EMERGENCY RISK REDUCTION

Last month I blogged on the subject of food security, and how important ‘local’ food was for our ancestors. In order to have adequate food beyond the growing season, some clever food preservation methods were devised in centuries past — and still in widespread use today.

Preservation slows down or stops bacteria and other pathogens from doing their damage. It also protects against microbes, pests, and other vectors that may cause disease. As well, it allows foods to be transported long distances, while maintaining consistency of shape, structure, and nutrition.

Numerous methods of food preservation have been passed down. A tradition thru the generations has been canning of food. It used to be a rite of passage for homemakers in the preservation of fruits and vegetables. The making of jams and preserves, as the name implies, was not only necessary but added variety and goodness to a meal. Pickling is a cousin to canning, and very common for some foods in many cultures. 

Another method was drying. This was especially important for grains, which could be reconstituted for making breads, pastas, etc.  Root cellars were a substitute for refrigeration, and found in most every home.  Salting was yet another important means to preserve food.  Despite the method, preserving food was labor-intensive. Everything from making cheese to beef jerky. It was an art form — sometimes futile, but always necessary.

I remember years ago working in the poverty-ridden country of Haiti. The locals there spoke of the ‘grande gru’. This was the hunger season – the time of the year when gardens had stopped producing, the harvest was in and eaten, and food was scarce. I always wondered why families didn’t take steps to preserve food. Now I see that this requires at least rudimentary equipment and a economic support system, which is not in place for much of the underdeveloped world. The result is massive food insecurity that can result if malnutrition, if left unchecked – or in its worst form, famine and starvation.    

In our developed western world, we take food preservation for granted, because we simply purchase it off the grocery shelf. We don’t realize how much is already ‘stored’ for us. Foods such as rice, cereal, pasta, chips, etc. are dried. Consider the endless aisles of canned foods – fruits, vegetables, meats, sauces, etc. Cheese and yogurts served as preservation of milk.  Wine and ciders were developed as an early storage for juices. And what about those endless aisles called the frozen food section! These and others represent today’s transport and storage methods for common foods.   At home, we now utilize the refrigerator and freezer as a primary source of preserving perishable food until consumed.  Imagine life without these kitchen appliances.

It’s alarming that past methods and skill sets of food preservation are quickly becoming a distant memory.  From the perspective of emergency preparedness, this is dangerous. In an increasingly fragile and unpredictable world where a lunatic could do something crazy and catapult us back a few centuries, we should consider simple food preservation in our quiver of disaster readiness. Just in case.

Thanks for reading.