Why isn’t food storage mentioned in General Conference anymore?

Question

Gramps,

Is storing a one year supply of food no longer suggested by the Church? Also, as conditions worsen in the USA and the world, the less is said about the present conditions in the General Conference talks. It is like the 800 pound gorilla in the room that no one mentions. What are your thoughts on why the silence on present conditions in the General Conference talks?

Joseph

Answer

Joseph,

Great questions. Thank you for asking them.

As far as a one-year supply of food, nothing really has changed regarding that. However, we are now advised to first have a three-month supply of food on hand. These would be foods that we use daily as part of our normal, daily diet. At lds.org we can find this statement:

“Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage.”

Once we have achieved this, it is then recommended we add to our storage those items that would be appropriate for longer-term storage.

Now as far as why it’s not spoken of more frequently in General Conference I can only speculate. During a past General Conference session, Elder Robert D. Hales gave a wonderful talk entitled “General Conference – Strengthening Faith and Testimony.” In this talk, he made the following statement concerning how subjects and talks are decided upon by those speaking:

“These conferences are always under the direction of the Lord, guided by His Spirit. We are not assigned specific topics. Over weeks and months, often through sleepless nights, we wait upon the Lord. Through fasting, praying, studying, and pondering, we learn the message that He wants us to give.”

You may have noticed many of the topics have been on subjects such as returning to activity, covenants, missionary work, family, marriage, and numerous others. Many of these topics address a declining spirituality and morality affecting many throughout the world. Perhaps Heavenly Father felt these topics were more appropriate given the conditions of the world today.

So while the subject of food storage may not have been spoken of during the last few sessions of General Conference, it does not mean that the subject has lost its importance. We still need to have a supply of food and essential items. It just means that Heavenly Father has other topics He feels a need to address.

Gramps