Mayday Industries makes long-shelf-life emergency food and water, a longtime supplier of the food bars and water pouches used to stock disaster kits. In the emergency-supply market since 1990, Mayday is a common choice for schools, government agencies, and corporations stockpiling for earthquakes and other disasters, alongside individual and family preparedness. Its focus is dependable calories and water that store for years and need no preparation.

The lineup covers high-calorie emergency food bars and drinking water pouches, along with complete emergency kits such as the Honey Bucket and CERT-oriented units. The food bars come in 2400- and 3600-calorie sizes.

What makes Mayday's food and water suited to emergency storage is the combination of shelf life and simplicity. The food bars carry a five-year shelf life, are U.S. Coast Guard-approved, and tolerate a wide temperature range, so they survive storage in a car trunk or a garage where ordinary food would spoil. They are formulated to be "non-thirst provoking," meaning they won't dry out the mouth, which matters when water is limited, and they are ready to eat with no cooking or water required. The pouched water follows the same logic, packaged for long storage in a compact form. For stockpiling that may sit untouched for years, that predictability and low maintenance is exactly what a food-and-water reserve needs.

Combine emergency food and water with a bug-out bag, add a water filter or treatment option, and keep it with your broader preparedness supplies.