# Canadopers: What should be on my emergency grocery list tonight? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 2, 2025, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740 "2025-02-02T01:39:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/1 "2025-02-02T01:39:51Z")
I’m going on a grocery shopping list as soon as the PM is done talking. What should I get? Toilet paper Flour Sugar Bread Cereals Dog and cat food Frozen foods Chicken and hamburger Thoughts? Plus will fill my gas tank. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/2 "2025-02-02T01:41:09Z")
Chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/3 "2025-02-02T01:42:23Z")
Good point 👍 ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/4 "2025-02-02T03:03:45Z")
My 3 most important would be cat food, chocolate and coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/5 "2025-02-02T03:13:08Z")
Canned non-perishables. Including canned meats. They exist. Think tuna, spam, canned chili, dried beef you can even get canned bacon. Protein is what you’ll miss most after you get over the sugar addiction. Soup and hot drink mixes. Ramen. Lots and lots of Ramen. Also, soap. As all purpose as you can get. Ivory dish soap is good for dishes and hair. YMMV. If you can get clean it goes a long ways to making you feel human in desperate struggle. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/6 "2025-02-02T03:41:38Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Thoughts? > Plus will fill my gas tank. Frozen food? Nope because if it does become a shit show then you are going to lose power and your stash. Forget the hamburger meat, you are going to need freezing/refrigeration. Cats & dogs can fare for themselves. Sorry. You need flour & cooking oil. Maybe lard or suet. Your medium term issue is calories, preferably from starch, not protein. Include some spices or condiments to improve the fried bread. A good stock of firewood. A drum of kerosene. Oil lamps. Buy a 44gal drum of fuel. If you were an American you’d need Pop Tarts and low-cal beer. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/7 "2025-02-02T03:51:21Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Frozen food? Nope because if it does become a shit show then you are going to lose power and your stash. In Canada in January, no you ain’t. That said, the war isn’t likely to start until summer/fall. It will be over fairly quickly, and then the resistance begins. Most places won’t lose utilities, or won’t for long. The important thing will be food; supply chain can fail even if the power stays on and the Americans won’t provide food aid with a harsh resistance going. Their goal however will be to try to normalize things quickly so they can try to annex the entire country as a territory. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/8 "2025-02-02T03:52:25Z")
Medications. Large quantities of any OTC medications that you take regularly. Same for any you may occasionally need to avoid pain or discomfort. For prescription meds this may be harder. But lay in the largest stock you can. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/9 "2025-02-02T04:16:27Z")
Of course this all hinges on how long you’ll need emergency food. If you’re talking a day or two your list is fine. Months? You’re gonna have to get more preserved, canned or dried foods. It won’t always be winter, either. This is where it gets tricky trying to determine the likelihood of long term storage and what your personal needs are. And of course double that if you’re having to haul water, hunt or otherwise be strenuously working. Times the amount of mouths in the house. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/10 "2025-02-02T04:28:55Z")
My three most important essentials, in priority order, are: - Vodka - Caesar mix - Bacardi Gold rum The first comes from Sweden, the second is a domestic product. The third comes from Puerto Rico, which may be at risk if Puerto Rico is technically considered part of the USA. If so, however, I’ll just switch to authentic Havana Club rum – not the Bacardi imitation sold in the US under that name, but the real Cuban stuff, because we don’t have an idiotic embargo on Cuba. It’s better than Bacardi Gold but more expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/11 "2025-02-02T05:00:54Z")
Back from Safeway. Major purchases, including frozen goods. As RickJay pointed out, if our electricity goes out in January or February, we have other issues to deal with than just losing some food (plus it can go out in the shed, our winter freezer). Hmm - I really screwed up the thread title, but I was in a hurry to get going. Should have been “Canadopers, what should…” ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/12 "2025-02-02T05:06:37Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Hmm - I really screwed up the thread title, but I was in a hurry to get going. Should have been “Canadopers, what should…” Fixed. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/13 "2025-02-02T05:07:05Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/14 "2025-02-02T05:30:42Z")
If it comes to occupation (and I can’t even begin to guess either way at this time), I’d also look on your next trip or so for trade goods / bribes. Things you can give to others to look the other way, whether American or domestic. Small bottles of locally produced booze (avoid tariffs) are often a safe bet. Plus, you may want/need the booze yourself. If the national situation was reversed, I’d mention firearms and ammunition, but Canada is more sane about such purchases, and if things _don’t_ go in that direction (FSM make it so) it’s a much more major purchase with far less use to live down. Emergency-wise, a -quality- 72 hour kit if you need to leave quickly, and a supply of SOS bars and nutritionally balanced trail mix, both of which pack easily accessed calories and can be eaten without cooking. Similarly, vacuum packed nuts of most sorts are _very_ calorie dense, reasonably easy to eat, and store well, and if you pick varieties you like will be delicious to you no matter the circumstances. Probably avoid salted varieties if possible. Emergency water purification via tablets, filters, etc if there are disruptions isn’t a bad idea either, as well as, say, storage for at least one gallon per person or large pet in the house, per day, for a week is rarely going to do you wrong in any sort of emergency. I tend to make an emphasis on ready-to-eat and long shelf-life foods when prepping. Flour is fine, but does take a certain amount of infrastructure to actually cook/bake with. Better off with bags of rice and beans as long as you have a heat source and water. And heck, buy a case of shortbread cookies. Such things work quite well as both comfort food and emergency calories! ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/15 "2025-02-02T07:54:47Z")
I wasn’t sure about your title. I’m not a Canadoper. So I won’t say anymore. Except, maybe don’t be so nice. It’s time to get tough. It’s fun to think are all you’ll need is a few more snacks, TP and lots of liquor. I believe it’s gonna be tough on us all. I’m prepared and I’m in the U.S. I live in a very red state with 1000s of MAGAs and special healthcare needs. I’ve been preparing 2 years for this eventuality. Press your representatives and leaders to fight this thing. ETA: its not winter year round. Wars rarely last a long weekend in bad weather. Spring when everything is thawing is when wars start and they can last years. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/16 "2025-02-02T08:37:08Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > My three most important essentials, in priority order, are: > > - Vodka > - Caesar mix > - Bacardi Gold rum > > The first comes from Sweden, the second is a domestic product. The third comes from Puerto Rico, which may be at risk if Puerto Rico is technically considered part of the USA. If so, however, I’ll just switch to authentic Havana Club rum – not the Bacardi imitation sold in the US under that name, but the real Cuban stuff, because we don’t have an idiotic embargo on Cuba. It’s better than Bacardi Gold but more expensive. For me, vodka (Alberta-distilled) and tomato juice. No need for rum. But I’ve got a humidor full of perfectly-legal Cuban cigars, so no worries there. I’ve also got 500 rounds of ammunition. But right now, I’m not seeing any need to panic. Let’s see how things shake out. I want to hear the howls of agony when Americans find that their Orange Dipshit has mandated that they have to pay $6 a gallon for gas, that that new bottom-of-the-line pickup truck costs $90,000, and that it’ll cost $20,000 more than it should to frame a house. Like, y’know, many houses will need in California. My pantry and freezer are well-stocked, in any event. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/17 "2025-02-02T21:57:01Z")
American here. I went shopping today not only in anticipation of tariffs but to deal with the imminent road construction in front of my house. Once they start tearing up the road and putting in new water lines I will have to park a good distance away and won’t be able to carry heavy items until they are “done”. There were no eggs at all in Walmart. In the small local grocery store eggs were almost $10.00/dozen. Pasta shelves were nearly bare. I bought a 2 pound box of pasta which I’ve never even seen before. There were a few of those available. Canned goods were OK. I bought a few OTC medications I use regularly and some detergent and TP. I am limited in what I can carry into the house due to my back issues so I have to shop a little at a time. My philosophy is this: If it gets bad I won’t have the physical ability to last too long. I have a very limited support network and will have to do what I can. I’m prepared for that to some degree but we are in unpredictable, uncharted territory. I do have still have a few books laying around that need to be read so that’s a positive. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2025, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadopers-what-should-be-on-my-emergency-grocery-list-tonight/1013740/18 "2025-02-03T08:25:25Z")
Being “nice” is the very quintessence of being Canuckian. You might as well tell them to spit on the King.