Homemakers' Estimates of How Long Food on Hand Could Be Made to Last: A Civil Defense Study

Excerpts from the report: This study conducted at the request of the Department of Defense, provides estimates made by homemakers of the length of time that food stocks on hand in their homes could be made to last if an emergency should cut them off from outside sources of food supplies. Such information is needed by civil defense officials in planning distribution of food to the civilian population in the event of an emergency. Based on the estimates of homemakers interviewed in June 1962 if an emergency should cut off outside food supplies, large numbers of American households would be unable to exist on food stocks on hand for more than a few days. Nearly a third of the homemakers who participated in the survey thought that they would run out of the food then in their homes in about a week or less. Close to another third reported that they could stretch their food supplies to last more than a week, but not more than 2 weeks. The remaining respondents estimated that their supplies would last more than 2 weeks