A little preparation never hurt anyone, right? So, with all the reports of flu hitting us on a daily basis, what’s the best way to prepare your kitchen? Experts warn that in the event of a pandemic, it may be difficult to leave your house or get supplies, and their advice is stock up now.

Keep in mind that you may need items that can be eaten without cooking. The Food Channel put together this quick list of staples you may want to have on hand:

â‹… Water. Best advice is to have a gallon of water available per person, per day of the emergency. Have both drinkable water and stored water that can be used for washing, flushing and keeping plants alive. Try some of the new vitamin waters for variety.

â‹… Cans or jars of any protein â€“ chicken, turkey, tuna, beans, peanut butter. Be sure to have a non-electric can opener (we love the new ones that are battery operated) on hand.

â‹… Crackers. You may not be able to keep fresh bread, and may not be able to depend on anything in the freezer. So keep shelf-stable items such as crackers on hand to go with that tuna!

â‹… Dried fruit. Bags of dried cranberries, blueberries, cherries, even prunes will be a welcome addition in the case of a long haul indoors.

â‹… Candy, trail mix, nut mixtures. Keeping some chocolate or hard shell candies on hand is a good idea to provide energy when needed.

â‹… Granola bars, breakfast cookies or any cereal product that you don’t mind eating even without milk.

And, this quick reminder of a few non-food items that you might want to get at the same time:

â‹… Bleach, distilled white vinegar, or disinfectant for cleaning.

â‹… Plenty of anti-bacterial hand soap.

â‹… Tissues and other paper products.

â‹… Batteries, along with a flashlight, battery-operated radio or TV.

â‹… Ibuprofin.

For more information, see the links below. Remember, this is not an attempt to be alarmist, and over-reacting can cause as many problems as not reacting at all! We advise a balanced approach. After all, these food items will never be wasted â€“ pull them out and rotate them through your usual grocery list to make sure that your emergency stores are always fresh.

Prepare for Swine Flu

Swine flu FAQ

“FohBoh Discussion – the Impact on restaurants”:http://www.fohboh.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1411008%3ABlogPost%3A285911

National Restaurant Association

“Food Quality News”:http://www.foodqualitynews.com/Publications/Food-Beverage-Nutrition/FoodProductionDaily.com/Supply-Chain/Swine-flu-sparks-global-health-emergency/?c=rHu8rSqn71E5lRw68fzWkQ%3D%3D&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BDaily