Food and water for three days

The UK Government is encouraging households to prepare for short interruptions to everyday services. A small reserve of suitable food and water can help when shopping, deliveries, electricity or communications are disrupted. Start with what you already have and add what you can afford over time.

About Be Ready: on 22 October 2026 the Cabinet Office began a three-year campaign called Be Ready. It replaces the earlier Prepare branding and centres on preparing for three days of disruption. Much of the household advice published since May 2024 continues unchanged. This is a preparedness campaign — it does not mean a food shortage or national emergency is imminent. UK Ready is independent and is not part of the government campaign.

Drinking water

The Be Ready checklist specifies 3 litres per person per day for drinking, over three days. Cooking and washing need additional water.

The rule is people × 3 litres × 3 days. Keep this separate from extra water for cooking, washing, feeding, medical equipment and pets. It is a storage planning figure, not an instruction to change anyone's prescribed fluid intake. Use the water storage planner to work out your own figure.

Food that works without power

Keep three days of familiar, long-life food that can be eaten without cooking or refrigeration — for example suitable tinned meat, fish and vegetables. Check each product's instructions; do not assume every tin or pouch is ready to eat.

These are UK Ready planning examples to help you choose ordinary groceries — not an official menu or a personalised nutrition plan. Match portions, allergies, age and dietary needs to your household.

A practical method: write down the meals each person normally needs across the three days, then count portions rather than cans. Add a manual tin opener. Dry pasta or rice can supplement the cupboard, but it does not replace food you can eat when cooking is unavailable. You don't need specialist "survival" food — ordinary groceries work. Check what you already have, build gradually and review the kit at least every six months.

Using food and water safely during disruption

Fridges and freezers in a power cut. Keep the doors shut as much as possible. Official guidance estimates about 4 hours of cold storage in a fridge, up to 48 hours in a full freezer and 24 hours in a half-full freezer — estimates affected by the appliance, room temperature and door opening.

Normally keep the fridge at 5°C or below. During an outage, check it with a thermometer. If the fridge reaches 8°C or above, the guidance uses a four-hour limit for foods that need refrigeration. Track temperature and time — don't treat the first four-hour estimate as permission to add another four hours. If you can't be sure food has stayed safe, throw it away. A power cut does not make food that needs cooking safe to eat raw. See fridge and freezer food.

Dates and opened packs. A use-by date is about safety: don't eat food after it just because it looks or smells fine. A best-before date is about quality and depends on correct storage. Choosing packs you can finish in one sitting avoids relying on a fridge for leftovers.

If the water supply is affected. Follow your water supplier's or local authority's notice exactly. A boil-water notice deals with microbial risks and has specific instructions. A notice to stop using the supply is different: use bottled water or the alternative supply provided. Don't assume boiling overrides a do-not-use notice. See water notices.

Cooking and carbon monoxide. Never use a barbecue or camping stove indoors or in a tent. Don't run engines or generators in enclosed spaces — opening a window is not a substitute for safe use. If you suspect carbon monoxide, go outside, get medical help and don't go back in until advised. Life-threatening emergency: call 999.

The rest of the household plan

Food and water sit within a wider emergency kit. The British Red Cross recommends these essentials, tailored to your household:

Ready Scotland also suggests blankets, accessible information, spare glasses or hearing-aid batteries, mobility aids and supplies for assistance animals. Keep key items ready to take if you're told to leave home. See emergency kit.

Babies and feeding. If boiling water isn't available, Food Standards Scotland advises ready-to-use infant formula; follow the product instructions, including limits after opening. Feeding equipment still needs cleaning and sterilising. Powdered formula is not sterile: NHS guidance needs freshly boiled water still at least 70°C when mixed, then cooling before feeding. Don't dilute feeds to make supplies last. Bottled water is not normally recommended and doesn't remove these steps. For specialist feeds, ask the child's care team.

Disability and medical needs. Agree a power-loss plan with your clinician, care provider and equipment supplier: medicine storage, essential devices, accessible communications and a trusted person who can check in if telecare or phones fail. Don't assume an ordinary phone power bank will run medical equipment. Check eligibility for the Priority Services Register (England, Scotland and Wales) or Customer Care Registers (Northern Ireland) — registration helps, but doesn't replace your own backup plan.

Contacts. Immediate danger: call 999 or 112. Power cut: 105 in England, Scotland and Wales, or 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland. Keep a way to receive official updates without home internet.

Planning for longer than three days

Three days is the government's starting point. If you want to go further, UK Ready's two week emergency food and essentials checklist helps you plan food, water and everyday supplies for up to fourteen days, with a water calculator and a printable shopping worksheet. It is optional extended planning, not a government requirement.