Jul 27 2010
Mountain House, the largest makers of freeze dried food in the world have launched a “Connect with Mountain House Online!” campaign.
If you join their Twitter feed or Facebook group you get information updates and discount offers.
They also have a YouTube Channel.
May 09 2010
In times of distress, natural disaster or even terrorist attacks, survival foods are one of the most important things to have on hand.
Having enough food to eat will help you and your family survive most emergency situations. Survival foods can also help you in case of a job loss or in the case of an illness or pandemic where you don’t want to leave your home.
Most people today are taking steps to make sure they have a supply of survival foods on hand. What are your options? Here are 3 different types of survival food to consider with advantages and disadvantages of each:
#1 Can or Preserve your Own Food
If you are the Martha Stewart type, have hours of free time, or have nothing better to do on the weekend, then canning or preserving your own food might be for you.
The advantage to this option is that you can choose what kinds of foods to have on hand and preferably choose something you’d actually enjoy eating. You might also save a bit of money doing it this way as well.
The disadvantage is of course time. If you’re like most people, you don’t have much free time after work and the thought of preserving food all weekend doesn’t excite you.
Plus you have to be aware of the shelf life of this food - probably around 1 - 2 years at best. So you’ll have to make sure you eat your preserved food and add in some more newer foods as time goes by.
#2 Dehydrated Foods
You can dehydrate your own foods with a food dehydrator. This option gives you a little more variety and again, you get to choose foods that you like to eat.
Many of the higher end food dehydrators have timers so you can “set and forget”, which make things a little easier. I consider dehydrated foods more of a short term food storage item, as you should (according to some sources) consume them within 1 year of making them.
Experts also recommend that any dehydrated meats be placed in a freezer to help them from spoiling.
You may also need to place your newly dehydrated foods in the freezer right after dehydration for a few days to help reduce the possibility of insect contamination.
Again the two issues you may have with dehydrating food is preparation time - which can be long, and shelf life - which can be quite short.
#3 Freeze Dried Foods
You can also buy prepackaged freeze dried food that is easy to stack and store.
Freeze dried meals that are easy to prepare are one of your best options for survival foods. Most meals only require you to add water - which in an emergency situation might be all you have.
Plus in a true emergency if you have young children, the simpler the meal is to make, the better. You can ask them to help (this will also keep them distracted from the problems outside).
And contrary to how the name sounds freeze dried foods can taste remarkably good. Some companies have made their freeze dried foods almost to gourmet levels.
For example you can get Chicken a la King, Italian wedding soup with meatballs, vegetable stew with beef, and even blueberry pancakes.
Plus unlike the two options above, some freeze dried survival foods have a shelf life of 25+ years (depending on storage temperature). So as a long term food storage option they fit the bill.
Basically all you do is store them in a cool dry spot, and inspect them on a regular basis.
So those are 3 options for having survival foods on hand in case of emergency. No matter how you choose to prepare yourself, it’s important that you do take some steps to have food on hand should you be stranded in your home and/or unable to find food.
Being properly prepared can mean the difference between barely surviving and thriving should the worst happen.
Want more options? See Survival Foods for more suggestions and tips on emergency preparedness.
Or visit Food Insurance for freeze dried foods with a 25 year shelf life.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Charles_O’Neill
http://EzineArticles.com/?Survival-Foods—3-Options-You-Have-to-Prepare-For-Emergency&id=4229580
Dec 27 2009
Food preparedness is the logical choice when confronted with real tangible risks.
Why would anyone spend all their resources to prepare for high impact low probability events, while neglecting local significant probability and high impact preparedness?
Live in an seismically active area - be prepared for earthquakes (Freeze dried food & water)
Live in a coastal area that has hurricane disasters every 50 years - be prepared (Freeze Dried Food & Water)
Live in a coastal area that has hurricane disasters every 20 years - be prepared (MRE)
Worried about flu pandemics every 80 years - be prepared (Freeze dried food & water)
Live in a flood plain that floods every 20 years - keep several 72 hour kits in your home and automobile (think about moving to higher ground too)
Worried about global economic collapse on a scale that has never happened before - be prepared (Freeze dried food & water)
Shelf life estimates
Freeze Dried Food - 25 years
MRE - 5 - 7 years
MRE and food bars in a 72 hour emergency kit, in the trunk of a car in a temperate region (Atlanta) - 1 year or less
Buy and store bulk staples, let them rot due to poor oversight and then throw them out a year or two later = unprepared.
Oct 18 2009
There are four main factors that determine the shelf life of your long term food storage items. If you are looking to start a food storage program for your family, or you already have one, you will want to be aware of these things in order to get the maximum shelf life possible.
The four factors are as follows. The temperature of the storage area, the moisture content of the food, the atmosphere in the storage container, and the storage container itself. Let’s look at each of those factors.
1) Temperature of the Storage Area
Temperature has more to do with how long storable food will last than anything else. If you are planning on storing your food in a warm environment, it will only last a fraction of the time it would last in a cool, dry place. Some feel that the optimum temperature is 40 degrees F or less. However, not everyone will be able to achieve that. Another factor is that you have a place where the temperature is relatively constant. Frequent temperature changes can also shorten the life of storable food.
Remember to choose a cool, dry, dark place, where the temperature remains relatively constant, for storing your food.
2) Moisture Content of the Food
Foods with excess moisture can spoil in their containers. Food chosen for long term storage should have a moisture content of 10% or less. This is hard to achieve because most people don’t have access to specialized equipment.
An alternative is to get freeze-dried food, which has been specially-prepared for this purpose. The moisture content of these foods has been taken care of in the preparation process.
3) Atmosphere in the Storage Container
Oxygen oxidizes many of the compounds in food, so foods packed in air in storage containers will not store as well as Nitrogen, which is a popular gas for storing food, and one that works very well.
Some people use oxygen absorber packets. You simply place one in the storage container and seal. When you use these, you must have a storage container that is able to withstand some vacuum pressure. This is because the absorber packet will create a slight vacuum as it absorbs the oxygen.
Most food units that are packaged and sold for long term food storage have been packed with nitrogen in the #10 cans.
4) The Storage Container
Storage containers should have a hermetic seal (air tight) in order to get the longest life out of your stored foods. #10 Cans and sealable food-grade storage buckets work very well for this.
You must make certain that the storage containers you use are food grade containers. #10 cans that are used for food storage often have an enamel lining for this purpose. You can also buy plastic food-grade 5 gallon buckets.
If you buy a commercially-prepared food unit with #10 cans, then the second, third, and fourth factors are already addressed for you. In order to satisfy the first factor, you will still want to store the food in a cool, dry, dark place.
If you decide to buy plastic buckets, add the food, and seal them yourself, you will need to rent a nitrogen cylinder to fill the airspace in the buckets. When you do this, the oxygen will be displaced leaving only the nitrogen. Again, make sure that you purchase food-grade quality buckets. This is very important.
Remember these things when purchasing or creating a supply of long term storable food for your family.
Frank Salvo has been involved in food storage and emergency preparedness for the past 20 years. To learn more about these topics, please visit: http://www.freezedriedsurvivalfood.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frank_Salvo
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Shelf-Life-of-Long-Term-Food-Storage-Items&id=2894760
Aug 03 2009
Nitro-pak has lowered pricing on the following food reserves;
These are mixed survival food reserves mostly Mountain House freeze dried entrees and sides with some bulk oats and staples.
Freeze dried food prices increased in August 2008 when supplies were in shortage situation after heavy purchases as the price of oil went up to $140 per barrel. Freeze dried food supply eased temporarily then tightened again in October 2008 due to the global collapse of financial markets. Since then the supply has eased except for a few weeks in May 2009 due to H1N1 pandemic scare.
It seems now supply is good and prices are coming down as fear and concern over the economy has subsided.
Jul 28 2009
I made this short video comparing freeze dried food and MRE.
Key points are MRE is more expensive but more mobile.
MRE is good for the short term, 2-3 week food reserve, but Mountain House #10 cans which can store up to 25-30 years are cheaper and taste better.
Jun 02 2009
Buying a survival food reserve bulk package can save cost if you make the right choice.
But most of that savings can be wasted if you do not get the right balance of food groups in the reserve and you have to buy more to balance it.
Nito-pak’s reserves have a good proportion of vegetables, grains, and meat, spread out over complete breakfast lunch and dinner choices. It is important that you maintain routines of your lifestyle in a disaster situation. Having regular meals can bring a lot of calm to tense situations.
Nitro-Pak has one of the best selections of survival food reserve packages for time ranges and purposes (home or office);
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***Ultimate Family Preparedness PakTM | |||
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**Mtn. House Ultimate-Pak Food Reserve Year Supply |
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**Platinum Food Reserve 4 People for 3 Mo. |
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**Six Month “Gold Food Reserve” | |||
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-Mountain House Year’s Supply - 18 Main Course Entrees | |||
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-Mountain House Year’s Supply Entrees #2 NEW | |||
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-Mountain House Year’s Supply Vegetable-Pak | |||
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-Year’s Supply Food Unit, Platinum Reserve |
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Group Emergency Food Reserve #1 (10 Person) | |||
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Group Emergency Food Reserve #2 (20 Person) | |||
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Group Emergency Food Reserve #3 (50 Person) |
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**”Easy Meal Security-Pak™” Food Reserve |
May 16 2009
Survival food reserves with Mountain House freeze dried food are now back to normal lead times.
A recent spike in demand due to swine flu has subsided.
It had been taking 5-10 days to process orders at some suppliers due to high volumes.
The situation during the swine flu pandemic threat was much better than May 2008.
Then survivalists worried about ‘peak oil’ collapse caused lead times to go out to 7 to 8 weeks in some cases. Supplies of Mountain House freeze dried food were cut off to just a few online distributors at that time. Rumors circulated at that time suggested there would be as longs as a 20 week lead time on Mountain House freeze dried foods. These rumors turned out to be just rumors as the lead dropped to few days once the oil price dropped last summer.
The price of freeze dried food went up 10% to 15% at this time and has not come down since.
The lead time on freeze dried food increased again in October and November of 2008 as worries of a global economic collapse fueled rabid sales of freeze dried food. Demand remained strong till March but lead times returned to normal. I have observed during this time that when the daily stock market went up sales of freeze dried food go down and vice-versa. It is probably not a good idea to make long term decisions on preparedness based on day to day news.
With swine flu pandemic threat arising, sales skyrocketed again causing longer lead times but this only lasted a few weeks.
Freeze dried food, which in Mountain House #10 cans can last up to 25 years is a good long term insurance policy against disasters. Threats of disaster come and go but you want to be ready when you need to be. It is best not to wait till there is a threat and lead times get long and prices go up.
May 03 2009
What is it about freeze dried food that makes it a better choice for survival food?
Apr 29 2009
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the swine flu alert to level 5 out of 6.
Margaret Chan Director-General of the WHO stated;
This change to a higher phase of alert is a signal to governments, to ministries of health and other ministries, to the pharmaceutical industry and the business community that certain actions should now be undertaken with increased urgency, and at an accelerated pace,
Certain actions should be taken now by individuals to be prepared.
The possibility of a serious impact caused by the flu is growing each day and as more information comes to light.
Being food prepared means having a one month to a six month long term food storage, preferably freeze dried food.
Why freeze dried?
Freeze dried food reserves lasts 25 years.
Meals are ready to eat just by adding water.
While the possibility of severe impact from a swine flu outbreak is higher now and growing, it is still not certain nor even likely yet to become severe.
If your long term food storage plan includes bulk bags of staples for an immediate threat, like swine flu, and that threat does not materialize what happens to the bulk staples?
The bulk food will sit in storage for awhile then they are thrown out.
Then one day a disaster does materialize and you are not prepared.
There is still plenty of time to order online and have freeze dried food delivered to your house.
Order lead times are currently one week to 10 days. But the lead time has been getting longer each day this week.
