Types of Food Storage

Five Things You Can Do Now

Find out where you can purchase grain.
Buy six cans of a canned-entrée type food your family enjoys.
Try an MRE or a retort food.
Buy several freeze-dried entrées for your family to sample.
Analyze the ingredient and nutrition labels in a food storage entrée.

Foods can be stored in different forms, including fresh, canned, frozen, and dried. This chapter examines the characteristics of each type so you can make informed choices for your preparedness plan.

Keep in mind that individual foods may be good in one form yet unsatisfactory in another. The best plan consists of a combination of food types. Consider your budget limitations, desired convenience, perceived needs, and personal preferences and sample all foods before including them in your storage.

For all types of food, purchasing combination foods, such as casseroles or stews, will almost always be more expensive than buying the foods separately.

Table 13.1 Pounds of Food per Five-Gallon Bucket
Food Item	Pounds per Bucket
Grains	30—36
Cracked wheat	22—33
Cornmeal	22—23
Flour	23—25
Rolled oats	15—20
Pasta	16—22
Beans	30—35
Split peas, lentils	30—35
Sugar, granular	29—34

Basic Storage Foods

The biggest part of a complete food storage plan are the basics : grains, cereals, flours, pasta, dried legumes, powdered milk, sugar, honey, and salt. You can buy these packaged in cans, Mylar bags, and poly buckets. See chapter 18 for information about purchasing and storing basic foods.

You can also prepare your own by purchasing in bulk quantities and repackaging them for storage. See chapter 13 for information about packaging your own food storage. Companies that specialize in selling grains, legumes, and powdered milk are listed in the resource section.

Fresh Foods

A few fresh foods can be stored in root cellars and other cold-storage places to extend storage life after harvest, though these methods only provide a storage life of about six months and work best in northern climates with cool or cold winters. See chapter 28 for information about cold storage.

Canned Goods

All foods begin to lose nutrients soon after harvesting and during preparation.

Canned foods have a useful place in food storage. Foods that are thoroughly cooked are usually well-suited to canning. Taste tests show that most people consider canned foods better tasting than their dehydrated counterparts.

Nutritional Value

For top nutritional quality, fresh fruits or vegetables should be picked at peak ripeness, properly stored at cool temperatures, and eaten soon after harvest. Loss of nutrition occurs during the preparation of all foods, and even fresh foods suffer loss soon after harvesting. Canned foods are processed shortly after harvest at the peak of their nutritional benefit, and although the processing of canned goods causes them to lose some of their original nutritional value, they are still a healthful choice. A study at UC Davis concluded that “fresh fruits and vegetables usually lose nutrients more rapidly than canned or frozen products.” And a study at the University of Michigan compiled the results of over forty nutritional studies, concluding that fresh, canned, and frozen vegetables all had similar nutritional values.

Canned goods are an ideal food source to be purchased and replaced as they are used.

Many canned items have sugar, salt, preservatives, and other food additives added to them during canning. Manufacturers are becoming more sensitive to consumers who want to avoid these additives, so look for such products. Home canning is an excellent alternative as it allows you to monitor the contents. See chapter 29 for information about home canning.

Shelf Life

The USDA recommends that for highest quality, you should plan to use high-acid canned fruits and tomato products within eighteen to twenty-four months and low-acid meats and vegetables within two to five years.

If stored in cool, dry conditions, the emergency shelf life of canned foods—the time they can be kept and remain palatable and nutritional—can be significantly longer. Industry and military research suggests that most canned goods stored at 70° F (21° C) or lower stay nutritious and palatable even after five years. One study of ten canned vegetables showed no significant loss of vitamin A after three years of storage and an average of 61 percent of the vitamin C remaining. In fact, after five to six years, there was still 50 percent of the original vitamin C.

Cost and Vulnerability

Canned goods are often less expensive when compared to freeze-dried and dehydrated products. Studies have shown that about 60 percent of commercially canned goods are even cheaper than comparable fresh foods. Canned items are frequently on sale at your local grocery store, and you can save by comparing prices. And save even more when you home-can your own in-season or homegrown produce.

But be aware that cans are vulnerable to corrosion and are susceptible to bursting if they are dropped or fall. The acids in foods such as tomatoes and fruits can cause cans to deteriorate from the inside out.

Personally Speaking

I often use canned foods as building blocks for my meals and as a quick enhancement to recipes. Canned chicken, beef, tuna fish, and salmon are the foundations for many of my meals. I use canned olives, green chiles, and mushrooms to jazz up my recipes. Canned beans, like pinto, kidney, black, and garbanzo, are great in soups, salads, and spreads. Even if they are not part of your everyday meal plans, it’s a good idea to have some quick meals in a can on hand—things like chili, stew, macaroni and cheese, ravioli, and kid-friendly Spaghetti O’s. Canned pumpkin and applesauce are great for adding flavor and moisture to sweetbreads and cakes.

Every fall, we can our own sauces, fruits, and vegetables. Spaghetti sauce is our family specialty, and everyone gets involved! I frequently use home-canned tomato sauce and tomatoes in Italian and Mexican dishes. Where I grew up in the Northwest, we were spoiled with home-canned Columbian River salmon, Dungeness crab meat, and razor clams.

Although I prefer fresh or frozen vegetables, I keep cans of green beans, corn, and peas on hand, too. I use my canned foods throughout the year and replenish them at the end of each growing season when the new crops are harvested.

Frozen Foods

Frozen foods are the nearest to fresh foods of all the stored foods and are generally considered superior in appeal and nutritional value to canned or dehydrated foods.

Retort Foods and Aseptically Packaged Foods

Retort Foods

Retort foods are a recently developed food packaging where no refrigeration is required. Food is placed in a lightweight, flexible pouch made from a durable multilayer plastic and metal laminate. The air is then evacuated, and the pouch is sealed. Next, it is placed in a special pressure cooker called a retort oven, where it is sterilized at temperatures between 240° and 250° F to prevent spoilage and deterioration. They are popularly called MREs (Meal, Ready-to-Eat), and are used as a standard individual field ration for the military. Some commercial foods, including juices, tuna fish, soups, and Asian foods are commonly sold in retort pouches.

Nutritional Value

Because the thin pouch requires less processing than metal cans, the food undergoes less deterioration and has the potential of being superior in quality to even frozen foods. Foods remain moist, and their colors, textures, and flavors compare favorably with canned and frozen foods. They generally contain few preservatives and can be eaten directly from the pouch.

The pouch is lighter than metal cans and requires less time to heat. To eat, place the MRE directly into boiling water for three to five minutes or use a flameless ration heater (FRH), which is specially designed to heat military MRE pouches.

Shelf Life

The shelf life of retort foods is approximately equal to that of canned foods. Like other foods, they last longest when stored at lower temperatures. If stored in a cool place, their emergency shelf life can be up to five years.

Cost and Vulnerability

Prices for retort foods are substantially higher than for canned or frozen foods and in the same range as freeze-dried foods, and the pouch is susceptible to puncture and rodent damage, but they are a good alternative and certainly have a place wherever refrigeration is an uncertainty. Stored in their cartons, they take up as much space as canned foods, but they do not require a can opener.

Aseptically Packaged Foods

Aseptic sterilization, or UHT (ultra-high temperature), is a unique method of processing that rapidly sterilizes foods at high temperatures and creates and maintains a sterile package without the need for refrigeration. Packages keep for up to one year. Although resembling a cardboard carton, the packaging is quite sophisticated, made up of several layers of aluminum, polypropylene, and paperboard. Milk is the most common food processed with UHT, keeps for about eight months unrefrigerated, and is often found in Europe and other parts of the world. Fruit juices keep about six months.

Dried, Dehydrated, and Freeze-Dried Foods

Dried Foods

As the term is used here, “dried foods” refers to foods whose moisture content has only been reduced to the 20 to 25 percent level. These foods are mainly fruits and include raisins, prunes, figs, dates, apricots, and apple, peach, and pear slices. They feel moist and soft to the touch, are available in supermarkets, and are usually packaged in a plastic bag or in a box. Because of their high moisture content, dried foods mold easily. Oxidization causes fruits to darken, and they are not well suited for long-term storage. However, if placed in an airtight, pest-proof container and kept in a cool, dry, dark location, they may keep for one to two years. If they become overly hard, they can be soaked overnight in warm water or stewed.

Dehydrated Foods

Commercially dehydrated foods are air-dried at temperatures between 140° and 400° F in large ovens or drums. These foods shrink and become hard and brittle when fully dehydrated and need time to be soaked in water to reconstitute and may even need to be cooked in water for ten to twenty-five minutes before they can be eaten.

A wide variety of foods are available in dehydrated form, and most people eat them every day in the form of common convenience foods, such as instant potatoes, dry soups, seasoning mixes, and dry baking mixes.

The most popular dehydrated foods are fruits and vegetables, milk products, and eggs. Except for jerky, meats are not air-dried. Dehydrated foods are often combined to make entrées, side dishes, desserts, and beverages.

Personally Speaking

The dehydrated food I use most often is diced onions. They are inexpensive and convenient — I use them just the way they are in cooked recipes and rehydrate them for a short time before adding them to sautéed dishes. One of my favorite ways to use them is to puree them in a small food processor to make onion powder.

The second dehydrated food I love to use is apples! You can buy them economically in #10 cans, but I highly recommend dehydrating your own if you have access to fresh apples in the fall. All you need is an apple peeler and a dehydrator. Our family likes them with a little cinnamon sugar sprinkled on them. They are also a nice addition to cooked cereals and breads.

Freeze-Dried Foods

Freeze-dried foods are flash frozen at temperatures as low as -50° F. Radiant heat is used to turn the ice crystals directly into water vapor, which is then drawn off by a vacuum. The cellular structure of the food remains unchanged and results in a spongelike, porous food that keeps its original size and shape both when dry and when reconstituted with water. Freeze-dried foods save both time and fuel. Many are precooked, and their porous nature allows them to be table-ready in just minutes.

Familiar fruits and vegetables, meats, and “space treats” are freeze-dried individually. The ready-to-eat entrée is a good choice for short emergencies when the power is out and you need a nourishing, warm meal. The best quality ready-to-eat freeze-dried entrée meals are cooked first and then freeze-dried.

The biggest drawback to freeze-dried foods is cost — a freeze-dried entrée for two costs a little less than ten dollars.

Home Freeze-Dryer

Harvest Right has developed a home freeze dryer that works as claimed and produces quality freeze-dried food, but it’s pricey and takes up a lot of space.

Comparing Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried Foods

Dehydrated and freeze-dried foods have had the moisture level reduced to only a small percentage. See table 14.1 for a side-by-side comparison of dehydrated and freeze-dried products. Companies that specialize in dehydrated and freeze-dried foods are listed in the resource section.

Convenience

For a reasonable balance between taste and cost, choose dehydrated for most fruits, vegetables, and dairy products and freeze-dried for meats, eggs, and entrées.

They are easy to use and convenient to store, conceal, and transport and are usually packaged in Mylar bags or in #2.5 and #10 cans for home storage. Oxygen absorbers are commonly used for long-term storage. Some dehydrated and freeze-dried foods can be eaten right from the pouch or can. Freeze-dried entrées, especially, can provide a meal in a hurry; just add boiling water to the pouch. Dehydrated foods require more rehydrating, but in either case, be sure you have enough water on hand to reconstitute dehydrated foods when water may be in short supply. Fruits and vegetables need about a gallon per pound of dehydrated product, and eggs and meats average one-third gallon per pound.

Table 14.1 Comparing Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried Foods
Characteristics of Dehydrated	Characteristics of Freeze-Dried
Shriveled shape and smaller size than original food	Maintains shape and texture of original food
Compact and intense flavor, like cooked food when reconstituted	Good flavor, plumper, closer to fresh taste
Lightweight, takes less space than freeze-dried	Lightweight for portability but bulky
More economical than freeze-dried	Expensive but highly rated
Milk products usually come in dehydrated form.	Meat available in only freeze-dried form (except jerky)
Some foods may be dried at home in a dehydrator or oven.	Home freeze dryer makes it possible to freeze-dry at home.
Rehydration requires soaking or cooking for 20 minutes.	Short rehydration time of 6 to 9 minutes, saving time and fuel
Shelf life prolonged once opened if container is kept closed	Begins absorbing moisture after opening; must be eaten soon after opening
Shelf life varies from few years to 30 years.	Up to 30-year “best if used by”
©Patricia Spigarelli-Aston

Dehydrated fruits weigh about 1⁄7 and vegetables about 1⁄10 of their original weight. Freeze-dried meats weigh about 1⁄3 of their fresh weight.

Dehydrated foods take up only 1⁄5 as much space as fresh foods, but manufacturers often pack the cans lightly, using up some of that space savings. Freeze-dried foods take up the same amount of space as fresh foods since they do not change shape or size.

Nutritional Value

As mentioned, all foods lose nutritional value in processing and during storage, and dehydrated and freeze-dried foods are no exception. Although the water has been removed, dehydrated foods still contain some fats and/or sugars, which are susceptible to oxidation. Over time, oxidation turns sugars brown, causes oils to go rancid, and creates undesirable colors and flavors. A lower moisture content also contributes to the loss of protein.

Freeze-dried food has higher initial nutritional values because of lower processing temperatures. However, air-dried food tends to lose nutrients more slowly because its shriveled form protects it better than the porous structure of freeze-dried foods.

Despite nutritional losses, both dehydrated and freeze-dried foods are good sources of nutrition and can be an important part of your food storage.

Taste and Appearance

The flavors and appearance of dehydrated and freeze-dried foods change during processing and storage. Dehydrated foods may look a lot like cooked foods when they are reconstituted, but over time, they lose their ability to rehydrate and become tough when cooked.

Freeze-dried foods look much like they did before they were processed but with a frothy, airy texture until reconstituted.

Taste is subjective. Most reviews for freeze-dried foods and entrées speak highly of their taste. Dehydrated foods have a strong, concentrated flavor, and opinions about the taste range from delicious and fresh to cardboard-like and artificial. You really must try them yourself to decide what you think. Try a couple of freeze-dried entrées and purchase some small sizes of dehydrated foods. Food storage companies often provide samples.

Cost

While some dehydrated foods, like dehydrated onions, are inexpensive, freeze-dried foods are among the most expensive processed foods. If you want to compare the cost of dehydrated and freeze-dried foods with other kinds of foods, you’ll need to put them in equivalent measures so you are comparing them fairly. For example, one-third cup of dried onions is equivalent to one onion, and one pound of dried onions is equivalent to eight pounds of fresh, chopped onions.

Shelf Life and Vulnerability

Table 14.2 Shelf Life of Common Dry, Dehydrated, and Freeze-Dried Foods*
Food Product	Best-If-Used By	Life-Sustaining
Grains	10—12 years	30+ years
Beans	8—10 years	25+ years
Pasta	8—10 years	20+ years
Rolled oats	8—10 years	30+ years
Dairy products	3—5 years	15 years
Dried whole egg powder	1—2 years	5—10 years
Dehydrated peanut butter	5 years	10 years
Dehydrated apple slices	5 years	30 years
Dehydrated fruits	5 years	20 years
Dehydrated carrot slices	5 years	10 years
Dehydrated vegetables	5 years	10 years
Potato flakes	5 years	30+ years
Freeze-dried vegetables	5 years	30+ years
Freeze-dried fruits	5 years	30+ years
Freeze-dried entrées	5 years	30+ years
Freeze-dried ground beef	5 years	30+ years
*Estimates only. Based on optimum storage conditions at temperatures lower than 70° F in oxygen-free #10 cans.
©Patricia Spigarelli-Aston

In recent years, the shelf life for dehydrated foods and freeze-dried foods has been revised upward. To achieve the best shelf life, foods should be stored in opaque, airtight containers in an oxygen-free environment and at temperatures consistently below 70° F (21° C). Foods will last increasingly longer the lower the temperature. Table 14.2 lists estimated shelf life for common storage foods.

Shelf Life of Dehydrated Foods and Grains

The Nutrition , Dietetics & Food Science Department at Brigham Young University has established some of the best research on the longevity of stored foods. Based on nutritional analysis and taste testing, they determined that dehydrated fruits and vegetables and grains have a reasonable level of nutrition and acceptable taste after thirty years. This is called their life-sustaining or emergency shelf life.

Dairy products have about half this storage life. Dehydrated egg products did not fare well in the testing and have a relatively short shelf life and should be rotated within a year or two.

Despite their longer shelf life, dehydrated foods are best if rotated and used within a four to five-year period. Check the quality of sensitive items, such as dairy products and eggs, more frequently.

Shelf Life of Freeze-Dried Foods

The shelf life of freeze-dried food depends on the quality of the food and the integrity of the packaging. Mountain House, a pioneer in freeze-dried foods, has been making freeze-dried food since 1969, and their product controls meet the demands of NASA and the military. In 2016, they revised the shelf life of their freeze-dried foods upward. The “best if used by” shelf life printed on their packaging is now thirty years from when it was manufactured.

Other companies with state-of-the-art freeze-drying equipment also claim a twenty-five- to thirty-year shelf life. Although these companies may not have existed for thirty years, they are able to make their assertions based on laboratory testing and extrapolation. If you intend to store freeze-dried food for thirty years, carefully investigate the products and the company selling those products.

Open Shelf Life

Since dehydrated and freeze-dried foods begin to oxidize and absorb moisture once opened, cover open cans with airtight lids when you’re not removing ingredients. Dipping into a can rather than pouring will reduce exposure to air. Use fresh desiccants and oxygen absorbers as needed, and store open cans in a cool, dry area.

Covered properly, opened cans of air-dried foods will keep for three months to a year. High-fat foods have the shortest shelf life, fruits and vegetables the longest. Freeze-dried foods attract moisture more quickly and will only store for two to three months. Repackage unused amounts in vacuum packaging with oxygen absorbers to keep them longer.

Freeze-Dried and Dehydrated Entrées

Freeze-Dried Entrées

One way to purchase freeze-dried food is in entrée form. A freeze-dried entrée is first prepared as a complete dish, such as beef stroganoff or chicken teriyaki, and then freeze-dried. The freeze-dried food is packaged in pouches containing two to four servings or in #10 cans containing about ten servings. Freeze-dried entrées can be ready to eat in minutes by adding water. They are a good option for emergency-evacuation or shelter-in-place situations. They also provide variety to a survival diet.

Personally Speaking

As I was writing this section, I decided we needed to try some up-to-date freeze-dried entrées. We sampled two Mountain House entrées—Lasagna with Meat Sauce and Mexican Style Rice & Chicken. We bought them at a local sporting goods store, and the best-by-date was thirty years out! The dry product resembled the entrée in a non-freeze-dried state but was very light and porous. I added two cups of water as directed, stirred, closed the zipper, and waited the recommended eight minutes. Nothing could be easier! They both passed the taste test. The container said it contained three servings, but it was enough for three average servings or two generous servings for big appetites.

The Lasagna with Meat Sauce had real cheese, and there were bits of ground beef throughout the tomato sauce. Although it was not layered like lasagna, the overall texture and taste were authentic. The Mexican Style Rice & Chicken had small chunks of chicken along with kidney beans, rice, sliced olives, morsels of green peppers and onions, all in a spicy tomato sauce. One of the things I liked about both entrées was that they had relatively low sodium levels—19 percent DV (daily value) and 24 percent DV, respectively. I have seen other entrées with over 30 percent.

Combo Entrées

The other kind of entrée contains dehydrated ingredients and often a meat substitute. Some may contain actual freeze-dried meats or vegetables in addition to other dehydrated ingredients. The dry components are mixed and then packaged in pouches or cans. Note that dehydrated components take longer to reconstitute than freeze-dried. Like most prepared foods, they often have a long list of additives and may contain excessive amounts of sodium to make them palatable.

Do Freeze-Dried and Combo Entrées Have a Place in Your Plan?

You do not want to count on a food storage that doesn’t deliver what it promises.

To decide if they’re right for you, consider under what circumstances you would need them. One entrée costs about as much a fast-food meal, but they can be useful when you need something quick. Take time to sample different entrées and decide which ones your family favors. Be sure to store water for reconstitution as well as have a way to heat the water.

“All-Inclusive” Menu Plans

Dehydrated foods are often sold in all-inclusive menu packages and promoted as the solution to storing an emergency food supply. Food storage companies often market these packages as worry-free, “gourmet” meal plans. They make statements about the convenience and nutritional superiority of their foods and claim they are cheaper and taste better than competing brands. Multilevel-marketing sales techniques and the use of celebrities to make their case are both common practices. They often use advertising come-ons like “free bonus items” or “hurry, offer ends soon.”

Advantages of Long-Term Food Storage

Despite the hype and aggressive marketing, there are some advantages to long-term food storage preparedness packages. First, if stored properly, they have a legitimately long shelf life—twenty-five to thirty years. And it is true that you can store them away and basically forget about them. Second, they are especially useful for short-term emergencies, when there is a lot of uncertainty and you need hassle-free food. Third, they offer variety. And fourth, they are light and relatively portable.

Are Long-Term Food Storage Packages Worth the Cost?

Take the time and effort to critically examine the products you are considering for your food storage.

You may be wondering about whether to purchase these “complete” food storage packages, buckets, or meal plans. It may be tempting to purchase a three-month, six-month, or even a year’s supply of food so you can “be done with it.” Unfortunately, it’s not that simple if your goal is to be thoughtfully prepared. These products are frequently made from highly processed foods with preservatives and other additives and are low on quality components. They are very expensive for what you are getting. But most importantly, you do not want to be in a crisis and counting on something that will not deliver the taste, nutrients, and calories you need.

It’s important to spend some time and effort critically examining the food you are considering purchasing so you can be sure you are getting quality.

Take Time to Analyze Ingredient Lists and Nutrition Labels

Table 14.3 Making Sense of Daily Value on Food Labels
Nutrient	Daily Value	%Daily Value	Goal
Total Fat	65 g	=100%DV	Less than
Sat Fat	20 g	=100%DV	Less than
Cholesterol	300mg	=100%DV	Less than
Sodium	2,300mg	=100%DV	Less than
Total Carbohydrate	300g	=100%DV	At least
Dietary Fiber	25 g	=100%DV	At least
Total Sugars
Added Sugars	50 g	=100%DV	Less than
Protein*	50 g	=100%DV	At least
Given Daily Value amounts are based on a 2000-calorie diet. This chart is based on information from “How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label” www.fda.gov website *Protein amount is about what a person needs and is included for the reader’s benefit, but does not have a Daily Value.
©Patricia Spigarelli-Aston

In adherence to FDA requirements, food manufacturers publish nutritional information about their products. Most food storage companies post ingredient lists and nutritional labels on their websites, allowing the consumer to scrutinize product content and nutrition. Take the time to analyze these labels so you can make an informed decision about which products to purchase. You will find some surprising information—the ingredients may not be what you thought they were.

Table 14.3 will help you determine the nutritional value of a food as you study its label. It shows the daily value of several important nutrients in a typical two-thousand-calorie diet.

Note that for some nutrients, your aim is to be lower than the daily value; for others, your aim is to be higher. For example, the daily value for total sugar is 50 grams, but the goal is to have less than that amount daily. Also, it’s helpful to know that per serving of food, a nutrient listed at 5 percent is a low amount; 20 percent is a high amount.

What Exactly Are You Getting in That “Gourmet” Entrée?

A food might be called lasagna or stroganoff—two foods traditionally made with meat—but check the label! The ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. In the list of ingredients, where is the meat? At the top or way down the list? Does it even have meat in it?

Deceptive Labeling

More than one dehydrated food storage company offers chicken a la king, and there is not a single morsel of chicken in the product. Be cautious of main-course foods labeled to give the illusion that they are made with meat or labels that say “beef-flavored” or “chicken-flavored”—there is likely no meat in them at all.

High-quality entrées will have foods like real meat, real dairy, real cheese, and fruits and vegetables listed near the top of the ingredient list.

Besides not listing any known meat as an ingredient, there will often be an ingredient called “textured vegetable protein,” or TVP, which is a protein made from soybeans that is used to simulate meat. It is not necessarily a bad product, but the implication that you are getting and paying for meat is deceptive.

Does the label list real dairy products or dairy components, like whey or nondairy creamers? A high-quality food will have real meat, real dairy, real cheese, and fruits and vegetables near the top of the list.

How Much Is a Bowl of Oatmeal Worth to You?

Once you have scrutinized dinner-entrée ingredients, take a good look at breakfast entrées, sides, and beverages. You will realize that breakfast entrées are often nothing more than grain cereal packed with sugar and artificial creamer, and they cost about two dollars per half-cup serving. Sides are often inexpensive carbohydrates like rice and instant potatoes, and a good share of the beverages are sugar-sweetened flavored drinks or artificial milk drinks. They are often sold along with more costly-to-manufacture entrées as part of a “complete meal-plan” bucket. But there are much less expensive ways to purchase them! You must ask yourself if the convenience is worth the price you are paying. Use worksheet 14.1 to help you evaluate the dehydrated and freeze-dried foods you are considering and to help you make an informed decision about purchasing them.

What Happened to Lunch?

One last thing to consider. How many meals are in the “complete meal plan?” More often than not, there will only be two daily meals in the meal bucket. Always check the number of meals provided as well as the number of calories provided.

Buying Hints

You can buy from local dealers or national online companies, but after buying, open all cartons and make sure you’ve received what you were expecting.

Local supermarkets and wholesale warehouse clubs also carry some dehydrated items. They usually cost less than items from a food storage-dealer, and the sizes may be more manageable for your family’s needs, although they may need to be repackaged for long-term storage.

Look for sales and specials and don’t hesitate to ask for discounts. Commercial and government contract overruns are sometimes available.

A Worksheet to Help You

Use worksheet 14.1 to help you evaluate dehydrated and freeze-dried food plans. For a downloadable PDF file, go to CrisisPreparedness.com.

Worksheet 14.1 Evaluating Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried Food Plans
Product: Number of servings per container: Serving size: Cost per ounce:
Yes	No	Evaluate dehydrated and freeze-dried plans by checking yes or no. A yes means the plan is acceptable in the category.
		Does the food taste good when reconstituted?
		Is the food aesthetically appealing? (texture and appearance)
		Is the serving size easy to visualize? (cups as opposed to grams or 1/4 pouch)
		Is the serving size realistic? (at least 1 cup for entrées)
		Are there enough calories in a daily menu to equal at least 2,000?
		Do entrées contain quality proteins? (real meat, real cheese)
		Is there adequate protein? (about 46 g for women and 56 g for men per day)
		Are dairy products “real” milk, cheese, and cream?
		Do complex carbohydrates and fiber make up a high proportion of the carbohydrates?
		Are added processed sugars used sparingly? (less than 50 g daily)
		Are entrées low in sodium? (less than 2,300 mg daily—20 percent DV for sodium in a single food item is high.)
		Are vitamins and minerals listed in the ingredients?
		Is there a variety of breakfasts meals, not just inexpensive cereals, such as flavored oatmeal?
		Does the “complete plan” include three meals per day rather than just breakfast and dinner?
		Is there a minimum amount of food additives and preservatives? (i.e., high-fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate, yeast extracts, texture proteins, hydrolyzed protein, sodium or calcium caseinate, etc.?
		Are you able to sample all products you are purchasing?
		Have you compared and sampled foods from several different companies?
		Can the company’s nutritional and shelf-life claims be substantiated?

Five Things You Can Do Now

Table 13.1Pounds of Food per Five-Gallon Bucket

Nutritional Value

Shelf Life

Cost and Vulnerability

Personally Speaking

Nutritional Value

Shelf Life

Cost and Vulnerability

Retort Foods

Nutritional Value

Shelf Life

Cost and Vulnerability

Aseptically Packaged Foods

Dried Foods

Dehydrated Foods

Personally Speaking

Freeze-Dried Foods

Home Freeze-Dryer

Convenience

Table 14.1Comparing Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried Foods

Nutritional Value

Taste and Appearance

Cost

Shelf Life and Vulnerability

Table 14.2Shelf Life of CommonDry, Dehydrated, and Freeze-Dried Foods*

Shelf Life of Dehydrated Foods and Grains

Shelf Life of Freeze-Dried Foods

Open Shelf Life

Freeze-Dried Entrées

Personally Speaking

Combo Entrées

Do Freeze-Dried and Combo Entrées Have a Place in Your Plan?

Advantages of Long-Term Food Storage

Are Long-Term Food Storage Packages Worth the Cost?

Take Time to Analyze Ingredient Lists and Nutrition Labels

What Exactly Are You Getting in That “Gourmet” Entrée?

Deceptive Labeling

How Much Is a Bowl of Oatmeal Worth to You?

What Happened to Lunch?

Buying Hints

A Worksheet to Help You

Table 13.1
Pounds of Food per
Five-Gallon Bucket

Table 14.1
Comparing Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried Foods

Table 14.2
Shelf Life of Common
Dry, Dehydrated, and Freeze-Dried Foods*