FOOD NEWS
The Average Pantry Of A 1950s Nuclear Fallout Shelter
By Chase Shustack
The so-called Atomic Age, PBS tells us, was one of deep-seated anxiety as the advent of nuclear weapons made a third World War a possible reality. Americans found themselves learning to “duck-and-cover,” building bomb shelters in their backyard, and being given instructions by the government on what types of food they should be stockpiling.
Per HISTORY, the pantry was mainly a collection of non-perishable, powdered, or dried foods, such as Campbell's Soup, Hawaiian Punch drink mixes, cereals, candy bars, and other various canned goods and snacks. This assortment of foods was meant to be relatively long-lasting and for keeping up the spirits of the shelter's occupants while they waited for rescue.
The other essential part of a fallout shelter pantry was the U.S. government-made survival crackers. According to Baltimore History, survival crackers were produced sometime around 1958, and the main ingredient was a type of wheat called bulgur, because of its high resistance to contamination and infection, which made it last a long time without spoiling.