Do emergency food kits really give you 2,000 calories a day?
Most emergency food is sold as a number of days: "72 hours", "30 days", "1 year". We divided each kit's total calories by the days it's sold as. Of the 22 kits we track that advertise a number of days, 15 supply less than 2,000 calories a day, and 10 supply less than 1,800.
Highlighted: under 1,800 calories per advertised day.
Why it matters
If a kit is planned around fewer calories than you'd normally eat, it only lasts its advertised days if you eat less. The lowest in our data, Augason Farms 30-Day 1-Person Emergency Food Supply Kit, works out to 1,290 calories a day, so its 30 days become 19.4 at 2,000 a day.
This isn't necessarily misleading. Several brands state their per-day figure on the product page. But it means two "30-day" kits can hold very different amounts of food, and comparing them by price per kit isn't a fair comparison.
How to use this
Plan by calories, not days. The calculator does it for any household.
2,000 calories is a common planning figure for an adult. Active adults, especially in hot or cold conditions, often need more. Young children usually need less.