Now we are going to discuss the merits (and shortcomings) of including Emergency / Survival Food Kits in your Long Term Food Storage plans and set up.
However, it’s best to discuss first of all a Survival Food Kit Buying Guide so that it’s possible for the potential customer to decide beforehand whether or not expenditure on this specialized type of merchandise is worthwhile for his / her family as well as him/herself.
| Issue | Comment |
| Variety of Meals & Special Diet Considerations | Just because it’s made for an emergency doesn’t necessarily mean it tastes the same as non-emergency supplies ! There are plenty of survival food kits that offer multiple servings and a variety of flavors and consistency, so you don’t get bored with what you eat. Also, If anyone in your family has dietary restrictions or allergies, it’s wise to make sure your emergency food is safe for them. |
| Number of servings | Whether for yourself or for a small group, take this into account. Consider the possibility of having other unexpected members with you. A disaster is never easy. |
| Portability | The fewer utensils and additives in your survival food kit, the easier it will be to carry. There is an art to packing a light and efficient bag. |
| Preparation | On average, the preparation of all these kits is extremely easy to perform. The preparation is set to take the same time as instructed. |
| Calories | You want high calorie foods in your emergency food kits. Most of them contain 800 to 3600 calories per serving, helping you maintain your body weight and energy level. |
| Ingredients | Each kit contains brand specific ingredients. Most often, there are not many preservatives or chemicals in these foods. They are maintained by an airtight seal and proper packaging, with an emphasis, above all, on nutrition. |
| Taste | Let’s be honest, not all the products are going to taste great! But matters are steadily improving. |
| Packing | Light and humidity are bad for your stored food. The Packaging comes in the form of aluminum cans, heat resistant and light permeable packaging, and sealed and food-safe containers. |
| Shelf Life | One of the most important factors is the shelf life of your food. Keep this in mind during the purchasing process so that you can properly plan for its eventual replacement if you don’t use it within the shelf life. |
One of the best ways to prepare yourself and your family for a tragedy or unfortunate crisis is to keep an emergency food kit available for these unfortunate situations.
Most of us expect never expect to have to resort to our emergency supplies, but being prepared is essential. The best / ideal emergency food kits are made from quality components to create a balanced food group that can be kept on the sidelines for many years without spoilage occurring. They should be packed with essential nutrients and easy to prepare and taste (in theory) delicious.
I have to admit that if you had asked me a year ago in 2019 about my enthusiasm for Emergency Food Kits / Buckets, it would have been very low but high on skepticism. Needless to say, since March 2020 and the Covid-19 Pandemic crisis and its subsequent fall-out causing unrest, lockdowns mini-food riots et al, storing food is not such a over reaction mentality as it would have been a year before hand.
In fact food storage including Emergency kits becomes a viable and necessary option when you cannot or don’t want to grow your own, something we most certainly encourage in a section of our members online course.
Bear in mind that Emergency / Survival kits can be very useful or can be a complete waste of money – it depends both on the kit you choose and the nature of the emergency (short or long term).
There are many,many reviews and criticisms for ‘the best survival food’ in which people have bought huge stocks of survival food and never bothered to try it. Not only did they never bother to try it, they never even bothered to even think and plan about it before they bought it :
Does this kit make sense? In an emergency, will this kit actually help me feed my family?
There’s nothing wrong with preparing for the worst, but if you’re going to prepare remember that your brain is your most valuable asset. Don’t buy dumb stuff i.e. nutritional produce that you will end up not using because you either don’t like it and / or there was an excess !
Remember also, whilst reviewing our product review below, always consider the ‘extras’ you may have to purchase separately because they are not included in the particular Supply Kit of your choice.
| Company | Comment |
| Valley Food Storage | The drawback with them is that they seem to be frequently out of stock so it takes a month, sometimes more for an order to be fulfilled and dispatched ! |
| Mountain House | No measuring device i.e. no line inside pouches to show how much water you need to add ; No Gluten-Free option ; Can-opening device absent. |
| ReadyWise | Limited accessibility, not all products are available from amazon.com Do you want to shop from several stores to get what you like, or do you prefer one purchase to stock up? ; Free samples are available but only for popular choices ! Pouches are not resealable and so the probability of wastage very likely. Preparation involves providing your own fire source, pot and pan.So time to prep. increased and cleaning afterwards ! |
| Augason Farms | Cooking Stove required to cook products ; Meat content of recipes is questionable ; Free samples not available ; Pouches not resealable ; Bucket lid opener (i.e ‘Bung Wrench’) is required but not included in kit. |
Here’s an appraisal of our 5 recommended Emergency Food Kits :
| Product Name | Valley Food Storage. | Mountain House Just In Case 14-Day Emergency Food Supply | NorthWest Fork Gluten-Free 30 Day Emergency Food Supply. | ReadyWise Emergency Food Supply. | Augason Farms 30-Day 1-Person Emergency Food Supply. |
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| Variety of Meals & Special Diet Considerations. | Very Good both for choice of dishes for long term & emergency time periods. Meals not specifically orientated to people with restricted diets : Long Term Kits Breakfast Lunch & Dinner Fruits & Vegetables Protein Dessert Water Solutions 8 / 10 | Good variety of meals. No consideration of special diet requirements. 7.5 / 10 | Limited variety but exclusively caters for Vegan and Kosher diets. Certainly worth a 7 / 10 | Very Good variety of dishes. Consideration for special diet consideration in bucket sizes only. 7.5 / 10 | Very Good variety of dishes. Little/No consideration for special diet consideration. 7 / 10 |
| Rating : Number of Servings. (Varies according to size of kit). |  |
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| Portability. | Buckets with handles ; Stand-Up Bags ; Mylar Pouches. Depends on kit size. 8 / 10 | Buckets with handles ; Pouches. 7.5 / 10 | Stand-Up Bags ; 21 lbs ; 16"x12"x8" 7 / 10 | Bucket with handle ; 20 lbs ; 12"x10"x15" (approx.) 7.5 / 10. | Bucket with handle ; 12"x12"x20" ; 24 lbs. 8 / 10 |
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| Shelf Life (Years) | 25 | 30 | 10 | 25 | 25 |
| Unique Feature / s | - No fillers - No GMO - Super taste. - Kids Favourites section. (cf later) - Packaging process excludes nitrogen | - Durable bucket contributes to excellent Shelf life of 30 years ! | - Exclusively for Vegans and Jewish dietary minimal requirements. | - Offers quality Gluten-free or Only Organic emergency food supplies | - Possible to purchase from many outlets - Meal extenders such as long grain rice also for sale - sell square pails which make stacking easier to help increase storage space |
| Value for Money. (Excluding Shipping Costs) | Good. |  |
Good. | Good. |  |
| Overall Grade Rating. | A+ | B+ | B+ | B+ | A- |
| CLICK the image to access additional information from the Amazon.com website | Coming Soon. |
Valley Food Storage : Special Kids Favourite Meals Options :
Conclusion
The information just on this site can be overwhelming, especially to the newcomer / beginner prepper. What we would strongly advise is for the reader to spend some time online visiting websites such as https://practicalselfreliance.com/best-survival-food-kits/ where you can not only read their thoughts and opinions on this particular type of merchandise but also read the real-life experiences of other visitors as well as potential buyers.
We now move onto the final sub-section of Food & Water by considering how you are going to cook your food i.e. what Camp Cooking Stoves (and Accessories) are suitable for your short-and-Long Term emergency/survival dilemmas.
From feedback requests we have received and visits to Prepper forums, this is a very, very popular topic and it warrants serious consideration for obvious reasons.
Here’s the link to access this content.
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