We take emergency preparation and food storage seriously, and so should you.  Civilization was built on the availability of clean water and the ability to store food.   There are many reasons why food scarcity could become a crisis here in the UK, not just in some other far-away land, such as: Pandemic, Economic Instability and Collapse, Crop Failure, Logistical Supply Chain Failure, Peak Oil, and Climate Change.

Pandemic

Swine Flu, Bird Flu, resurrected Spanish Flu, or anything else we haven't heard of yet.  The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared the H1N1 virus a worldwide level 6 (the highest level) pandemic, the first in 41 years.  This news story was number 2 on the BBC news, (being pipped to No. 1 by Ronaldo's transfer to Real Madrid!).

WHO declares swine flu pandemic

'Several million' swine flu cases possible in UK | World news | The Guardian 

In the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, over 50 million people worldwide died, equal to the current population of England. One out of every four people who caught the virus died.  Think of it.  One out of four people. You?  Your spouse or partner?  Your child?  It's not good odds.

In the case of a serious pandemic, schools will be closed and supermarket shelves will be bare within hours. Public services such as transportation, police, government and hospitals will struggle to maintain normal operation - many of their workers will be sick, unable or unwilling to come into work, or even dead. Schools, supermarkets, transport, workplaces, and public events - wherever large numbers of people traffic and interact - are all the highest risk places for contagion.  For this reason the government will advise all but the most essential workers to stay at or work from home. Where will you get your food?

Rather than trying to scare the wits out of people, we are trying to educate, advise and empower people to take positive action to protect themselves and their loved ones, by taking out the very best insurance policy there is - food and clean water.  It's too late to buy a fire policy when the house is on fire!  Survival experts all agree that the best way to optimize the chances of survival for you and your family (and let's face it - that's what we're talking about, and why you are reading this) - is to stay indoors and avoid outside contact with people for six to sixteen weeks (!), until the main waves of the pandemic have passed.  Be sure to also have a supply of any medication you rely on, as well as books, board games, cards, puzzles and a radio!  

But don't just take our word for it.  The UK Government considers pandemic the No. 1 threat to the nation, well above terrorism, and for good reason: in 1918 when 50 million died, it took three weeks to cross the Atlantic by ship. There was no mass transportation or air travel between countries.  Most people still lived in the country or on farms, and had access to food or had food stored in larders.  We urge you to take a look for yourself at UK Resilience, the UK Government agency and website for Disaster and Emergency Management - the UK equivalent of FEMA (U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency). Governments and militaries around the world are stocking up on freeze-dried food.  Should you?  Do they know something their civilian populations don't? 

Economic Instability & Collapse  

The word “collapse” may strike some as being alarmist, extreme, or exaggerated – however, looking at history it is an accurate term, and ultimately, an eventual and inevitable outcome of any large, super-structure economy / civilization / empire. 

Many people assume that “superpowers” are just “too big to fail / collapse”, but Collapse is what happened to Egypt, to Greece, to Rome. In more recent times, Collapse is what happened worldwide from 1929-45 (starting on Wall Street with the collapse of the banks and the stock market, and resulting in WW II), and in even more recent times, Collapse is what happened to Russia (superpower), to Japan, to Argentina, and to Zimbabwe. History has shown that all superpowers eventually do (and will) collapse, when the cost of growth (debt, wars, empire expansion) exceeds the ability to pay for it.

Collapse of the world economy is happening now, but it has a much more palatable name, the “Credit Crunch”. This process was the result of banks and countries lending and borrowing sums of “money” (debt) in volumes and at rates that were unsustainable and could not realistically be maintained, “serviced” or paid back.  This debt was then chopped up, re-packaged and re-sold many times over, under various exotic names, collectively known as “derivatives”.  During the process, the main stock indices (in mostly western, “industrialized” countries in North America, Europe and Asia) became filled with banks, venture capital firms, holding companies, and insurance giants, who manufactured no real goods or services, but merely sold and re-sold re-packaged debt.  Lottery-jackpot sized bonuses were paid to bankers and executives in the short term as rewards for selling vast quantities of these confusing debt products to people who had no hope of repaying the ‘money’.  Many ‘clever’ people (the so-called ‘Masters of the Universe’) flocked to Wall Street and the City to become Bankers or Brokers (instead of doctors, engineers or scientists), lured by the mind-boggling sums of money to be earned.

The ‘money’ to make the whole process (economy) flow was lent to these companies / countries by emerging industrialized nations such as China, India & Brazil, who actually made things to import to these western economies, and lent them the money at cheap interest rates in order that they might buy their imported products - of course all on “credit” – more loaned ‘money’. 

At a higher level, this money was loaned to the western economies through the central banks, i.e. - The Federal Reserve Bank and Bank of England - by means of Treasury Bills and other mid-to-long-term debt instruments.  This loaned 'money' was then re-loaned to the Big Banks and Investment banks such as Lehman Bros (gone), Morgan Stanley (gone), RBS (nationalized), etc.  So in fact, the “wealth” of these western economies / banks was actually debt owed to countries like China and India. 

Deregulation of the banking industry led to a free-for-all, orgiastic period of economic activity and ‘growth’ (accumulation of debt), that lasted about thirty years (1977-2007).  The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, signed into law by Franklin D. Roosevelt, which separated investment banks from merchant banks in response to the 1929 banking crash, was repealed in 1999.

When it got to the point that banks were reluctant to lend to each other because they understood the real assets and securities of these banks were unsound, and that no one institution wanted to be left holding the ‘hot potato’, (that is, unpayable debt) – these banks were unable to ‘service’ their debt commitments and collapsed.  This unwillingness for banks to lend to each other, thus ‘freezing up’ the worldwide flow of ‘money’ (liquidity) became known as “the Credit Crunch”.

Many of the unsound banks deemed “too big to fail” (that is, that their collapse would trigger a wider, global economic collapse in a domino or house-of-cards effect) received billions of money units from central banks in exchange for shared equity (nationalization), funded by borrowing against future tax revenues, thus increasing debt/deficits for nations, citizens and taxpayers for generations to come - further destabilizing economies and leaving them even more vulnerable to total economic collapse.

The bailouts to the big banks and institutions (AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, GM) were largely undisclosed for reasons of “national security”, but were intended to encourage banks to start lending to each other again, therefore thawing ‘frozen’ money flow, increasing liquidity, and easing the ‘Credit Crunch’. 

However, rather than using the bailout money to increase lending, the receiving banks used the ‘money’ to purchase the collapsed banks, acquiring assets that had any value at all for pennies on the dollar, whilst passing on ‘toxic’ debt (i.e., that debt that had no hard asset value at all, and no hope of ever being repaid) to the government in the form of nationalized equity share - that is, dumping it on the taxpayer and future generations, who are born into debt that can never easily be repaid.

Inflation / Hyper-inflation

In addition to ‘bailing out’ the banks, governments have tried to ease the ‘Credit Crunch” by injecting massive amounts of “Capital” (money / debt) into economies, therefore in theory increasing liquidity.  The new term for this economic technique is called “Quantitative Easing”, but the old name for it is “printing money”.  When more ‘money’ is instantly added to an economy in a “fiat” (paper-based) system - that is, money that is not backed by real assets such as gold or property - each piece of paper in the system is worth less. It’s value, or purchasing power has been diluted.  This phenomenon is known to economists as “inflation”, and it further destabilizes economies. 

As inflation (caused by artificial growth of money supply) increases, value or purchasing power of the currency decreases.  It is worth less.  It will buy fewer goods.  “Hyper-inflation” occurs when inflation grows so quickly and unbalanced against the real value of hard goods (i.e. food, clothing, property, gold), that people and countries lose ‘faith” or ‘confidence’ in the particular unit of currency (dollar, pound, etc.) and it collapses, leaving it worth only what it actually is – paper with ink on it.  This is why you see pictures from the Weimar Republic of Germany (1930’s, succeeded by the Third Reich), Russia (1990’s) Argentina (1999-2002) and Zimbabwe (now) of people carrying wheelbarrows full of paper currency to the market to purchase a loaf of bread. 

When you see these pictures, you may also notice that there is a long line of people in a queue waiting to buy goods, and there are few or no goods on the shelves in the store.  This is because when the economy collapses, companies no longer have money or can get loans to: purchase or manufacture parts or ingredients, or transport / distribute them.  The whole system stalls, and people quickly resort to bartering, theft, or piracy.

So – unsound or unsustainable economic practices can and do lead to economic collapse – that is, the worthlessness of paper money and unavailability of credit.  But hard goods remain exactly what they are – food is food, water is water, toilet paper is toilet paper – etc.  In fact, in times of scarcity or collapse, hard goods (and skills and real services) become more than what they are – they also become currency.

Credit Failure

The ability of companies of any size to borrow money on a short-term basis is vital to keep goods and supplies manufactured, stored, and distributed.  For example, food is largely grown on huge industrialized farms.  To do this, money must be borrowed to pay for the seed stock and fertilizer for the crop(s). 

To make food grow as quickly and in the size and quantities produced today, it is heavily fed with nitrogen-rich fertilizers derived from oil and natural gas. This is why oil prices have a major effect on food prices (and in fact, everything).  If the farmer can get the loan for the seed and fertilizer, and if the weather is favorable, he can grow a good crop and sell it to the manufacturer for processing and/or packaging.  The trucking company needs loans to lease or pay for the lorries and fuel that deliver the food.  The manufacturer needs loans to pay for the equipment and people to process and package the food (shell the beans, can them, etc.).  The manufacturer then can sell the food to the supplier (usually one of the big four supermarket chains), who in turn also need loans to finance the logistics of distribution.  Many manufacturers (in every sector) and logistics / shipping companies have gone out of business in the last year due to the shortage of credit/finance, and the increasing costs of oil.

But surely these big companies are big enough to get credit/loans?  Surely they are “good for it”?  In the last year we have seen major household names in banks, high street shops, and manufacturers (RBS, Woolworth’s, GM) disappear or cease to exist in their former entity/capacity, due to the worldwide lack of finance.

If you can’t get the loan, you can’t grow the crops, and you can’t get them to market.  The end result will be short-term shortages and inflation, and long-term scarcity and hyperinflation.

Crop Failure

Crops can fail to be produced due to lack of finance, as well as lack of raw materials (fertilizer – directly related to the price of oil and susceptible to sudden price spikes, as discussed above).  But crops can also fail due to drought (as is happening across Africa, Spain, North America) as well as sudden unforeseen events/disasters, such as the flooding that occurred in 2008 in the Midwest breadbasket of North America (which reduced crop yields by 40% in the year), in China, and right here in England. 

The increasing unpredictability of the weather, combined with the effects of soil erosion, and the practice of mono-cropping (growing huge swaths for miles of a single crop, such as corn or soy or wheat) makes crops ever more vulnerable and susceptible to rogue pests & diseases, which can wipe out a crop almost overnight.  World food stores (the amount of food / grain that governments and companies keep stored in reserve) are at an all-time low.

Logistical Failure

As discussed above, if you cannot get a loan for the lease of your lorries, storage warehouses, payroll, or diesel expenses, you cannot transport goods and services.  The trucks stop rolling.  Logistics companies are at the mercy of available finance as well as the price of oil, by far their number one expense.  A sudden spike in the oil price, or a sustained price increase, can put a logistics company out of business overnight. 

This is why we saw fuel protests and blockades at refineries by lorry drivers in 2000 (which caused supermarket and petrol station shortages), as well as last summer in 2008.  It is also why we are increasingly seeing airlines going out of business, or worried about it (British Airways). 

These industries are completely and literally tooled and engineered to operate on the availability of cheap oil, that is, less than $30 a barrel for crude.  The supermarkets know this, of course.  Take a look at where your big Sainsburys, Tescos and Morrisons are located, particularly in cities.  More often than not, and wherever possible, they back onto the canal waterways system.

If any of the above factors take effect (and in reality they all are, all at the same time), the result will be steadily increasing prices for food, oil, and all real goods.  As prices increase, supplies will dwindle, as it will not be economical to hold / store large quantities, and those that have money will stock up where they can.

Collapse of the World Reserve Currency (the U.S. Dollar)

The U.S. Dollar (USD) is at greater risk of collapsing and no longer being the world reserve currency than at any other time in it’s history.  It could literally happen any day now.  The Dollar became the world reserve currency (the preferred currency for international trade against which rates and tariffs are set) after World War II, when the U.S had more money, savings, raw materials, oil, food and manufactured goods to export than any other country.  They won the war, and they could call the shots.  However, over time, and especially over the last thirty years, the situation has reversed dramatically.  The U.S is currently the greatest net exporter of only one commodity – debt.  The ‘growth boom’ of the last 20 years has largely been financed by money loaned to the U.S. by China and India, in the form of Treasury Bills and U.S. Bonds issued by the Federal Reserve Bank, a privately held institution that then loans ‘money’ to the U.S. in the form of I.O.U’s or promissory notes – the U.S. Dollar.  This borrowed money is then loaned again to banks, who in turn loan it to consumers, in the form of credit cards or loans, with which they can buy goods, usually manufactured and imported from Asia (China, India, etc.).  This borrowed money is also used by U.S. companies and consumers to purchase oil from countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, Mexico and Venezuela. 

As ‘quantitative easing’ and inflation take hold, these countries (China most of all, who hold by far the largest amount of U.S. debt in the form of Treasury Bills) become increasingly anxious as to whether they will ever be paid back their money.  They are looking for ways to offload this debt for raw materials or other resources – such as arable land in Africa – but again, every potential seller in the world market becomes increasingly nervous about being left holding the ‘hot potato’. 

If China decided to cash in it’s vast reserve of U.S. Treasury bills, or even a significant amount of them, it would collapse the U.S. Dollar (and economy) instantly.  But this of course could collapse their own economy, for it has been the West who were the buyers of their exports.  And what would they cash it in for?  More dollars?  Oil?  America doesn’t have it.  Gold?  Treasury Bills are not backed by gold, and few if any international buyers would make that trade in any kind of meaningful volume.

For this reason we have seen countries like Russia, China, the Arab states, Europe, and even President Obama engaging in discussions and debate about a new world currency – possibly based on oil, possibly gold, maybe something else.   But if and when the dollar does collapse, it will certainly wreak havoc on world markets, trade and supply chains for an uncertain period of transition.

“Yes, but what does it really mean, and what can I do?  I’m just an ordinary person in the wake of these huge societal forces over which I have no control.”

What it means is this.  If any of the above factors take effect (and in reality they all are, all at the same time), the result will be steadily increasing prices for food, oil, and all real goods.  As prices increase, supplies will dwindle, as it will not be economical to hold / store large quantities, and those that have money will stock up where they can.

If finance/credit to small, medium, large and huge businesses becomes increasingly unavailable; and if inflation continues to rise steadily, there will be increased scarcity of all goods (i.e. food). They will cost a lot more, money will be worth a lot less, and ultimately the whole current system could collapse – not just theoretically "sometime, somewhere" – but anytime from now or within the next few years right here in western civilization and in this country.

“This is all really depressing.  What can I do?”

Once you understand the macro-factors of how today’s global systems work, it can be very depressing indeed.  But after the initial shock, you can cheer yourself with the fact that at least you understand it more now, and are waking up.  Most people will be caught very much by surprise when goods and services we take for granted now (which are very vulnerable to all of the factors above) start to be interrupted or in short supply for at least some periods.  Most people are either too busy with their jobs, their kids, paying their bills, and/or watching TV.  'Reality' TV / X-Factor can really distract your attention away from bank and crop failures – and let’s face it, who wants to focus on negative, scary stuff all the time? 

The main thing you can do to ease your mind, and more importantly, to protect yourself and your loved ones, is to take some real, practical action towards preparing yourself and your family for emergencies caused by failure of modern systems.  You will feel better about yourself - more prepared, more self-reliant and less dependent on or at the mercy of larger systems / events / emergencies.

Start Now.

It is easy to be overwhelmed by the enormity and uncertainty of what could go wrong, when it might happen, and what it will cost.  Our most important piece of advice is to start thinking about it - now.  Think over situations, and think about small, practical, definite actions that you can take to make you and your family more secure and better prepared to ride out a situation.

Store Food.

"Okay, But Why Freeze-Dried Food?"

Freeze-Dried food is the perfect food to store economically and efficiently, for a very long time.  Freeze-Dried food retains up to 97% of it’s original nutritional value (as opposed to 30-40% for tinned foods) and if stored properly, can last for up to 30 years +, because the oxygen (which makes food spoil) has been removed in the packing process.  It is lightweight and compact, because the water content has been removed.  Contrary to pre-conceived notions, it is also quite tasty! 

Freeze-dried meals are prepared and cooked first, and then freeze-dried and vacuum packed.  So, for example, lasagna is made, then it is freeze-dried, and then vacuum packed.  So when re-hydrated by adding hot (or cold) water, it still tastes just like lasagna, because that’s what it is – not manufactured powder that tastes like lasagna! 

You have most likely eaten and enjoyed freeze-dried food many, many times – in pubs, curry houses, and fine restaurants – but just not known it was freeze-dried!  And of course, any time you make a cup of instant coffee, or make custard or other toppings, you are using freeze-dried food.

Now, we’re not saying that the supermarkets will run out of food tomorrow and forever more and that’s the end of food, so stock up.  But in a real emergency (pandemic, flood, oil shortages or blockades, power outages, etc.) the stores will be empty in hours.  Most supermarkets, even the giant ones, keep no more than 24-48 hours worth of supply in their stores.  They might run out for a few days, or a week or more at a time.  

After just a few days, many, many people will have no readily available food until there is more in the stores. And of course the stores will get more food in, but when?  And when they do, people will be queued up to get it.

Why put yourself and your family in that kind of situation, and under that kind of stress?  Why not start by having, say, a week’s supply of food stored (3 meals a day) for every person in the house.  A few boxes tucked away in the airing cupboard, or back of the wardrobe, or under the bed?  Why not make a commitment to yourself to keep adding to that supply each month until there is a month’s supply for each person, and then 3 months?  Knowing what you know now, reading or seeing the news differently now (as you will), won’t you feel calmer and more empowered, knowing that you have taken practical action to prepare, secure and protect your personal situation?

Maybe you have a large house, with a large storage freezer full of frozen food, enough to last for weeks.  But in the case of a sustained power cut of a few days or more, the food will be ruined (unless you have a back-up generator, which we recommend, and keep it running constantly, which we don’t).  One of our best friends lives in a flat in Manhattan, New York.  In 2003, there was a power cut that took out the whole eastern seaboard of the United States.  Our friend was without electricity in his flat in NYC for five days.  On the third day he couldn’t get water from his taps (municipal water pumps run on electricity).  On the sixth day the power came back on.  Can’t happen / won’t happen?  That was Manhattan, NYC, USA, 2003.

What will happen to food prices if inflation continues to rise or hyperinflation kicks in?  Take a look at your food receipts / expenses from last summer, and look at them now.  Up 30% across the board.  Up 45% across two years (2007).  If nothing else, storing food is an investment in security and a hedge against inflation.  £1000 of food in 2007 now costs £1,450.  What will it cost next year, especially if the situations discussed above occur?  £2,000?  £3,000? What if you or your partner (or both) unexpectedly loses your job?  Hopefully, you will find another within a few months.  But wouldn’t it be good to know that you didn’t have to worry about buying ALL your food right then, at whatever prices food will be then?

Grow Food!

We also recommend to everyone, if you are not already doing it, to start growing food right now, as an act of personal empowerment.  If you don’t know how to do it, don’t worry – just go down to the local 99p shop or garden centre or any store and get some carrot seeds and compost, read the instructions, and put them in a pot on the windowsill.  If you have children, do it with them – they will love seeing the green shoots pop up and get bigger, and checking them everyday.  Buy a vegetable growing book or borrow one from a friend, and read it.  If you have a garden where you can put in a vegetable patch – do so.  If not, try a grow bag or potato bag on your porch or balcony.  Sign up for an allotment, even if they say the waiting list is 40 years!  If a friend or neighbour has an allotment, or garden patch, offer to help them.  Find a local part-time college course in the evenings or during the day if you have the time.  Take an interest in growing food and start learning how to do it, how to store / can / preserve it, and how to save seeds.  If you take an interest in growing food and talk to people who do, you will find no shortage of people eager to help you along.  Teach your children how to do it. 

Growing your own food is and will be a very important skill to know, and is one of the most empowering and satisfying activities there is. It's a great way to keep fit, and know exactly what is in your fruit and veg.  That old cliché, (like so many) is true.  Health is Wealth.  We will be updating this site with a whole section on food growing skills, helpful tips and products, so check back regularly and we’ll try our very best to provide really useful content!

Start Now

It's all a lot to think about, but the main point is to start making a plan consisting of small, incremental and achievable actions to take towards better preparedness for the changes that lie ahead – and think about your life within that frame of mind.  You will feel better, more confident, more aware, and can enjoy the present more – knowing that you are doing the right thing.

Here at B-Prep, we are working daily to secure the largest, most diverse, and most reliable supply of freeze dried food and emergency supplies that we can from suppliers around the world, to make available to you at the very lowest prices and most flexible purchasing plans in the UK.  

Call us on 0845 056 5452 or e-mail us now at sales@b-prep.co.uk to work with us on a custom plan that meets the needs of your own very specific situation.  You may be visiting us because you are already aware enough to have a good idea of what's going on.  Check back to our site regularly for updates, tips, links and important information to help you prepare for what is really important in life.

Thanks for reading, and come back soon.

Sincerely,  Dave