My Patriot Supply is good.
Also, some good old canned food from Walmart is good.
‘Mountain House’ is pretty good..
The Patriot Pantry has great stuff like: https://mypatriotsupply.com/collections/emergency-survival-food good stuff a tad spendy but their short term 3 day supply and two week supply are a good deal; buy several packs of each - 20 year shelf life.
What you buy depends on what you’re planning for, what you normally eat, how much you think you need (days, weeks, months; number of people), and whether you need to transport it.
I bought from https://www.foodinsurance.com/ a couple years ago. I tried a sampling of 5 meals. Pretty good. Not as good as freshly prepared, of course. Even had a ‘freeze dried’ ice cream sandwich (have something to drink handy).
Haven’t tried the civilian version of MREs. The chemical heaters are a plus if you are outdoors.
One thing I found out was a good and lightweight substitute was Coast Guard approved survival food bars. I got some in cinnamon and some in lemon. They last forever compared to MREs and have just as much food value.
You can carry a week's worth of these bars in your glovebox where that many MREs would take up much more space. These are typical:
https://www.firesupplydepot.com/mayday-food-bar-3600-cal-fb36m.html?cmp=bingshopping&kw=mayday-food-bar-3600-cal-fb36m
I also found another brand in the Wal Mart camping supplies aisle.
Are you on the run in the mountains, but with lots of water available? In that situation, any good dehydrated or freeze-dried meals will work . . . for a week or so. If water is limited, there is no point in carrying the water plus the freeze-dried food instead of some less expensive form of preservation. What situation is this food for?
For sheltering in place, at home, you cannot beat the LDS Church https://providentliving.churchofjesuschrist.org/self-reliance/food-storage/home-storage-center-locations-map?lang=eng . Their food is good, nutritious, lasts for decades, and reasonably priced. I have a 2-year supply of their stuff, mostly with a 30-year shelf life, plus I have other items as a supplement for variety and flavor.
Try these guys:
Steve1989: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I6Et1JkidnnbWgJFiMeHA
Stickyfingas745: https://www.youtube.com/user/stickyfingaz745
Gundog4314: https://www.youtube.com/user/gundog4314
Best,
L
If you’re buying dehydrated items, BUT MANY EXTRA CASES OF WATER to rehydrate the stuff, beyond what you’d normally drink. Also, don’t forget the 12 or 15 packs of TP and paper towels.
Mountain house or anything dehydrated stores easily and lasts a very long time. Speaking of storage, that is very important to insure proper ration longevity. There are various opinions on the best storage methods. Cool, dark closet works ok. I have seen frozen rations last 30 plus years, however most places do not recommend freezing. Mre Mountain has lots of cool stuff as well as rations from other countries. Lastly, there are some great ration reviewers on YouTube gundog, steve1989 ECT. Also check out mreinfo formums for more good info.
I have 4 containers of freeze dried WISE brand dehydrated food. Good for 25 years. I just stopped the autoship. They sell it on HSN. Sad to say I have no idea what they taste like. Reviews were good & thought it important to have some on hand.
Does anyone know if there is something out there for cats & dogs?
Mountain House Freeze Dried is the best for taste.
I do love the freeze dried ground beef. It is good for 25 years and I add it to all sorts of dishes including Mac and cheese and spaghetti sauce.
At Amazon there was a brand of freeze dried refried beans that is indistinguishable from canned beans. very good - IF you like Mexican food.
My opinion, for what it is worth...is that while times are good,
you should learn to eat things that are preservable.
Adjust your routine to NOT rely on fresh or frozen foods, and adapt
your routine to things like boxed, dried, and canned foods with a long shelf life.
Have a goal to keep a 6-12 month supply of those foods.
Buy them periodically and be sure to rotate your stock.
That way, no matter if times are good or bad,
you eat the same thing you always eat, and
you don’t have to get used to eating something different.
Watch out for expiration dates if you are keeping “emergency supplies”.
I have a basic 45 day food supply for emergencies. A mix of Mountain House and Augason Farms, all freeze dried, plus canned soups and veggies. I keep a stock of tea and coffee beans, plus hot drink mixes.
I live in Western Oregon so of course there is a river near by, and I have the means to purify the water. I have a propane camp stove plus 15 gallons of propane. kerosene lamps and candles.
I don’t think I have enough to make me a prepper....just enough to get me and my family through a short-term societal disruption.
One thing I’m noticing about food prep kits is that they are basically a bunch of carbs (rice, potato) and flavorings.
Survival food and real food will be really different! The survival stuff is cheaper.
I am starting to think that Walmart has stuff that is the same as what the prep places sell, and maybe cheaper.
Search Augason at Walmart food.
Freeze dried lasts the longest in my experience. Anything with buttermilk powder in it had bulged cans after 2-3 years, so stay away, IMHO. I tried some dried red kidney beans 10 years after manufacture. They were edible, but never softened up completely, even after boiling along time. freeze dried mint chocolate chip ice cream was pretty darn good.
If you don’t have enough water to re hydrate meals, you are in serious trouble.
The actual MREs, like the ones they handed out after Hurricane Katrina, are frickin’ delicious! They come in all sorts of different flavors, spaghetti and meatsauce was my favorite, and usually a shake and some desert.
Those come with their own chemical heating element inside, and are different from the freeze dried stuff at sold at walmart.
You’re thinking right...as opposed to taking the ‘soothing words’ of the Chicom government at face value.
Figure, at a minimum, a HUGE DISRUPTION of everything that comes from China, and then stuff made with Chinese components, and then stuff made with Chinese raw materials, and, finally, stuff reliant on Chinese tooling for manufacture. And then, add to that, this crap spilling over to the rest of Asia.
As to your question, for this, as I see it. For this scenario, we ‘should’ be able to keep power plants running through the worst of it. Same with water. Sure, there will be interruptions and scares, but overall, these utilities require only a handful of key people to keep operating...so those people will be treated like gods and given the best bio-suits and the best medical care, should they get infected. Again, what I believe - if it gets worse than that, then we’re looking at a total social meltdown, and I’m not sure if I even want to be around for that.
So, having said that, and if you agree, then there really isn’t a need to go to the point of MREs, but rather look at Sams/Costco and stock up there (before the masses clean them out). If you need to, buy another refrigerator/freezer. I’d say go in that direction, and if you buy stuff that you’ll consume or use anyway, then no big loss.