Survival Food – Freeze Dried & MRE

There is a need and great value of having a food reserve for tough economic times. The chances of a depression have increased greatly since I wrote about it on September 15th, and many will experience hardships for sure.

Some are stating that if there is a depression it will not be as severe as the “Great depression” that occurred last century. Of course the same people were saying just a few weeks ago the worst of the bank troubles were behind us.

So is there need for a food reserve? What type of food reserve is the best value?

First, the need for a food reserve is greater now than in the past. At the worst part of the great depression unemployment reached a high of 25%. Anyone who read John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” will have a feel for what it was like for people in rural areas trying to survive.

However there is a big difference between now and then.  Then much of the population was rural and able to revert to a sustenance economy to get food to just barely survive the crisis. Now most of our population is urban. Most people will be totally dependent on food supplied in markets. Adding to this is the fact many foods are imported. Further, even non-perishable food is managed with tightly controlled “just in time” inventory to maximize profits. In a global crisis food imports are likely to dwindle as nations focus on self preservation. Food stock-outs will be more common. There may difficulty in getting food and prices will rise.

What food reserve is the best value?

For the same reasons that I strongly recommend freeze dried food for disasters, it is also the best value for hard economic times. It is easy to store, only needs water, no preparation or cooking required, and has long storage of up to 25 years. It can provide food insurance protection for a long time.

It is also better from a community perspective because when you buy freeze dried food you are actually increasing the future food supply for all by utilizing food available now before there is a shortage.

By having a food reserve to draw from in hard times with food shortages,  you will be able to leave food on the store shelf for those who do not have a food reserve.

A lesson from “The Grapes of Wrath” is that we all do better as a community helping each other.

Having a food reserve will enable you to make a contribution when the time comes, either by leaving food for others at the supermarket and also by sharing the reserves you have with those most in need.

An important final note is that freeze dried food while readily available now, has earlier this year experienced long lead times of 6-8 weeks, during heightened concern about high oil prices and related food price increases.

I monitor keywords that visitors to this blog use to end up here.

Just now I saw someone was searching on “survival plans for depression”.

Is a three month food supply for 4 people a good idea as insurance in hard economic times?

Yes I think now more than ever it is a good idea to be prepared for a disaster and at the same time be ready for hard times.

Many years ago I was a volunteer for a food bank and there I discovered that a wide variety of people can suddenly find themselves in need. Some people go weak from hunger first because their pride makes them hesitate to ask for support.

As we saw with the recent “peak oil survivalist” run on Mountain House freeze dried food causing shortages for months till a few weeks ago, it may be a good idea not to wait until things get worse to get a survival food reserve.

Freeze dried food is not as cheap as say bulk rice, but at about $10 per person, per day, for a balanced diet it is not far off from typical grocery budget.

Getting a one year food reserve supply for one or more then is a good investment especially considering rising food costs. Since it lasts 25 years it is a better value than other food reserves.

I personally don’t believe we are headed for a depression now, however it is a much greater possibility then at any time in my life. There are many people in the highest places of the finance world who at this moment are not sure what the course of events will be next.

Nitro-Pak says orders with Mountain House #10 cans are now shipping 24 – 48 hours.

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Mountain House has resumed selling #10 cans on their website.

Almost all varieties except a few like Turkey Tetrazzini and Chili Macaroni with Beef were being sold in long shelf life #10 cans.

Mountain House had stopped selling #10 cans on their own site back in May and limited supply to a few major distributors.

With the price of oil dropping below $100 today for the first time in 5 months from a peak of over $140 a barrel, much of the huge demand created by worried survivalists has subsided – for now.

This reminder of what I mentioned in a previous post. Mountain House #10 cans at The ReadyStore will increase in price by up to 30% on September 1st.

If you are considering buying a discount food reserve from The ReadyStore then Sunday is the last day before the 30% increase.

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Here is a YouTube video showing Oregon Freeze Dry, the makers of Mountain House brand of freeze dried foods, filling, sealing and packing #10 cans. Not sure when the video was taken there is no indication of date.