Governments Worldwide Advise Stocking Emergency Food and Water as UK Torch Sales Surge 284 Percent

Governments in country after country are advising citizens to keep several days of food, water, medicine, torches and a radio at home. The United Kingdom and France are asking citizens to prepare for three days; Sweden and Norway advise about a week, and Germany recommends 10 days of preparation. The guidance has sparked fresh discussion, including questions over whether a war or a major disaster is feared to be approaching.

On October 22, the UK government launched a campaign called 'Be Ready'. Its aim is to ensure that in an emergency, citizens can meet their own basic needs for at least 72 hours, or three days.

British government guidance advises keeping three litres of drinking water per person per day, food that does not spoil easily, essential medicine, a torch, spare batteries, a power bank, and a radio that runs on batteries or can be wound by hand.

The government says storms, floods, power cuts or cyber attacks could temporarily disrupt emergency services. If families can manage on their own for a few days in such a situation, rescue and aid agencies will be able to help those in greatest danger first.

Following the government's appeal, sales of emergency supplies have risen significantly at several UK retailers. According to figures gathered by the BBC's Newsnight programme, the supermarket chain Iceland saw canned food sales rise 40 percent in a single weekend, and the company said bottled water sales had also increased.

According to UK electronics retailer Maplin, radio sales rose 92 percent after the government announcement, torch sales rose 284 percent, and power bank sales rose 106 percent. The company compared the figures with the same period of the previous month. Several small firms that sell emergency equipment also reported rising demand.

These figures, however, come from specific retailers; they do not support a conclusion that panic has spread across the whole of the UK or that a food crisis has emerged. The supermarket chain Iceland said its supplies of canned food and other essentials remain normal.

A Newsweek report published on October 28 set out the emergency preparedness guidance of various countries. According to the report, Canada, Japan, Mexico and the Netherlands, like the UK and France, advise keeping three days of emergency supplies. Sweden and Norway recommend about a week, and Germany advises 10 days of preparation.

The European Commission announced its 'Preparedness Union Strategy' in March 2025. It emphasised building citizens' ability in member states to meet their own needs for at least 72 hours. The Commission said overall preparedness is needed to deal with geopolitical tensions, conflict, cybersecurity risks, climate change and the threat of natural disasters.

Sweden's official guidance mentions wartime situations alongside crises, and its citizens have been told to prepare food, water and other essentials to last a week. But wartime civil preparedness guidance is not new in Sweden; the country has a long history of publishing such guidance, and the latest version gives weight to the changed security situation.

The picture in the United States is different. A Guardian report on November 2 said the aim of the US Department of Defense's 'Fortress America' initiative is to ensure that key military bases can keep operating for at least 90 days even without outside support. The plan includes strengthening self-reliance in power and fuel, supply systems, emergency stockpiles and cybersecurity. This 90-day preparation, however, is not guidance issued to ordinary citizens. Separately, the US government's Ready.gov website carries guidance on keeping food, water and other essentials to last several days.

In India, the National Disaster Management Authority has advised keeping emergency equipment ready but has not set a fixed timeframe for everyone. Nor are the reasons behind every country's guidance the same: in earthquake-prone Japan, preparation for natural disasters is paramount; parts of Australia have separate guidance for cyclones, and Cape Town in South Africa has guidance for local emergencies. Not all of this guidance is new either; many countries have run disaster preparedness programmes for a long time.

The British government has made clear that emergency preparation does not mean buying huge quantities of food or water at once; people are advised to check what they already have at home and gradually add a few items as needed. The guidance also stresses checking on neighbours, writing down emergency contact numbers, and keeping in mind those who need special assistance. In other words, the core message of these initiatives is to be prepared in advance for a possible crisis; the guidance is not a certain forecast of imminent war or food crisis.