Brits instructed ‘don’t stockpile these things’ as WW3 fears develop – rest room paper to brown rice

World War 3 is (probably) coming our way, and while there are many, many guides about what to stockpile, we’ve put together a list of what we really shouldn’t be hoarding for the war

Brits love to hoard and stockpile – but please don’t, for the sack of the rest of us. With World War 3 fears ramping up like never before, many will already be planning where to mountains and mountains of bog roll and chocolate biscuits.

But before you run off to your local supermarket to run around like a mad person and take everything off the shelves for yourself – and leave nout for the rest of us – we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 things you should not stockpile.

Using Google’s artificial intelligence-powered large language model called Gemini, which scours the internet for the most accurate and best advice around, we asked it what we should throw in our trolley.

And given the reams of advice out there about what we should stockpile – from torches to water – the list advising what not to take is quite eye opening.

What we shouldn’t stockpile and why:

1. Brown Rice

While healthier in our day-to-day lives, brown rice is aterrible long-term survival food.

• The Problem: It still contains the bran layer, which is full of natural oils. These oils oxidize and go rancid within 6 to 12 months, making the rice inedible.
• The Alternative: White basmati or long-grain rice. Stripped of the bran, white rice can last up to 30 years if stored properly in airtight containers away from heat and light.

2. Liquid Bleach

Many people buy bleach thinking it is the ultimate long-termwater purifier and surface cleaner.

• The Problem: Liquid bleach is highly unstable. It begins degrading almost immediately and loses most of its disinfecting potency within 6 to 9 months, eventually breaking down into essentially salt water.

• The Alternative: Calcium hypochlorite (often sold as pool shock). In its dry, granular form, it lasts for years and can be diluted to create liquid bleach as needed for water purification.

3. Diet, “Zero,” or Low-Fat Foods

Diet shakes, rice cakes, and zero-calorie noodles are entirelycounterproductive in an emergency.

• The Problem: In a severe crisis, you are going to be burning more energy through physical labour, temperature regulation (if heating fails), and stress. You need maximum calories per square inch of storage space.
• The Alternative: Calorie-dense staples. Peanut butter, high-fat canned meats (like Spam or corned beef), and full-fat dried milk.

4. Multipacks of Crisps

Crisps are a staple of the British diet, but they are alogistical nightmare for stockpiling.

• The Problem: The bags are mostly filled with nitrogen gas to protect the crisps. They consume massive amounts of physical space while offering very little nutritional or caloric value. Furthermore, the high salt content will make you thirsty, draining your water supply.

• The Alternative: Dried lentils or beans. They take up a fraction of the space, are incredibly nutrient-dense, and provide essential protein.

5. Highly Acidic Canned Goods (Tomatoes, Pineapple)

Canned food is generally excellent for prepping, but not alltins are created equal.

• The Problem: The high acidity in chopped tomatoes, citrus fruits, and pineapple eats away at the metallic lining of the can over time. They typically only last 12 to 18 months before the food becomes tainted or the can swells and breaches.
• The Alternative: Dehydrated or freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, or simply stick to low-acid canned goods like peas, carrots, stews, and beans, which can last 2 to 5 years past their best-before date.

6. Supermarket Flour in Paper Bags

Flour seems like a great basic ingredient to stockpile forbaking bread.

• The Problem: Standard supermarket flour in paper bags will absorb moisture from the air (a major issue in damp UK winters). Worse, most flour contains microscopic weevil eggs that will hatch after a few months in your cupboard.
• The Alternative: If you must store flour, seal it in airtight Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. Better yet, store whole wheat berries, which last for decades, and invest in a manual hand-crank grain mill.

7. Cheap Bottled Water (Thin Plastic)

Water is your most critical resource, but buying pallets ofcheap supermarket water bottles is a poor long-term strategy.

• The Problem: The thin PET plastic degrades over time, especially if exposed to light or temperature fluctuations. The bottles will eventually leak, ruining everything around them, and the plastic can leach chemicals into the water.
• The Alternative: Heavy-duty, opaque BPA-free jerry cans designed specifically for long-term water storage, coupled with a robust water filtration system (like a gravity-fed water filter).

8. Cooking Oils in Plastic Bottles

Fats are vital for survival cooking and providing energy.

• The Problem: Like brown rice, liquid oils (olive, sunflower, vegetable) go rancid. Storing them in breathable plastic accelerates this process. They typically only last a year.
• The Alternative: Ghee (clarified butter) in glass jars or tins, or pure coconut oil. These saturated fats have a significantly longer shelf life and are less prone to oxidation.

9. A Mountain of Toilet Paper

The 2020 pandemic proved that toilet paper is the first thingpeople panic-buy.

• The Problem: It takes up a colossal amount of space. If you fill your spare bedroom with toilet roll, you are displacing space that should be used for food, water, and medical supplies.

• The Alternative: Keep a sensible supply, but invest in a portable camping bidet or a peri bottle. They use a tiny amount of water to keep you clean and require zero storage space.

10. Anything Dependent on the National Grid

Stockpiling electric heaters, electric blankets, or frozenfoods assumes the infrastructure will remain intact.

• The Problem: In a major conflict, energy infrastructure and the National Grid are primary targets (either via cyberattacks or physical disruption). A freezer full of expensive meat is a ticking time bomb if the power goes out for more than 48 hours.
• The Alternative: Off-grid solutions. Hand-crank radios, battery-operated or solar-rechargeable lanterns, high-quality sleeping bags for warmth, and camping stoves (with appropriate ventilation) for cooking.

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