4 Questions To Ask Before Buying Emergency Food Storage
For many people, buying an emergency food storage supply feels like a daunting task. With all of the products available on the market, the amount of research needed to find the right thing for your family can be overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. One our our team members, Tim Hemingway, recently met with the Studio 5 morning news program in Salt Lake City, Utah to discuss four simple questions you should ask before buying emergency food.
Just to avoid any confusion, in the clip, Tim is representing Daily Bread Food Storage which is our sister company. Both Food Insurance® and Daily Bread® are part of the Freeze-Dry Foods family. Freeze-Dry Foods has been a leader in freeze-drying since 1962. You can see the clip below:
As outlined in the segment, the questions to ask before purchasing are:
1. How many calories per day am I getting, and what are the calories coming from?
On average, adults need 2000 calories per day.
Not all calories are created equal. For example, make sure your meal plan isn’t being “padded” with sugary drinks and starches.
Food Insurance has 1000 calorie per day and 2000 calorie per day meal plans that are based off of the Food and Nutrition Board’s Daily Recommended Intake (DRI). Click here to view our meal plans.
2. What type of food am I actually getting? Is it freeze-dried, dehydrated, or a mix?
Freeze-dried is a must for meat and dairy. It is also an ideal preservation method for many fruits and vegetables.
Dehydrated is ideal for pasta and many fruits and vegetables.
Many freeze-dried meals contain a mixture of dehydrated and freeze-dried components, which is fine, as long as you know what to look for. Always read the nutritional panel on “meat” dishes to verify that they include freeze-dried meat. Many “freeze-dried” chicken and beef entrées available on the market don’t actually include meat. Instead, they include textured soy nuggets (also called textured vegetable protein) or chicken or beef flavoring.
Since 1962, Freeze-Dry Foods has specialized in freeze-drying meat. Currently, Freeze-Dry Foods is a USDA approved meat freeze-dryer. You can rest assured that Food Insurance® and Daily Bread® branded products contain premium freeze-dried meats.
3. What is the realistic shelf-life of the emergency food I am purchasing?
Pouches in boxes or buckets will only last 7-12 years at room temperature. To achieve a 25-year shelf-life, they must be kept below 50 degrees.
#10 enamel coated cans will keep your freeze-dried and dehydrated meals fresh for 25+ years when kept below 70 degrees.
4. How does it taste?
If the company won’t let you “try before you buy” you should question the actually quality of the product.
Food Insurance only offers the top quality products available, but don’t take our word for it. We’re happy to send you a free sample of our gourmet freeze-dried emergency food, click here to request your sample. Only one sample per household.
