Healthy Non-Perishable Foods: A Dietitian's Hurricane List

Last updated: July 2026. Reviewed by Brenda Fikry, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, St. Petersburg Nutrition.

The short answer: Pinellas County recommends a one-week supply of non-perishable food that requires no cooking, plus one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and a second gallon per person per day for cooking and hygiene. The list below shows you how to hit that target with food that actually supports your health — not just crackers and canned soup.

If you live in St. Petersburg, you already know the drill. The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, and the historically busiest stretch — mid-August through October — is right around the corner.

NOAA’s 2026 outlook calls for a below-normal season, with 8 to 14 named storms expected. That sounds reassuring, and it is worth noting. But 2024 taught Tampa Bay a hard lesson when Helene and Milton made landfall within two weeks of each other. Seasonal forecasts predict overall activity, not landfall. As NOAA’s own forecasters put it, it only takes one storm.

So here’s the more useful way to think about it: a well-built pantry isn’t just storm insurance. It’s the reason you eat a real meal on a night you worked late, the backup when you’re recovering from a stomach bug, and the difference between a balanced plate and a bag of chips when the power’s been out for two days.

As dietitians, we spend a lot of time helping clients build pantries that work in ordinary life and in emergencies. Below is the list we actually give them — organized by what each food does for you, not just by what keeps.

How Much Food and Water Do You Actually Need?

Most people dramatically underestimate this. Here are the seven-day targets:

1 person — 14 gallons of water (7 for drinking, 7 for cooking and washing), 21 protein servings, about 63 total food servings

2 people — 28 gallons of water (14 drinking, 14 cooking and washing), 42 protein servings, about 126 total food servings

Family of 4 — 56 gallons of water (28 drinking, 28 cooking and washing), 84 protein servings, about 252 total food servings

Only half that water needs to be bottled. Filling clean bathtubs and jugs before the storm covers the rest. Pets need their own supply — Pinellas County recommends two weeks’ worth.

And assume no cooking and no refrigeration. If a can needs to be heated to be edible, it doesn’t belong in your main stash.

The Build-a-Meal Formula

The mistake we see most often is a pantry full of snacks rather than meals. Snack foods are almost all refined carbohydrate — you eat, you spike, you crash, you’re hungry again in ninety minutes. That’s miserable on a normal day and genuinely destabilizing when you’re stressed, hot, and sleeping badly.

Build every shelf-stable meal from four slots: protein, a fiber-rich carbohydrate, produce, and fat.

That’s it. Tuna pouch, whole grain crackers, canned green beans, and a handful of almonds. It takes ninety seconds, requires no power, and will hold you for four hours instead of one.

Aim for 20 to 30 grams of protein per meal. Protein is the most filling of the three macronutrients, and it’s the one that shelf-stable eating tends to shortchange.

The Healthy Non-Perishable Food List

1. Shelf-Stable Protein (Start Here)

This is the foundation, and the category most emergency lists get wrong. Build this out first.

Tuna and salmon pouches. Safe Catch tests every fish for mercury, which matters if you’re pregnant or feeding young children. StarKist Tuna Creations pouches come pre-seasoned and need no draining.
Chicken pouches. StarKist premium white chicken in the lower-sodium version, roughly 15g protein per pouch.
Canned salmon with bones — an underrated source of calcium, since the soft bones are edible.
Canned or pouched beans and lentils, no-salt-added where you can find them.
Jerky and meat sticks. Country Archer makes zero-sugar options. Watch the sodium here; these supplement your protein, they don’t form the base of it.
Shelf-stable tofu — vacuum-packed, no refrigeration needed until opened, and a genuinely good vegetarian anchor.

Dietitian tip: pouches beat cans. No can opener required, no draining, lighter to evacuate with, and they pack flat.

2. Protein Powder, Shakes and Bars

The most calorie-dense, lowest-effort protein you can store. Single-serve travel packets plus a shaker cup mean you just add water.

Protein powder singles — Garden of Life packets, Truvani pea protein, or whichever whey or plant protein you already tolerate well.
Ready-to-drink shakes — Fairlife Core Power runs 26 to 42 grams of protein; OWYN is a solid dairy-free option. Check the label, since some varieties need refrigeration.

Bars — RXBAR, Quest and similar. Look for at least 10g protein and under 10g added sugar.

3. Nuts, Seeds and Nut Butters

Calorie-dense, no prep, and a source of fat that slows digestion and steadies blood sugar.

Single-serve nut packs — pistachios, almonds, walnuts. Portioned packs prevent the “ate the whole bag” problem.
Natural peanut, almond or sunflower seed butter. Check the ingredients; it should read nuts, maybe salt. Squeeze packets are ideal for evacuation kits.
Pumpkin and sunflower seeds — a good nut-free option for households with allergies.
Nut-and-seed bars like Tosi Super Bites.

4. No-Cook Grains and Crackers

The carbohydrate slot. Prioritize fiber — it keeps you full and helps counteract the constipation that’s almost universal during storm weeks.

Whole grain crackers. Mary’s Gone Crackers is a solid gluten-free, seed-based option.
Rice cakes — Lundberg Thin Stackers, salt-free.
Quick oats, which are safe to eat raw. Stir into a protein shake or soak overnight in shelf-stable milk.
Tortillas and wraps. Maria and Ricardo’s and BFree hold up well unopened at room temperature, and wraps turn scattered ingredients into an actual meal.
Shelf-stable microwave rice, useful only if you have a gas stove or generator. Treat it as a bonus, not a staple.

Chickpea or lentil pasta like Banza. Same caveat — it needs boiling water.

5. Fruits and Vegetables

The slot people skip entirely, and then wonder why they feel terrible by day four.

Canned fruit packed in juice rather than heavy syrup — peaches, pears, pineapple, mandarin oranges.
No-salt-added canned vegetables. Drain and rinse before eating; research suggests this removes a large share of the sodium, on the order of 40 percent.
Dried fruit — raisins, apricots, mango. Portion it out, because it’s easy to overdo.
Freeze-dried fruits and vegetables. Light, stable for years, and surprisingly good.
Shelf-stable applesauce or fruit-and-veggie pouches, excellent for kids.

Counter-stable fresh produce. Apples and oranges hold for a week or more without refrigeration, and bell peppers last about five days. Buy avocados unripe; when you want one, put it in a paper bag with an apple and it’ll ripen in a day or two.

6. Hydration and Electrolytes

Florida in September with no air conditioning is a dehydration event. Plan for it.

Bottled and gallon water — the baseline from the numbers above.
Electrolyte packets. A zero-sugar option lets you replace sodium and potassium without a sugar load, and it’s worth having if you’ll be doing cleanup work in the heat.
Coconut water, naturally potassium-rich.
Sparkling water. Not essential, but flavor variety genuinely helps people keep drinking.
Shelf-stable milk or plant milk. Aseptic cartons keep for months unopened and make oats and protein powder far more palatable.

Instant coffee or tea bags. Caffeine withdrawal on day two of an outage is a real and preventable problem.

7. Beans, Legumes and Plant Protein

No-salt-added canned beans and lentils — black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans.
Lupini beans. High protein, high fiber, low carbohydrate, ready to eat from the jar.
Dry roasted edamame, crunchy and about 14 grams of protein per serving.
Hummus cups. Shelf-stable single-serve versions exist and pair well with crackers.

8. Flavor, Comfort and the Practical Extras

Pinellas County’s own emergency kit guidance says to remember comfort foods, and they’re right. Morale is a real variable.

Salt, pepper, hot sauce and olive oil packets — the difference between eating and enduring.
Dark chocolate. Keeps well, and a small amount goes a long way.
Sweet potato or veggie chips.
A manual can opener. Test it before the storm, then test it again.
Paper plates, plastic utensils, paper towels and trash bags. You will not want to spend your limited water on dishes.

Seven No-Cook Meals From This List

Print this and tape it inside a cabinet door.

Tuna pouch, whole grain crackers, drained green beans, olive oil packet
Protein shake, quick oats, dried fruit, almond butter packet
Tortilla, hummus cup, canned chicken, dried tomatoes
Lupini beans, rice cakes, peanut butter, apple
Canned salmon, seed crackers, canned corn, pumpkin seeds
Overnight oats — quick oats, shelf-stable milk, protein powder and raisins, soaked 30 minutes
Dry roasted edamame, canned peaches in juice, jerky stick, dark chocolate

Every one of those lands in the 20 to 30 gram protein range and hits all four slots of the formula.

Special Considerations

If you manage diabetes or blood sugar. Prioritize protein and fiber at every eating occasion, and keep fast-acting carbohydrate like juice boxes or glucose tabs accessible in case of a low. Store extra testing supplies, and know that insulin has specific temperature requirements — talk to your pharmacist about outage storage before the season peaks.

If you take a GLP-1 medication. Appetite suppression plus storm-week disruption leads people to badly under-eat protein. Ready-to-drink shakes are your friend here, delivering 25 to 40 grams when solid food is unappealing. These medications also have refrigeration requirements, so confirm the guidance for yours with your prescriber ahead of time.

If you have high blood pressure. Shelf-stable eating is a sodium minefield. Choose no-salt-added canned goods, rinse everything you can, and treat jerky and instant soups as occasional rather than staple.

If you’re pregnant or nursing. Lean toward mercury-tested tuna brands and low-mercury options like salmon and sardines. Nursing parents need substantially more fluid, so build in extra water.

If you have young children. Familiar foods matter enormously when everything else is chaotic. Stock what they’ll actually eat, plus shelf-stable pouches and their preferred milk.

If you have food allergies. Seed butters replace nut butters, and certified gluten-free crackers and oats are widely available. Don’t assume shelters can accommodate you — Pinellas advises bringing your own special dietary items.

Power Outage Food Safety: The Rules Worth Memorizing

According to FDA and USDA guidance, with the doors kept closed:

Your refrigerator holds safe temperatures for about 4 hours. After that, discard perishables — meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, leftovers and cut produce.

A full freezer holds for about 48 hours. A half-full freezer, about 24.

The two-hour rule: perishable food held above 40°F for two hours or more should be thrown out. Make it one hour if it’s above 90°F outside, which in a Florida September it will be.

Refreezing is fine if the food still has ice crystals or is at 40°F or below. Quality may suffer; safety doesn’t.

Never taste food to check whether it’s safe. Pathogens don’t change the smell, taste or appearance of food. When in doubt, throw it out.

Two things buy you time. Freeze containers of water in any spare freezer space before the storm — they act as thermal mass, then become drinking water as they melt. And keep an appliance thermometer in both the fridge and freezer so you can verify temperatures rather than guess.

What Not to Stock

Anything that requires a stove, oven or long boil as its only preparation method

Family-size cans with no way to refrigerate the leftovers

Foods nobody in your house likes, bought purely because they were on an emergency list

High-sodium instant noodles and soups as the bulk of your supply

Anything sold refrigerated, no matter how healthy it looks

Rotate It, Don’t Just Store It

The pantry that fails is the one assembled in a panic and forgotten. Two habits fix this.

Twice a year, at the time changes. When you replace smoke detector batteries in spring and fall, check expiration dates and pull anything within six months of expiring into your regular rotation.

Eat from it monthly. Pick one dinner a month from the emergency pantry, then replace what you used. You’ll find out which items your family actually eats before the discovery matters.

Where to Stock Up in St. Petersburg

Rollin’ Oats Market — locally owned since 1994, with locations on Dr. MLK Jr. St. N in St. Pete and in South Tampa. Strong selection of the natural and organic brands above.

Sprouts Farmers Market — good bulk nuts and dried goods.

Thrive Market — my personal favorite for dry non-perishable goods because of the easy order/reorder online and delivered and price guarantee! LOTS of kid friendly options as well. Useful for stocking up before the rush and finding new products of you are bored of the same old things. Use this link and we each earn $40 towards our next order!

Sam’s Club — for water, canned goods and volume.

Local logistics worth knowing: find your Pinellas evacuation zone at pinellas.gov, download the Ready Pinellas app, and shop before a storm is named. Shelves clear fast in this county, and water goes first.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many days of food should I have for a hurricane?

Pinellas County recommends a one-week supply of non-perishable food that requires no cooking, along with one gallon of water per person per day for drinking plus a second gallon per person per day for cooking and hygiene. The Red Cross sets a three-day minimum for a go-kit you’d evacuate with. Seven days is the shelter-in-place standard in Florida.

What are the healthiest non-perishable foods?

Canned or pouched fish and chicken, no-salt-added canned beans and vegetables, canned fruit packed in juice, nuts and natural nut butters, whole grain crackers, quick oats, and shelf-stable milk. The common thread is protein and fiber, which is what keeps you full and steady.

What non-perishable foods need no cooking at all?

Tuna and chicken pouches, ready-to-drink protein shakes, protein bars, nut butters, canned fruit, rice cakes, crackers, dry roasted edamame, lupini beans, jerky, and raw quick oats soaked in shelf-stable milk.

How long does canned food actually last?

Most low-acid canned goods like vegetables, beans and meat keep two to five years past packing. High-acid items like tomatoes and citrus are better used within eighteen months. The date on the can is a quality date, not a safety cutoff. Discard any can that’s bulging, leaking, or badly dented along a seam.

Is protein powder shelf-stable?

Yes. Unopened powder is generally good for one to two years stored cool and dry. Single-serve travel packets are ideal for emergency kits because they don’t degrade the way an opened tub does.

How much water do I need for a hurricane?

Two gallons per person per day for a full week — one for drinking, one for cooking and hygiene. That’s 14 gallons per person, or 56 gallons for a family of four. Filling clean bathtubs and containers before landfall covers the non-drinking half.

What should I do with my refrigerated food when the power goes out?

Keep the door closed. A closed refrigerator holds safe temperatures for roughly four hours and a full freezer for about 48. After that, move perishables to a cooler with ice if you have it, and discard anything that’s been above 40°F for more than two hours.

Can I build a hurricane pantry that fits a specific diet?

Yes. Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, low-sodium and diabetes-friendly versions of nearly everything on this list are available. If you’re working around several constraints at once, that’s exactly the kind of thing we help clients map out.

Build a Pantry That Works Year-Round

A hurricane pantry and a healthy pantry are the same pantry, built once and rotated well. If you’d like help translating this into a list that fits your household — your dietary needs, your medications, your kids, your budget — that’s what we do.

You might also find these useful: Meal Planning Services, Nutrition Coaching, and Healthy Dining in St. Petersburg.

Sources: Pinellas County Emergency Management; Florida Division of Emergency Management; NOAA 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook; U.S. FDA; USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service; CDC.

Some links in this post are affiliate links, meaning St. Petersburg Nutrition may earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we would suggest to our own clients.

This article is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical or nutrition advice. Talk to your healthcare provider about your specific needs, particularly regarding medication storage during power outages.