Be ready for a few days
A power cut, a storm or a few days without the shops. Most households never need more than a little extra in the cupboard, and it helps to know what you already have.
What the UK advice says
The UK government's Be Ready campaign says, in plain terms:
- Be ready for 3 days. That lets you manage while help reaches the people who need it most.
- Drinking water: 3 litres per person per day. You need more for cooking and washing.
- Food that keeps and needs no cooking or fridge. It suggests buying food you would usually eat.
- A basic kit: torch with spare batteries, a battery or wind-up FM radio, a charged power bank, cash and cards, printed copies of key documents, first aid supplies and essential medication, and, if they apply to you, baby formula and nappies, and pet food and water.
- Build up gradually. “Picking up an extra item or two when you can” during your normal shopping.
Summary based on the government's Be Ready advice (checked 27 Oct 2026). For the full and current advice, read the official page. ShelfKeeper is not affiliated with or endorsed by the UK government.
Rotate, don't hoard
Buy a little extra each shop and eat the oldest first, then replace it. That keeps the cupboard useful and means little is wasted. It is the same habit ShelfKeeper is built around: it reads best-before dates, shows what goes off next, and puts the oldest first.
What ShelfKeeper does about it
- Knows what is in the house. Scan barcodes and read dates with the camera, so your stock list is real, not remembered.
- Counts days of food and water for your household, and shows what would close the gap. It is free; Plus adds the nutrients check. Set your own target in the app's Be ready screen: the number of adults, children and days. It starts at the Be Ready advice of 3 days, and if you run a ShelfKeeper server, the target syncs there too.
- Shows what to eat first, so what you keep does not expire in the back.
- Keeps a Be Ready kit checklist, free: torch, radio, power bank, first aid, medicine, cash, documents and more, with baby and pet supplies if they apply to you. You tick each one off yourself; the app does not scan them, and it can put the missing ones on your shopping list.
ShelfKeeper counts only what you have recorded and gives estimates from label data. It does not replace the official advice, and it cannot know your household's medical needs: add those yourself.
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