Freeze Dried Food: Emergency Food Storage & How To Build A Food Supply

You can never be too prepared when it comes to your family's well being. Emergency preparedness is often neglected by many families, and many times even families with survival kits are missing one incredibly important item: food. Food is one of our most basic necessities and food storage is easier to make part of your emergency preparedness plans than you think.

Whether you are in an emergency situation, need relief after a disaster, or are experiencing tough financial times, home food storage can be vitally important for you and your family. Beginning a food storage supply is actually quite easy. It only requires a little forethought and a bit of planning.

There are a number of different items that you can use in a food storage supply. You can use non-perishable and dehydrated items from the grocery store, or you can research top food storage companies who sell a variety of freeze dried and dehydrated foods.

Buy In Bulk
An easy way to start building your home food storage supply is to buy in bulk. This gives you the most for your money.

Start Small
You don't have to break the bank to start a food storage supply. You also don't have to buy everything at once. Start out bit by bit and you will soon have a large food storage supply.

Don't Forget Water
Water is one of the most important items that you need in your survival kit. You should reserve one liter per day of water for each of your family members. You should also have a separate supply of water for things like washing and cleaning.

If you are looking for meal and quantity suggestions when it comes to food storage, there are a number of food storage companies that have inventory and supply list which you can download from their websites.

Freeze dried food and dehydrated food are both great food storage items. They are both preserved foods that have very long shelf lives. They are different in many ways and knowing their differences will help you make an informed decision about which one is best for you. Or you may buy each for different purposes.

Lightweight & Compact
Freeze dried and dehydrated food storage are also convenient choices for your survival kit because they are lightweight and compact. You can store much more food in a small space because of this. This also makes them easy to transport, so if you are an avid backpacker these are perfect food options for you.

Freeze dried food is created using a cutting edge flash freezing process that leaves food in a state of "suspended animation." Virtually everything about the food remains the same as it was before it was freeze dried.

Taste
Freeze dried food maintains all of its original tastes, flavors, aromas, and textures. When reconstituted the food comes back to life tasting just as great as ever.

Nutritional Value
Freeze dried food also has high nutritional value because all of its vitamins and minerals are preserved during the flash freezing process.

Cost
Freeze dried foods tends to be more expensive because they are high quality. They taste gourmet and have good nutritional content. Plus, expensive equipment is used to create freeze dried food storage.

Dehydrated food is created using air or sun drying techniques. Some types of dehydrated foods are great for long-term food storage, while other types of dehydrated foods are used and eaten on a daily basis--sun dried tomatoes, dried seasonings, dried fruit, and so on.

Taste
Dehydrated food is "altered" during its preservation process, unlike freeze dried food. It's taste, flavors, aromas, and textures are changed because the actual food is changed during the process. Most times, pre-made dehydrated meals do not taste nearly as good as freeze dried meals. Dehydrated food is also known to have a chewier texture.

Nutrition
The change that occurs in the food during the air and sun drying processes not only affects taste but also affects the nutritional value. During these processes nutritional value is lost. However, things like dried fruits are eaten often because they still retain a good amount of fiber.

Cost
Dehydrated food storage is less expensive than freeze dried food because the equipment used to create dehydrated food is less expensive. This food storage is also less expensive because it does not have the same great taste and nutritional value as freeze dried food.