In 2002, a company that helps maintain the emergency preparedness kits for corporations found something pretty interesting at a Sony building. They found emergency food rations with an expiration date of 1995. They can laugh now because they've addressed the problem, but it helps illustrate a part of preparation where many people fall short, and that's staying ready.

About Emergency Kits

Batteries have expiration dates, and while an old battery may still work, it might not. Even glow sticks can, over time, become less effective. What does that tell us? It tells us that part of the kit should include a materials record of expiration dates.

Different companies offer you different types of packaged foods, so one thing you can do is taste the products to make comparisons. There is no reason for your kit to include food you wouldn't enjoy. You can also save yourself some money by periodically eating the food before it expires and replacing it with new supplies.

Some people opt to buy only the kits that include medical supplies and survival tools (radio, glow sticks, etc.). That's a fine plan, but of course make sure you keep up on those supplies instead of just running through them like groceries. Finally, the most important thing in your kit is clean drinking water, kept in a secure enough location that it won't get contaminated.