25th July 2026
There is no need to panic-buy food.
But there is a very good argument for doing something much more sensible: build a small food reserve while prices are relatively stable, concentrate on foods you already eat, and rotate your supplies so that nothing gets wasted.
With European crops under pressure from extreme heat and energy and oil prices still capable of moving sharply, there is a reasonable possibility that some food-price increases will become more visible later this year.
That doesn't mean the shops will run out of food.
It does mean that households could benefit from having a little more control over their own food cupboard.
Here are 10 things worth considering now.
1. Build a small reserve — not a bunker
The first rule is simple:
Don't panic-buy.
You don't need a garage full of food.
Instead, gradually build up perhaps a few weeks' extra supply of the foods your household already uses.
If you normally have one packet of pasta, keep two or three.
If you normally buy one box of cereal, keep an unopened spare.
If you use rice regularly, buy an extra packet when it is on offer.
The idea is to create a buffer, not a stockpile that takes years to consume.
That means you can buy some items when they are cheap rather than being forced to buy them when prices are high.
2. Think about the really long-life foods
This is where things such as dried lentils become particularly interesting.
Lentils are an excellent store-cupboard food because they are:
inexpensive
high in protein
high in fibre
easy to combine with rice, pasta and vegetables
relatively quick to cook compared with many dried beans
easy to store
useful in soups, stews, curries and casseroles
And, as someone who uses lentils regularly, you already have one of the better examples of a practical long-life food.
There is a long-standing reputation for dried pulses being almost "bomb-proof" foods for storage.
There is some truth behind that description, although claims that ordinary dried lentils will definitely last 20 years should be treated cautiously.
The Canadian Lentils organisation recommends a cupboard life of around a year for packaged lentils, with older lentils taking longer to cook and losing quality. The USDA similarly says dry goods can remain safe indefinitely under suitable conditions but may lose freshness and quality over time.
So the lesson isn't that you should buy lentils today and expect them to be perfect in 2046.
It is that properly stored dried lentils are remarkably durable, and they are cheap enough that rotating them through your normal diet is easy.
And there is an important difference between food safety and food quality.
Older dried lentils may become harder and take longer to cook. Their flavour and texture can deteriorate. That doesn't necessarily mean they have suddenly become unsafe.
The best approach is therefore:
Buy them → store them properly → use the oldest first → replace them when you buy more.
3. Pasta and rice belong in the reserve
Pasta and rice are obvious candidates because they are inexpensive, versatile and easy to store.
The Food Standards Agency specifically identifies dried foods such as pasta and rice as foods that commonly carry best-before rather than use-by dates. A best-before date relates primarily to quality rather than safety.
But storage matters.
Keep dry foods:
somewhere cool
dry
clean
away from direct sunlight
off the floor
protected from insects and rodents
The FSA recommends storing dry foods such as flour and rice in clean, dry, well-ventilated areas and keeping them in suitable covered containers.
Once opened, airtight containers can provide additional protection from damp and pests.
4. Don't forget oats and breakfast cereals
Breakfast is an easy place to create a food buffer.
Oats are particularly useful because they are inexpensive, filling and can be used in several ways.
Cereals can also be kept for a reasonable period, although they are more vulnerable to losing their freshness than some dried staples.
Again, don't buy enormous quantities.
Buy what you actually eat.
A cupboard containing six boxes of cereal nobody likes isn't preparedness — it is future food waste.
5. Tinned food is another useful safety net
Tins provide something that dried food doesn't:
ready-to-eat food that doesn't require a long cooking process.
Useful items include:
baked beans
tinned tomatoes
peas
sweetcorn
soups
tinned fish
fruit
pulses
meat products
Commercially canned low-acid foods such as beans and vegetables can have storage lives measured in years when kept properly, although quality gradually declines.
Check tins occasionally.
A badly rusted, leaking, swollen or seriously damaged can should not be treated as part of your emergency supply.
6. Keep some foods that don't require refrigeration
This is particularly important because we tend to think about food security only in terms of price.
There is another risk:
What happens if electricity becomes expensive, disrupted or unavailable?
A cupboard containing rice, pasta, lentils, tinned tomatoes, beans and cereal provides a degree of resilience without requiring a freezer.
That doesn't mean anyone should prepare for a catastrophe.
It simply means that having some food that doesn't depend on refrigeration is sensible household planning.
7. Don't overlook cooking oil
Cooking oil is one item I would watch particularly closely.
It can be affected by crop yields, energy costs and transport costs.
But there is a catch.
Unlike dried lentils or rice, oil doesn't have an exceptionally long storage life.
So don't buy ten bottles simply because prices might rise.
Instead, keep perhaps one or two spare bottles if you use oil regularly and rotate them.
Use the oldest first.
8. Use the dates properly
This is one of the most important points.
There is a major difference between:
USE BY
and
BEST BEFORE
The Food Standards Agency says a use-by date is about safety. Food shouldn't be eaten after the use-by date.
A best-before date is about quality. Food can remain safe after the date if it has been stored correctly, although it may no longer be at its best.
This is particularly relevant to the kind of store cupboard we're talking about.
Pasta, rice and many dried foods may carry best-before dates.
That doesn't mean you should simply ignore the date for years.
Instead:
Check the date → check the packaging → check storage conditions → use your judgement about quality.
If a packet has become damp, mouldy, badly damaged or infested, throw it away.
9. Create a "first in, first out" cupboard
This is probably the simplest money-saving trick of all.
When you buy a new packet of pasta, put it behind the older packet.
When you buy another tin of beans, put it behind the existing tins.
When you buy new lentils, put them behind the older lentils.
Then:
Oldest gets used first.
This turns food storage into a rolling system rather than a stockpile.
It also means that if prices do rise significantly, you aren't suddenly discovering that half your cupboard is past its best.
10. Buy extra when prices are genuinely low — not because you are frightened
This is perhaps the most important advice.
There is a big difference between:
"I think this product is cheap today, so I'll buy two."
and
"The news says prices might rise, so I'd better buy 20."
The first is sensible household budgeting.
The second can quickly become expensive and wasteful.
If pasta drops from £1.50 to £1, buying an extra packet or two makes sense if you know you will use it.
If your favourite cereal is heavily discounted, buying an extra box may be worthwhile.
But don't buy products simply because somebody predicts they will become more expensive.
The best stockpile is one you actually eat
This is where lentils provide a good example.
Suppose you regularly make lentil soup or lentil curry.
Buying several packets doesn't represent a sacrifice.
You will eventually eat them anyway.
The same applies to rice, pasta, oats, tinned tomatoes and beans.
The ideal emergency cupboard isn't full of exotic survival foods.
It is full of ordinary foods that your household already knows how to cook and likes to eat.
What I would put in a sensible household reserve
A practical list might include:
Lentils
Dried beans and pulses
Rice
Pasta
Oats
Breakfast cereal
Flour
Tinned tomatoes
Tinned vegetables
Tinned beans
Tinned fish
Soup
UHT milk
Tea and coffee
Sugar
Salt
Cooking oil
Long-life sauces and cooking ingredients
You don't need all of them.
The important thing is to select the foods you actually use.
And don't forget protein
One advantage of lentils is that they aren't simply a source of calories.
They also provide useful protein and fibre.
That makes them more valuable as a reserve food than simply filling a cupboard with foods that are mostly refined carbohydrates.
Dried pulses, beans and lentils can form the basis of inexpensive meals when combined with rice, pasta, potatoes, vegetables and suitable seasonings.
That can also become a useful way of controlling the food bill if meat prices rise.
What about a 20-year food supply?
This is where some perspective is needed.
There are commercial emergency foods advertised with shelf lives of 20–25 years. These are usually specially processed, dehydrated or freeze-dried foods and are quite different from buying an ordinary packet of supermarket lentils.
Ordinary dried lentils shouldn't be assumed to have a guaranteed 20-year shelf life.
But they do demonstrate an important principle:
The drier the food, the better protected it generally is from the microbial growth that affects moist foods.
And with suitable storage, many dry foods can remain usable for a surprisingly long time, although quality, flavour and cooking performance can decline. USDA guidance notes that properly stored shelf-stable dry foods can remain safe indefinitely while their quality deteriorates over time.
So rather than trying to create a 20-year food store, most households would be much better served by maintaining a rotating three-to-six-month reserve of selected staples, built gradually and consumed normally.
Don't spend money you don't have to save money[b]
There is one final warning.
Don't turn food preparation into another source of financial pressure.
If you spend £200 today buying food you wouldn't normally purchase, you haven't necessarily saved £200.
The sensible approach is to use your normal weekly shopping budget more intelligently.
Buy a little extra when something you regularly use is on offer.
Rotate it.
Use it.
Replace it.
Over time, you create a buffer without feeling that you have spent a fortune.
[b]Preparedness doesn't mean panic
Britain isn't facing empty supermarket shelves.
There is no reason for households to rush out and buy enormous quantities of food.
But we have learned over the past few years that the world food system can be affected by events thousands of miles away.
A war can affect fertiliser.
Oil prices can affect transport.
A heatwave can affect harvests.
A drought can affect crops.
And suddenly something as ordinary as a bag of pasta or a packet of lentils can become more expensive.
The sensible response isn't panic.
It is a little preparation, a little planning and a little less dependence on buying everything exactly when you need it.
The best food reserve is simple
Buy what you eat.
Buy a little more when it is cheap.
Store it properly.
Check the dates.
Use the oldest first.
Replace what you use.
That way, if food prices do rise this winter, your household won't be completely protected from higher prices — but you may have bought yourself something very valuable:
time to wait for prices to settle rather than having to pay whatever the supermarket is charging that week.