Prepping for Doomsday: What is the ‘apocalypse bucket’, a hit among US shoppers?

From natural disasters to geopolitical upheavals, in a world increasingly defined by uncertainty, American doomsday preppers are now turning to an unlikely source of comfort: the ‘apocalypse bucket.’

With a price tag of under $100 (Rs 8,365) sold at American retailer Costco, the survival bucket, known as ‘Readywise Emergency Food Bucket’ boasts that it’s more than just food in its product description — it says it provides “readiness in the face of uncertainty."

From cheesy macaron to Chicken noodle soup, the ‘doomsday bucket’, is stuffed with more than 150 freeze-dried and dehydrated meal servings and promises a shelf life of a quarter century.

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“In a world where unpredictability has become a constant, our assortment takes on a vital role in emergency preparedness,” reads the product’s description on Costco’s website.

Let’s take a closer look at the ultimate ‘doomsday dinner kits’.

Preparing for the unexpected

The pail of preparedness went viral after cookbook author Jeffrey Eisner shared a video about it on Instagram.
“They have buckets that they’re just calling emergency food supply…I guess this is for when the apocalypse hits, which could be any time now?” Eisner said. “So you know when the world collapses and caves in, as long as you have your Readywise Emergency Food Supply, all is right in the world,” he further said.

The video quickly captured attention, garnering over 2 million views and 2,700 comments.

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Well, not everybody is taking this survival bucket seriously, one user joked, “I like that someone thought to consider our desire for variety during the apocalypse.”

While, another jokingly wrote, “25-year shelf life…if the apocalypse doesn’t kill you, the preservatives will!”

Amidst the banter, some users turned their heads towards a more practical approach, one wrote, “You guys have never heard of food storage before?” and clarified, “It’s for temporary potential disasters. Earthquake, hurricane, tornado, power outage, city closed down, quarantine, etc.”

This summer, major flooding in the Midwest forced people to stay in their homes or evacuate. Hurricane Beryl’s aftermath left residents in Houston, Texas, without power for days, causing refrigerated and frozen foods to spoil.

What’s inside the bucket?

Manufactured by Readywise, a company that sells long-term survival food, the ‘apocalypse bucket’ offers a hearty 150 servings of freeze-dried meals and drinks, including 80 entrees and sides, 30 breakfast servings, and 40 drink servings, all of which are prepared with just water for a total of 25,280 calories.

The assortment features pasta alfredo, cheesy macaroni, teriyaki rice, creamy pasta with vegetables, potato pot pie, tomato basil soup with pasta, chicken noodle soup, brown sugar and maple multi-grain cereal, and apple cinnamon cereal, according to Food & Wine magazine. This wholesome apocalypse dinner kit even includes crunchy granola, white rice, vanilla pudding, a whey milk alternative, and an orange drink.

But for those really wanting to stock up, the retailer even sells the kits by the pallet. The ReadyWise pallet has 5,400 servings for $2,499 after a $500 discount. Based on one serving a day of the food items, the pallet could last nearly 11 years, reports Daily Mail.

Although the doomsday care package has become something of a meme, the company behind the bucket is dead serious as it said, “This assortment isn’t just a temporary fix – it’s a long-term solution.” It goes on to add, “It’s not just about survival; it’s about maintaining a sense of normalcy, comfort, and even enjoyment during challenging times.”

With input from agencies