EU advises citizens to stockpile food and have 72-hour emergency kit ready

EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib breaks the silence with a chilling message: Every household must be ready to survive alone for 72 hours. This isn’t fearmongering, it’s the new reality.

The European Union has urged its citizens to stockpile foods and keep a 72-hour supply of essential items in case of emergencies such as floods, conflicts or another pandemic. 

As part of the European Commission’s crisis preparedness strategy, Europeans are encouraged to take “proactive measures,” including developing household emergency plans and stocking essential supplies.

In the strategy, Brussels recommends that households have "an emergency kit," including water, medicines, batteries, and enough food provisions to survive "for a minimum of 72 hours" without outside help. 

But the encouragement for food stockpiling doesn't stop at the individual level.

According to the strategy, the Commission will "engage with Member States to identify further sectors and services not covered by the current legislation for which there might be a need to act" and "put forward recommendations on minimum preparedness requirements, including a monitoring mechanism".

At the EU level, "the Commission will propose an EU-wide stockpiling strategy that will integrate all existing sectorial stockpiling efforts". It should "strengthen access to critical resources across the EU", which could include "agri-food products and water."

The strategy focuses on improving early warning systems, ensuring the continuity of essential services such as healthcare and drinking water and helping citizens prepare for responding to crises.

Source: www.euractiv.com,www.standard.co.uk/