The energy bars in the emergency package can quickly become rancid

It is claimed that the government will soon present new guidelines for the composition of the ’emergency packages’ that Secretary Rutte considers so important. That gives the citizen courage. With the directions that the government now provides, there is no way to go: wet wipes, hammer and wire cutters, canned vegetables, spare keys – the officials had no idea of ​​the disasters that could occur. Yes, a whistle to let emergency services know where you are – that never hurts.

The government has always had a hard time with it. When it seemed likely in early 1944 that the Allied invasion force would land at Hoek van Holland, it was decided that the inhabitants of the Westland would have to be gone before then. They had to have one escape suitcase prepare items that were indispensable for survival: the marriage certificate, the policy, interest cards, clean outerwear and underwear, toiletries, jewelry, cutlery and crockery. Water, bread and fuel were not necessary, the officials thought, because there would probably not be far to flee.

When the Cold War threatened to derail in 1961, the Population Protection Service also saw a responsibility. In the Tips for protecting your family and yourself the Dutchman was advised to undergo the nuclear attack calmly in the basement or under a writing desk and to strictly follow the instructions of the competent authority. And the BB did think about food: it was a sensible thing to do iron emergency stock to stockpile condensed milk, (pillow)cases of green peas, cans of apple syrup, etc. that would last for two weeks. The selection was not determined by the tastiness of the products but by their shelf life, the service did not revolve around that. The porridge you made from potato starch and sugar was ‘definitely not a delicacy’ but it contained a lot of calories.

The Nutrition Center, which recently also became a design emergency package offers on its site was primarily guided by health and the environment: they promote the use of low-sugar gingerbread, unsalted peanuts, meat substitutes, whole wheat spaghetti, whole wheat wraps, whole wheat crispbread and, above all, many cans, cans and jars. The design package is for three days, because the center does not expect long disasters.

The shortcoming of the government and Nutrition Center schemes is that they do not make a clear distinction between the two disaster scenarios that are farthest apart: the one in which the Dutch person can or must stay in his home and the one in which he has to leave his home to go to a hospital. reception center or UN refugee camp miles away. On foot or by bike because the car quickly breaks down. The second scenario has its own requirements for the emergency kit (sleeping mat, tire patch, etc.) and especially for the emergency ration because it does not fit cans, cans and jars. It all has to be lightweight. And it has a long shelf life, because you can’t get an emergency kit every week.

The preppers expect miracles from the very expensive ‘energy bars’. They owe their energy mainly to the high content of nuts and fat, such as coconut fat or cocoa butter. The bars differ from each other the speed with which they increase the glucose level in the blood (the ‘glycemic index’) and some want to take this into account. On the road to the refugee camp it seems of less importance.

The little bit of fat

If perception is not deceptive, the bars become rancid quite quickly, and that is a problem with almost all fatty food ingredients that are stored without special precautions. Even wheat flour spoils primarily due to the small amount of fat it contains becoming rancid. Whole wheat flour would do it even faster.

The Internet is overflowing with claims that are difficult to verify. For example, bitter chocolate would have a much longer shelf life than milk chocolate, let alone milk chocolate with nuts. Pure carbohydrates, such as sugar, but also potato starch and cornstarch (corn starch) have an extremely good shelf life. The BB porridge owes its existence to this. And empty calories are calories too.

Proteins can denature annoyingly, and poorly stored, moistened milk powder can start to smell horribly. Dry beans in their famous ‘slump’ have a good shelf life, but they have the disadvantage that they dry out and in a condition where they cannot easily absorb more water. The cooking process can then take hours.

Unwashed body

These are one of those things that deserve attention when designing your own iron stock. The most difficult point is the water supply. For adults who leave their body and clothes unwashed, about three liters of water per day is enough. Say: two PET bottles of Spa Red. You can store a nice batch of this at home and the bottles mentioned also appear to be very suitable for water storage. Er migrate very few chemicals from the plastic enter the water and the bacteria that naturally occur in mineral water and tap water hardly grow further in the bottles.

But where does the Dutchman get his water from on the long road to the UN camp if the utilities are out? Only on the Veluwe there are still some springs with pure water. The prepper knows what to do: you can make all surface water drinkable by filtering it through a bacteria filter and purifying it with activated carbon. But the question remains whether safety is guaranteed and it is quite a fuss.

Yesterday the question suddenly arose: how tasty and safe is Amsterdam canal water if it has been boiled unfiltered and unpurified for ten minutes? Well, it looks a little bit different – ​​more yellow, foamier – but tastes just like tap water. And it makes excellent tea. There is a caveat: there are some toxins, such as those from blue-green algaewhich are heat stable. But there aren’t many.

To share





Email the editor