Over the past few days, the world has been riveted as each of the 33 miners who have been trapped underground in Chile since Augusthas made it to the surface. It’s an incredible story, and one where canned tuna played a small, but significant role.

The miners were able to stay alive because they had access to emergency supplies of food and water,including canned tuna. Why tuna? Tuna is ready to eat right out of the can. Packed with essential nutrients, it has a long shelf life (up to four years) and is easily digested.

Over the past few years, our own government has stressed the importance of disaster preparedness. One lesson learned from Hurricane Katrina is that while help may be on the way, it could still take some time to reach those in need. At a time like that, a small supply of canned tuna could make a big differenceit certainly did in Chile.