What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?

"New realities require a new level of preparedness," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling on EU citizens to have enough food, water and essential items to last them through at least three days of crisis.

The advice came in the EU's new Preparedness Union Strategy, which warned that the continent was facing an "increasingly complex and volatile security landscape". Threats include cyberattacks, climate change and disease, along with "Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine".

As well as keeping supplies of food and water, people have been advised to prepare a survival kit including things like torches, matches, radios, identification papers and phone chargers.

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However, not everyone needs such warnings, said Metro. "Preppers" have been ready "for years", piling their cupboards high with tinned food, keeping blankets in the car and having flares at the ready as the prospect of World War Three "seemingly grows".

Doomsday Clock is ticking down

They're not the only ones being cautious. Over the past month, Guardian columnist George Monbiot has been building up his own stockpile and warned: "You should do the same."

Food exports have become "highly concentrated" in only a few countries, the US being among the biggest. Even a minor disruption to the supply chain could cause a worldwide food shortage – and that had become "more likely" thanks to Donald Trump's "antics" since returning to the White House.

Indeed, with Trump excluding Ukraine from peace talks with Russia, and the UK and EU governments bumping up defence spending, fears of a third world war breaking out are "not completely unfounded", said the Daily Express. The Doomsday Clock, which is used to symbolise how close scientists believe humankind is to extinction, now stands at a mere 89 seconds to midnight, "the closest it has ever been".

Even without the threat of destruction, any future conflict could see food prices soar while stocks dwindle, as they did following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Monbiot's store cupboard contains rice, chickpeas and bread flour, together with "the vegetables we grow". But sources including Business Insider and PBS Food also advise stocking up on honey, peanut butter, energy bars and Oxo cubes, said the Express.

Meat, both dehydrated and fresh, should be on the list, too. Dried meat like jerky can last up to two months and that expands to a year if it is vacuum-packed and then frozen. Similarly, most fresh meat can be safely frozen for 12 months.

Don't forget children and pets

Preppers should not ignore powdered milk and tinned food, either, as their lifespans can reportedly stretch decades. In 2006, 73-year-old Les Lailey from Manchester safely ate a can of chicken that he'd been given in a wedding hamper in 1956.

"Canned food can last indefinitely if it has been sealed properly," food safety expert Eunice Taylor told the BBC at the time, although she advised heating old supplies "thoroughly" to be safe.

In addition, no good survival kit should be without batteries in case of a power cut, said the US's Federal Emergency Management Agency, while a first-aid kit, manual tin opener and paper maps are essential, too.

Survivalists should also remember the needs of other members of their family, including taking a favourite toy for pets and books, games and puzzles for children, because "disasters can be stressful".

If all this feels overwhelming, help is at hand. Former soldiers Tom Blakey and Leigh Price run YouTube channels full of advice, said Metro, and you can also stock up on your essentials at Price's Bug Out store in mid-Wales, which "sells everything from army rations to water filters, camping equipment to first-aid kits".

"People are now realising the importance of survival," Price said. "You insure your house, you insure your car, why wouldn’t you insure your way of living?"