Most people assume that in a survival situation, they’ll eat anything just to stay alive. But the truth is stress makes us even pickier, not less.
In an emergency, you can’t expect yourself to eat enough calories worth of cardboard-tasting emergency food bars to sustain yourself. Food that tastes like actual food isn’t a luxury; it’s a survival tool.
The better your food tastes, the more likely you and your family will eat enough.
Fortunately, modern emergency ration bars have come a long way. Many brands now offer surprisingly good flavors and textures – far from the dry, chalky survival food of the past.
I have tried dozens of emergency foods over the years. Once, my family had to survive on emergency rations for two weeks, so I’ve learned a lot about what makes the best emergency food bars and what doesn’t.
Below, you’ll find four of my favorite options, plus a plan B option. I’ve personally tasted all of the bars below and have utilized them with my family.
Whether you’re building a bug-out bag or stocking your emergency pantry, these bars will keep you nourished and sane.
Table of Contents
- My Favorite Emergency Food Bars
- Best Emergency Food Bars: Grizzly Gear Emergency Food Rations
- Best Variety: Millennium Food Bars
- Best Nutrition: Nutrient Survival Omega 3 Bars
- Best Budget: Cliff Bar Minis
- Best Plan "B": Survival Tabs
- Quick Emergency Food Bar Reference Chart
- My Criteria for Testing Emergency Food Bars
- The Importance of Flavor in Survival Situations
- Storing Your Emergency Food Bars
- How Many Emergency Food Bars Should You Get?
- What Emergency Food Bar Should You Get?
My Favorite Emergency Food Bars
Nutrient Survival Omega 3 Food Bar
Omega 3 Fortified
High Protein
18 Mo Shelf Life
MSRP: $2.67 per bar
Save 10% at Nutrient Survival with code “SS10”
Best Emergency Food Bars: Grizzly Gear Emergency Food Rations
- Calories per Pack: 3,600
- Shelf-Life: 5 years
- Protein per Serving: 6 grams
Grizzly Gear Emergency Food Bars taste so good that my children snuck them from my survival supplies. (I have since ordered more and hid them elsewhere!)
The vanilla pound cake flavor has a subtle sweet flavor that does taste a lot like poundcake. These bars are surprisingly moist; a bit like granola bars tend to be. I do not rush to take a sip of water after eating one.
My kids absolutely love them and will happily eat them as a snack. They even make easy on-the-go breakfasts. I’ve kept them in the car during long roadtrips, where keeping everyone well-fed tends to keep the whining minimal.
Simply put, they’re emergency food rations that I would actually choose to eat.
They have a pretty balanced macronutrient profile, as well (21g fat, 46g carbs, 6g protein per bar). Unlike some other emergency food bars, they aren’t just packed full of carbs and sugar. These could actually keep you going for a while.
The container is vacuum sealed and then each bar is wrapped individually. So, you don’t have to worry about the bars going everywhere when you open up the larger pack.
There is no need to repackage the bars in a strong container. The one that they come in works just fine for long-term storage.
Thanks to their taste, these bars easily won the #1 spot on this article. There are very few reasons I would recommend purchasing anything else.
Sadly, these bars only come in two flavors: vanilla and blueberry. For a long-term survival situation, this can be very monotonous.
Best Variety: Millennium Food Bars
- Calories per Pack: 2,460
- Shelf-Life: 5 years
- Protein per Serving: 5 grams
Millennium food bars come in many different flavors, and all the ones I’ve tried taste pretty good. The flavor variety is a huge plus if you’re consuming ration bars for several days.
These bars do have a very passable taste, similar to the Grizzly Gear Bars. Even my children will eat them without a fuss. However, they’re very dry and hard. You have to bite chunks off with your back teeth, and the bars turn very crumbly as you eat.
I’ve also noticed that some flavors leave a film on the roof of my mouth. You’ll want a glass of water or two to drink with them.
While the flavor is fine, the texture leaves something to be desired.
These bars come in at 410 calories a piece. Most packs some with six bars, which puts the whole pack at just above 2,400 calories.
While they do have a decent macronutrient profile, they’re a bit more carb-heavy than the Grizzly Gear bars (20g fat, 54g carbs, 5g protein per bar). They also have a lot more added sugar.
While I wouldn’t rate these bars as being better than the Grizzly Gear emergency food rations, they do have their place. The larger variety of flavor makes them good to have around in your bug out bag or long-term storage, especially if you plan to live on these bars for a week or more.
I like that they hold up well to temperature changes and have a long shelf life, so they are great to store in my vehicle. They are the bars I keep in my Get Home Bag.
Best Nutrition: Nutrient Survival Omega 3 Bars
Save 10% at Nutrient Survival with code “SS10”
- Calories per Pack: 3,450
- Shelf-Life: 18 months
- Protein per Serving: 8 grams
Nutrient Survival is an emergency food company that focuses on making nutritionally-complete foods, as I mentioned in my hands-on review. Their omega 3 bars are no different. While they aren’t advertised to be a complete meal, they are some of the most nutritionally dense bars on the market. (And I’ve absolutely used them as a complete meal before.)
The taste is surprisingly good, though it is a bit strange. Many of their flavors are things the average person isn’t used to eating, like figs. So, the first few bites can be a bit off putting. But, it does grow on you a bit, in my opinion. My children do not like them, though.
These bars are very moist and not crumbly at all. One of the better textures I’ve tried, in all honesty.
Each bar contains eight grams of protein – far more than most meal replacement bars. They’re particularly high in omega fatty acids, but they also contain nutrients like vitamin K and B12.
You’d have to eat several bars a day to be full, though, as they’re only 230 calories each.
They are a bit expensive per calorie, but you have to consider all the extra nutrients they contain, too.
I recommend them as a supplement to your emergency food supply. They’d be great to add some variety and extra nutrition to the Grizzly Gear bars, which is exactly why I keep some handy.
I wouldn’t store these as your only emergency bars. They only last for 18 months, and they’re quite expensive. You have to be especially careful with replacing these bars, which also means eating them regularly.
I did eat one that was two years old and it was fine, so I suspect they will last much longer if stored properly.
Best Budget: Cliff Bar Minis
- Calories per Pack: 2,000
- Shelf-Life: 12 months
- Protein per Serving: 4 grams
I’ve kept the mini cliff bars in my car for the past four years, just in case. Of course, this is longer than the 12 months the company says these bars last for. But when I opened them up to test them for this article, they tasted and looked absolutely fine.
I was a bit surprised, since they have been through four summers and winters in my console. The inside of my car gets pretty hot in the southern summer!
Of course, that doesn’t mean that they were the same, nutritionally speaking. Many foods begin to lose their nutrients before they lose their flavor or texture.
That said, these bars aren’t as nutritionally complete as other options. They’re carb-heavy and pretty low calorie. You’d have to eat several bars a day to meet any of your nutritional needs.
For what they are, their pricing is pretty cheap, though.
I recommend the smaller bars over the larger ones, largely because it makes them easier to carry. You can also ration food easier and spread your calories out throughout the day, especially if you’re looking at a deficit.
These bars taste just like the full-sized cliff bars, if you are wondering.
Best Plan “B”: Survival Tabs
- Calories per Pack: 3,600
- Shelf-Life: 25 years
- Protein per Serving: 4 grams
While not technically a full survival bar, Survival Tabs are a great addition to any emergency food supply. They’re designed to provide the minimal required amount of nutrients in the minimal amount of space.
This means they are not very calorie-rich. However, they do provide more nutrients than most other emergency food bars, and they’re particularly high in omega fatty acids.
You could live on them for a few days, though you probably won’t be happy about it. They’re also a great nutritional supplement if you’re living off of emergency food bars, which aren’t always the most nutritionally complete food.
Plus, these tabs taste like candy. The butterscotch flavor tastes just like butterscotch. They also last a while, which does help with hunger. If your kids are picky, this is an excellent way to get them some extra nutrients in an emergency.
These tabs are very easy to throw in just about any emergency food supply, even one designed to be mobile like a bug out bag. They’re also suitable for situations where a full bar might be cumbersome, like if you’re on the move.
I mostly use Survival Tabs as a nutritional supplement and a bit of a morale boost.
Quick Emergency Food Bar Reference Chart
| Emergency Bar | Taste | Texture | Calories | Price | Shelf Life |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grizzly Gear Rations | Subtly Sweet | Moist; not chewy | 3,600 | $30 | 5 years |
| Millennium Food Bars | Subtly Sweet | Very hard and crumbly | 2,460 | $20 | 5 years |
| Survival Tabs | Candy | Hard | 3,600 | $45 | 25 years |
| Nutrient Survival Omega 3 Bars | Pretty Sweet | Soft; a bit chewy | 3,450 | $42 | 18 months |
| Cliff Bar Minis | Slightly Sweet | Oatmeal | 2,000 | $15 | 12 months |
My Criteria for Testing Emergency Food Bars
I really tasted each of the bars on this list, usually after storing them in my basement, bug out bag, or get home bag for some time. I also tasted several other bars that didn’t make the cut (largely because they tasted like cardboard).
Because tasting is very individual, I also performed a blind taste test that included children. I know that most people reading this article are prepping with kids, so whether or not kids will eat the emergency bars is a very important component of my review.
Here are some other things I kept in mind during testing:
- Taste: Taste is one of the most important factors. After all, all the calories in the world won’t help you if they taste awful!
- Texture: I prefer my emergency food bars not to be seriously chewy or hard-as-a-rock. Thirst-inducing bars are also a no-go.
- Nutrition: I also considered how many calories and nutrients each bar contained. I was looking for the smallest bars that provided the most nutritional benefits.
- Packaging and shelf life: Emergency food needs to last a while. Otherwise, you’ll need to replace them regularly. Having individually-packaged bars is also helpful, since it prevents waste.
- Pricing: While pricing wasn’t my main guideline, I still considered it. If the bar wasn’t worth the price, it didn’t end up on this list.
Several bars I tried didn’t make the list, like SOS emergency food bars. While these bars are popular with preppers, our testing revealed that they just don’t taste as good as other options. They’re a bit dry and “taste like cardboard,” which is exactly what I was looking to avoid!
You can read more about our emergency food review methodology.
The Importance of Flavor in Survival Situations
Taste isn’t just something that’s “nice to have” in a survival situation. It’s necessary.
If you don’t like your food, you’ll be tempted to eat less of it. Nevermind children who might not eat at all, even if they need the calories!
From a pure caloric perspective, liking your food is always better than not liking your food!
But, it’s important not to underestimate the psychological impact of taste, too. Watching a few episodes of a survival show like Alone reveals that most people mentally give up long before their bodies do.
Every little pick-me-up is important! Studies have indicated that flavorful foods can actually reduce stress in stressful situations.
For instance, a study in Physiology & Behavior suggests that under stress, individuals tend to gravitate toward more palatable foods. This study states that:
“Stress as well as palatable food can stimulate endogenous opioid release. In turn, opioid release appears to be part of an organisms’ powerful defense mechanism protecting from the detrimental effects of stress.”
In other words, tasty food can literally lower stress levels!
Another study on the National Library of Medicine explains how stress can trigger changes in both appetite and food preferences. The research indicates that highly palatable, flavorful foods can act as a form of self-medication by dampening stress responses. The study found:
“Stress also induces secretion of glucocorticoids, which increases motivation for food, and insulin, which promotes food intake and obesity. Pleasurable feeding then reduces activity in the stress-response network.”
Simply put, stress makes you hungrier, while eating pleasurable food can reduce your stress.
When your food not only meets your nutritional needs but delivers on taste, too, it increases the likelihood that you’ll eat enough calories and helps reduce stress.
Storing Your Emergency Food Bars
Preferrably, you should keep your bars in a cool, dry place. However, I’ve kept all of these bars in my car for long periods without any issues. You probably won’t be storing your emergency food bars in an optimal spot, either.
If you keep your bars somewhere less than ideal, plan to purchase new bars more often.
These bars can also be helpful in everyday situations. For instance, if you’re stuck in traffic overnight and don’t have any food, these bars can come in handy. You never know when small, everyday emergencies will strike.
Don’t feel like you have to keep these emergency food bars stocked for the end of the world. Using them regularly ensures you eat them before they expire.
Practice FIFO. This means eating the oldest bars first and then purchasing new ones to replace them. Always have a little bit extra than you need to hold you over between shipments.
How Many Emergency Food Bars Should You Get?
The number of emergency food bars you should purchase depends on the exact bars you choose, the number and ages of the people in your family, and the number of days you expect to live off of them. To help, we made a little calculator that will calculate it all for you:
What Emergency Food Bar Should You Get?
I recommend the Grizzly Gear ration bars for most situations due to their taste and long shelf-life. When in doubt, these are the bars you should get!
If you’re worried about nutritional completeness, add some Survival Tabs or Nutrient Survival’s omega bars to your stock.
You might also want to consider other types of emergency food, like what I’ve mentioned on my bug out bag food list. For more DIY, home-based emergency food options, check out my guide on how to store food long-term.
