If you’re looking to stock up on your food supplies for emergency situations, then congratulations are in order as you are taking responsibility for your well-being as well as those of your loved ones.
When purchasing emergency food rations, there are a few things one should consider: cost, shelf life, convenience and taste.
One particular type of emergency food that almost everyone has around the house is canned goods. The reason is because it’s cheap, good to eat, and readily available in grocery stores, and it is easy to prepare. But let me ask how one will eat such an item if there were no heat source available to warm the food? Would you be willing to eat it cold? Of course, if you’re hungry enough, it wouldn’t matter but it is always nice to have warm comfort food. Canned food items are usually meant to be eaten in two years. However, it does depend on the acidic level of the canned item. Lower acidic food like meats have a longer shelf life and higher acidic food like fruit and vegetables have a shorter shelf life. You can take a chance on eating expired canned goods but that is at your own discretion.
Another popular type of emergency food is the freeze dried food. The process takes all the water out of the food making it extremely lightweight to carry. This is why freeze dried food is particularly popular with hikers, campers and backpackers. Surprisingly, when the food is rehydrated with water, it keeps much of its original taste as well and can be quite delicious to eat. These packages are not cost prohibitive and can be found for as little as four to five dollars for an individual meal pouch. If you get a #10 can of freeze dried food, then the cost per person is even cheaper. The storage life on freeze dried food is great as well. It can last for as long as 25 years although some manufacturers say it is good for 40 years if stored in the right conditions which generally just means a dry and cool place. Freeze dried food really is a buy and forget type meal. However, just as with canned foods, you can eat it cold when hydrating it with cold water but warm water is always preferred to have a hot meal. The question is will you have hot water in an emergency?
The third type of emergency food ration is the MRE or meal ready to eat. Originally, the MRE meal was designed for the U.S. military but the demand proved strong enough that manufacturers sold civilian versions to the public as well. An MRE package is the most convenient of all the emergency foods discussed so far as it is a complete meal with a main entrée, side entree, dessert, beverage mix, crackers/bread and a spread mixture. To top it off, the package provides self warming flameless ration heater, something that is lacking from the other two options. Of course, all this convenience will cost more as a package will run around $6-$7 per bag. MREs also last on average 3 years before they expire. The taste of MRE is also quite good as well and some people eat this as they would a casual night indoors like they would a TV dinner.
All three options are good to have on hand in case of emergency situations. The type you decide to buy are up to your budget, preference and lifestyle.
Timothy Dalton is a freelance writer who is also an outdoor enthusiast. Timothy just loves MRE meals ready to eat as nutritious and tasty camping MRE meals.
Emergency Preparedness : Finding Emergency Food Suppliers
