Food Storage Shopping Tips
1. Think in terms of calories per person per day. High stress situations require more calories. Under normal circumstances, adults need 2000-2600 calories per day, more if very active. Children need 1500-1600 calories per day or more to maintain growth and energy1. Be sure you can determine how many calories per person per day you are purchasing. If you are unable to determine the quantities in a kit, combo, or year supply, you may find yourself not having as much nourishment as you thought. For example, 2,000 calories per day for a month for one person is about 60,000 total calories; for a year, 730,000.
2. Look for nutritious calories, not empty calories. Try to get calories from as wide a variety of sources as possible. A lot of calories from sugar drinks or candy are far less healthy than from balanced meals.
3. Be informed about nutritional values. For example, how much daily nutritional value, on average, will you get in carbohydrates, protein, iron, or vitamins A or C? During times of stress or disease, nutritional values take on additional importance.
4. Do not rely entirely on number of servings. Not all servings are created equal. Servings per person can be misleading if it’s not clear what the serving size is or what is included. For example, a cup of orange drink, a cup of beef stroganoff, a tablespoon of butter, or a quarter teaspoon of salt all technically count as a “serving.” Make sure you are comfortable with what your supplier means by “servings per person.” Three servings per day could mean only 600 calories per day. Also, serving sizes for similar products are not necessarily consistent from one supplier to the next.
5. Be concerned about menu fatigue. Buying only a few menu options may be challenging to endure should you ever need to use your food over an extended period of time. The more variety you have, the more enjoyable your eating experiences will be and less shock it will cause to your body. Think through in your mind what it would be like to eat entirely from your food storage for a week, a month, six months, or longer and compare that to the variety you’ve enjoyed over the past week. Having a variety of grains, legumes, dairy, meats, fruits and vegetables plus a variety of seasonings on hand will go a long way toward expanding your meal options. Clearly, you should not sacrifice calories and nutrition for the sake of variety and yummy meals–after all, your first priority is to save lives—but for almost no additional cost, and with some forethought, you can have a dramatically more enjoyable and healthy food supply.
6. Be aware of weights and volumes. Gross or shipping weight includes the weight of the packaging materials. “Net weight” is only the weight of the food and the best measure of how much food the package contains. Knowing the net weight or volume of what you are buying makes it easier to comparison shop. For example, focus on dollars per ounce (weight) or dollars per gallon of like items when comparison shopping, just as you do when shopping at the grocery store. Remember that the equivalent quantity of food occupies more space if it’s freeze-dried than if it were dehydrated.
7. Know what kind of cook you are. Better yet, anticipate which kind of cooking you most want to do during an extended period of difficulty. If you like to cook or bake from scratch, you can save money by emphasizing basics like wheat, rice, legumes, milk, eggs, and individual types of dehydrated vegetables, fruits, and seasonings. This gives you the greatest flexibility for menu choices and is the best way to avoid menu fatigue. If you prefer just-add-water options, you can save time and heat resources using dehydrated or freeze-dried meals or entrées. If you want to heat and eat without adding water, MREs (Meals-Ready-to-Eat)—like what the military uses—may be the ticket. Most people settle on a combination of all of the above, due to the variety they allow, to save both money and time.
8. Scrutinize shipping and handling charges. Food storage orders can be quite heavy and shipping can be a major cost if you’re not careful. Some suppliers charge a flat fee, others charge according to the weight of the order. Take into account the entire cost, including shipping, when price comparing. A reasonable flat shipping charge presents an opportunity to add additional items to the order without incurring additional shipping costs.
9. Don’t just look at the price. Not all food storage companies are the same nor do they package and price their products the same. Products perpetually on sale may actually not be the best available price. Beware when price per net weight, calories per day, cans per case, number of complete meals, etc. are not determinable. This might be a situation where you are not getting the best value for your dollar.
10. Understand the pros and cons of the different kinds of packaging. The enemies of food that has been prepared and packaged for long term storage are heat, moisture, oxygen, and light. Protecting against heat depends 100% on where the product is stored, but the other three—moisture, light, and oxygen—are mostly controlled by the packaging. Make sure oxygen is removed from the container by either use of an oxygen absorber or by nitrogen flushing. For pails, which are not 100% air tight, make sure the product is sealed inside a metallized bag (a common brand is Mylar®), otherwise oxygen will leak back in. Certain freeze-dried foods kept in oxygen-free cans that are stored in a cool, dry environment can retain nutritive value for 25 years or more (see tip regarding shelf life).
Article From: preparednesspantry.blogspot.com
