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Milk Matters: A 3-Month Emergency Dairy Supply for One Person
Posted by Ola Griffin on Jul 30th 2025
Milk & Dairy – One Person, Three Months
Dairy isn’t just a luxury—it’s a nutritional powerhouse, offering calcium, protein, and healthy fats that are especially valuable during an emergency. While fresh dairy has a limited shelf life, there are excellent long-term storage options that are shelf-stable, easy to use, and surprisingly versatile.
This post is part of our One Person, Three Months Emergency Food Storage series. Here's what we've covered so far:
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January – Grains 1 Person, 3 months - Grains
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February – Water When Every Drop Counts Emergency Water Purification Techniques
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March – Legumes Beans the Magical Legume What To Store For 1 Person For 3 Months
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April – Sugar Storing Sugars Keeping Life Sweet One Person for 3 Months Supply
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May – Cooking Essentials Survival Starts in the Kitchen: 3-Month Cooking Essentials
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June – Fats & Oils Stocking Up on Fats: The 3-Month Survival Guide for One Person
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July – Milk & Dairy (You are here!)
Dairy Supply Breakdown for 1 Person (3 Months)
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Milk | 15 lbs | Ideal for drinking, baking, and meal prep. Stores well long-term. |
| Evaporated Milk | 2 cans | Great for creamy recipes like soups, sauces, or casseroles. |
| Other Dairy | 3.25 lbs | Options: powdered cheese, butter powder, whey protein, or shelf-stable cheese (freeze-dried, canned, or wax-sealed). |
Total: 18.75 lbs of dairy products for one person over three months.
Ideas for “Other Dairy” Options
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Powdered Butter – Use in baking, for sauces, or spreading
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Powdered Cheese – Perfect for mac & cheese, casseroles
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Shelf-Stable Cheese – Wax-sealed blocks, canned cheese, or freeze-dried slices
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Whey Powder or Milk Protein – Adds extra nutrition to shakes, oatmeal, or baked goods
Freeze-Dried Dairy
This is an excellent option for people who own the freeze-driers themselves. You can store lot of other types of dairy.
Milk: I freeze-dry milk in different from whole to non-fat. Keeping and rotating the whole, 2 percent is important, my nom-fat milk will last the longest. But storing in Mylar bags oxygen free ensures storage for 10 plus years.
Cheese: Oh, please freeze-dry some cheese, sliced, shredded or dice up. Eat them as is or add to foods like chili. You can also powder the cheese to reconstitute and create sauces.
Yogurt: I like storing yogurt and using it as an alternative to mayonaise. Since there is fat in mayonaise does not allow for freeze-drying it is the perfect replacement and lower in fat. Having fun yogurt treats is a must have prepper add-on. Non only are these great treats, but they a perfect for little ones too!
Sour Cream - freeze-dried sour cream is a must for some of my favorite MRE Chili receipe. I keep reeze dried cheese and sour cream a must have to add to my reconstitued Chili. PackFreshUSA has 7.5 Mil MRE Mylar Bags (Meals Ready to Eat) style bags.
Cottage Cheese is a great addition to add to your long-term food storage. Having a good suppy of different dairy food that can be stored and reconstituted to add to meals or even eat alone.
Storage Tips
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Store powdered dairy in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, like the 7 Mil Mylar Box Set | PackFreshUSAPackFreshUSA 7 Mil Bag + O2 Absorber Box Set.
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Keep canned items in a cool, dark space.
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Practice FIFO: “First In, First Out” to keep items rotated and fresh.
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Label all storage bags with pack or expiration dates.
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For bulk storage, add a desiccant packet to absorb moisture (place at the bottom of the bag before sealing).
Why Dairy Matters in Emergencies
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High-calorie energy in compact, shelf-stable forms.
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Protein to support muscle strength and satiety.
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Calcium for bone health and immune support.
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Morale boosters like hot cocoa, cheesy pasta, or creamy sauces bring comfort during stressful times.
Summary
Milk and dairy are essential additions to any long-term emergency food supply. With a well-rounded mix of dry milk, evaporated milk, and shelf-stable dairy alternatives, you can ensure a reliable source of protein, calories, and comfort foods. Totaling just under 19 pounds for one person over three months, these items are easy to store in PackFreshUSA Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers—offering both nutrition and peace of mind when it matters most.
Come back next month for our blog on What to Store for 1 Person for 3 months for vegetables. I be covering about using your garden veggies and store bought options.
Happy Prepping!
Ola D Griffin
Long-term Food Storage Expert
Customer Service, Safeguard Brands, Inc. dba PackFreshUSA
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