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Mark Zdechlik

Why are so many Americans buying emergency food supplies?

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In a marketing email to customers this week, warehouse store Sam's Club listed among its most popular selling items a year's supply of emergency food for a family of four. It costs $2,667 for a pallet of food in plastic buckets and has a shelf-life of up to 25 years.

Are pallets of emergency food really as popular as some of the more conventional items in the email like the LED TV or the copier paper?

Carrie Foster, spokeswoman for Sam's Club said they began test marketing emergency food products about 2-and-a-half years ago and now the category is considered a popular item at the store.

"What started as a series of 10 to 15 items has turned into a very popular category in which we offer more than 150 options," she said. "What we call it is emergency food storage and emergency preparedness."

Foster also said whenever there's big news about a disaster in the United States or anywhere else, sales of emergency supplies go up. Sam's Club expects emergency preparedness products to continue growing in popularity.