Is It Against the Law to Stockpile Food?


We’ve all heard how important it is to be prepared for everything. You never know when a nuclear attack or simply a natural disaster can happen. Then, when it happens a lot of chaos takes place. This happens because people do not prepare for events like this and so they’re left with no minimum resources to survive. Like food and water. That is why you need to stockpile food to ensure your survival.

Now, once you do realize the importance of this and decide that you’re going to do it, you will come across the issue that some people say that stockpiling food is against the law. Then, obviously, you worry about going through all this trouble only to have the government take everything away. So, the question is it against the law to stockpile food?

The answer is no. Now, according to the order number 10998 in a declaration of martial law, the federal government is allowed to seize hoarded food supplies from both public and private sources. So, in such events, the government may take away your stockpiled food but it is not against the law to have it.

So, to make everything easier to understand, we need to make a clear difference between hoarding and stockpiling. Also, it is important to learn how to do it properly and the strategies you should be using. That it’s what we will be exploring in this article.

Hoarding vs. Stockpiling

Okay, there is a big difference between hoarding and stockpiling. Let’s make it clear this way. Imagine that your neighbor is constantly storing food, garbage, and never throws anything away. They’re paranoid and always think something or someone will take things away. They clearly show aggressive signs when someone else questions what they do. This is hoarding. It is a health problem and something that should be further investigated.

Now, imagine that your neighbor stock food but never does it in an irresponsible way. For example, he doesn’t empty the grocery store’s supply and does it incrementally, so this way no one is left with nothing. The food is carefully stored to make sure it does not present a risk for anyone. This is stockpiling.

The problem is that the law does not clearly make the differentiation between the two. So, it is possible for your stockpiled food to be taken away in case you’re considered a hoarder. But there are no laws against stockpiling food, it’s important to make that clear.

Just because there is no law against stockpiling food does not mean that you shouldn’t worry about the government taking your resources away. As I said, there isn’t a clear way to distinguish between a hoarder and someone who’s just prepping. If a government official declares that what you’re doing is hoarding, you may have problems.

Still, it’s also important to highlight that the government is also the one that encourages everyone to stockpile their food for at least 2 weeks of supply. It sounds even contradictory, but there are 2 possible explanations.

The government wants to either steal from you when SHTF happens or it is better for the government to have the least amount of people possible dependent on them to be fed.

Be your own food bank. You might want to consider long-term freeze-dried food.  There is one you might want to check out here from Amazon.

Keep Quiet

So, since you’re smart, the best that you can do about this is to stockpile your food but be quiet about it. Again, it isn’t against the law to do it but in case of a terrible disaster the government may take away your resources, so it’s better to not tell anyone. Also, you never know. If you go around telling people the government may not be the one taking away your food. You don’t want to go through all this trouble and have someone else take it from you.

Now, besides not telling anyone and also not having any of your family telling anyone about it, you should also take other precautions to not attract attention to yourself.

So, the first thing is to buy the right quantity every time you go out shopping. For instance, if you buy 50 cans of beans and the grocery store only has that or maybe 60, you’re going to get attention for yourself. Again, what you’re doing it’s not against the law, but still, you don’t want anyone taking it away.

What you should do then, it’s to buy the necessary stuff in quantities that will not raise eyebrows. Also, you must know what the essential things you need are. Once you have all the items you’re going to need is time to learn how much you need.

How Much is Enough

It is a consensus that you should start with 2 weeks’ worth of food. Once you have that much food you can work your way up all the way to a year. Now, how much you’re going to stockpile also depends on your financial resources and space to store all that food.

Once you determine how much of space you have, you need to calculate how much food you need per day. Then you have to do the math of how many people will be eating the food, and how much time you’re going to stockpile for.

An easy way is to take the number of calories that you normally need. It is important in times of crisis to try and maintain as much body weight as you can since you’re going to need the energy.

Again, it’s a little difficult to tell you exactly how much food you should stockpile since everyone eats differently. Also, again, the best way to determine that is to do the math based on a minimum of 2 weeks and on how many people live with you.

Once you have all those numbers down, you can begin prepping. That’s how much you’re going to need.

How to Do It (and Not Get CAUGHT!)

We’ve talked about that you can stockpile food but that you should keep quiet about it. Also, we’ve talked about how much you do realistically need. Still, there’s one more thing that you have to think about it. How to do it. That it’s good to do it and that you should do it, you already know. But how do you do it?

The answer is simple. You are going to need space and a strategy. First, you need to determine where you’re going to place all the food. Ideally, it is in a big space that has a protection against curious people and natural disasters. For those reasons, usually, the basement is the perfect place.

Anyway, once you determine where you’re going to place your stockpile food, it is time to plan your strategy. Since you already know how much money you have, how much space you have, and how much food you’re going to store, you need to decide on your strategy.

Remember, the idea is to not get attention to what you’re doing. Ultimately, the strategy is also to survive. So, the best thing you can do is to buy the right quantity and also to buy the right kind of food.

Canned food is good because it lasts longer. Also, you need energy so the right kind of fat and protein are good options. Lastly, think about vitamins and foods with medicinal properties. Store medicinal plants and teas are always a good idea. Remember that medicine has an expiration date.

If you take all this time to store the right quantity and type of food, you will not have any problem surviving and staying healthy for as long as necessary. After all, unless society, as we know, ends, in a few weeks you’ll be able to get more food or any help you need no matter how bad the situation gets.

Now that you decided that your ready, there are some Freeze-dried food items here I recommend that you will want to consider in your quest to gather and stockpile food that lasts long term. You might also consider this high-quality superfood that has a 6 year plus shelf-life.

Final Thoughts

So, this is how you stockpile food. Again, it is not against the law, but it doesn’t hurt to be smart about it. So, buy the right amount you’re going to need and also make sure that you, or any family member, don’t go out telling anyone about what you’re doing.

Just remember to also be smart with what food you get since you don’t want to need the food and find out that it’s not ideal for consumption anymore. That way your best options are canned food and the dehydrated ones.

Related Question

How much food can you legally store?

Again, there isn’t a law that determines how much food you can legally store. What is recommended is that you have at least 2 weeks’ worth of food supply. Also, you likely won’t need more than a year of it.

Can FEMA take your food stockpile?

Theoretically yes. Realistically, no. In case of a disaster, FEMA will turn to their own supply, then if that’s not enough, they will turn to factories, wholesalers, warehouses. After all those more viable options end, then maybe they’ll think about you. Now, you should worry way more about your neighbor that knows you’re a prepper than FEMA or any other government official.

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