Emergency pantry list
This pantry list outlines the food needed for 2 people (older than 12 months) for 7 days, based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines. These items do not need refrigeration, special preparation, or cooking.
Adapt the pantry list for people with food allergies, special diets or other specific food requirements.
- Grain foods
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Legumes and beans
- Nuts and seeds
- Milk, yoghurt and cheese
- Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs
- Oils and treats
- Water and equipment
Grain foods
Item |
Amount |
Examples |
Breakfast cereal (dry) e.g. muesli, wholegrain cereal |
850g |
28 x 30g single-use bowls or boxes |
Flat bread (long life, vacuum packed) e.g. pita bread, lavash, tortillas, wraps |
1100g |
4 x 260g packs |
Wholegrain crisp bread/dry biscuits |
500g |
2 x 250g boxes |
Ready-to-eat rice or noodles |
1700g |
8 x 250g packets |
Fruit
Item |
Amount |
Examples |
Canned fruit in natural juice e.g. pineapple, peaches, fruit salad, plums, berries, apricots |
2400g |
8 x 400/410/420g cans plastic tubs |
Dried fruit e.g. sultanas, apricots, mixed fruit |
200g |
1 x 210g packet |
Fruit juice (100% fruit juice) |
750mL |
3 x 250mL tetra packs |
Vegetables
Item |
Amount |
Examples |
Starchy vegetables e.g. canned potatoes |
1050g |
4 x 410g cans |
Green vegetables e.g. canned peas, beans, asparagus |
1050g |
7 x 220g cans |
Orange and other vegetables e.g. canned beetroot, carrots, corn, tomatoes, mushrooms, capsicum, mixed vegetables |
3150g |
14 x 420g cans |
Legumes and beans
Item |
Amount |
Examples |
Canned legumes e.g. kidney beans, 4-bean mix, chick peas, lentils |
1000g |
4 x 410g cans |
Baked beans |
750g |
4 x 220g cans |
Nuts and seeds
Item |
Amount |
Examples |
Nuts and/or seeds (unsalted) e.g. almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, seed mix, nut paste |
450g |
3 x 150g packet |
Milk, yoghurt and cheese
Item |
Amount |
Examples |
Long life milk or calcium fortified soy milk |
5000mL |
20 x 250mL tetra packs |
Long life cheese e.g. cheese wedges or sticks |
400g |
1 x 160g box |
Long life custard |
800g |
2 x 4 pack custard cups |
Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs
Item |
Amount |
Examples |
Canned meat and/or poultry or alternatives e.g. braised steak, canned chicken, canned ham, nut meat |
900g |
12 x 85g cans (chicken) or |
Canned fish e.g. tuna, salmon, sardines |
1600g |
8 x 185/210g cans |
Oils and treats
Item |
Amount |
Examples |
Unsaturated oil e.g. olive oil |
280g |
1 x 375mL bottle |
Snack foods |
optional |
Dried fruits, nuts and seeds (see above), crackers or biscuits, muesli bars, |
Water and equipment
Item |
Amount |
Examples |
Bottled water for drinking and food preparation |
42 L |
21 x 2L bottles |
Plastic plates, bowls, cups, cutlery and utensils (if you do not have access to your own crockery and cutlery, or washing up facilities) |
28 forks |
1 x 20 pack and 1 x 10 pack of each cutlery item |
Hand sanitiser (water-free) |
2 tubes/bottles |
2 x 200mL bottles |