...thankful to finally be able to eat with their friends. Now in an emergency food situation that may not always be possible, especially if a lot of families bring food together, but on your watch with your family, don't exclude the ones with allergies. Emotional well being and acceptance is also very important.

Have a list of allergens in your years supply area (if children are older and able to read) Also have that list ready available in their 72 hour backpacks in case they get separated from you. Does that list also include the severity of the allergy (from mild nausea or out and out shock...)do you have the "worst case" medication in their personal backpacks?
Look for allergens in places you don't normally think of (ie corn...is also in corn syrup (corn syrup is in a ton of stuff!), baking powder, marshmallows...in packing of meat like tuna "vegetable water")
Teach your Children how to Cook with basics...again, if something happened to you, could they survive?!