If you are just beginning your food storage, it is my recommendation to have an initial goal of storing the minimum USDA daily recommendation. This amount would be sufficient to sustain life. Once you have a minimum supply established you can add to it in order to provide additional calories and nutrition.
Here is a simplified chart for determining your family's grain storage based on the USDA minimum daily recommendation:
| Family Member | Daily Recommendation | One Year Food Supply |
|---|---|---|
| Child age 1-3 | 3 ounce equivalents | 69 pounds dry grains |
| Child age 4-8 | 5 ounce equivalents | 114 pounds dry grains |
| Female age 9+ | 6 ounce equivalents | 137 pounds dry grains |
| Male age 9+ | 8 ounce equivalents | 183 pounds dry grains |
According to the gender and age of your family members add your family's total minimum one year supply of dry grains in pounds.
What is an ounce equivalent? An ounce equivalent is equal to 1 oz. (28g) dry grain, 1 slice of bread, 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal, 1/2 cup cooked rice, cooked pasta, or cooked cereal. Please note that an ounce equivalent is not always equal to the serving size on a food package label. We often eat 2-4 ounce equivalents in one serving.