To simply answer you question freeze dried food can last 25-30 years! In order to make you understand how freeze dried food can last so long its best to know the process of how food is freeze dried.

Freeze-Drying Process

PHASE 1: Freezing

The first phase, freezing, involves carefully filling large trays of fresh produce or prepared food and loading these trays into commercialfreeze-drying machines. These machines lower the temperature below water’s eutectic point, the lowest temperature at which the solid (ice) and liquid phase (water) can coexist. During the freezing phase temperatures are usually between -50 °C and -80 °C.

PHASE 2: Primary Drying

The second phase, primary drying, involves lowering the atmospheric pressure inside the freeze-drying machine through the use of a partial vacuum which speeds the sublimation process and applying just enough heat for the ice to sublimate which can be calculated using water’s latent heat of sublimation. For preserving food, the primary drying phase lasts several days in order to prevent the structure of the food from being altered which would occur if to much heat was applied.

Approximately 95% of the water content is removed from the food product in the primary drying phase.

PHASE 3: Secondary Drying

The third phase, secondary drying, involves raising the temperature from the primary drying phase and lowering the pressure further inside the freeze-drying machine in order to remove any unfrozen water molecules from the food product through the process of desorption where physico-chemical interactions between the water molecules and the frozen food are broken. When the secondary drying phase is complete, the partial vacuum inside the freeze-drying machine is usually broken by an inert gas such as nitrogen, to prevent spoiling, and then the product is sealed. In this final phase, up to an additional 4% of the water content is removed from the food product.

An MRE heater is a little bag designed specifically for heating MRE entrees. They are self-contained, and all you need is water (or any liquid for that matter)! It is an aluminum-lined polyethylene bag with a magnesium-combination filler at the bottom of the pouch. I’ve personally used these bags a many times and they are wonderful (and HOT!)! These heaters are perfect for heating entrees, and with how hot they get I’d say you might even be able to stretch it for 2 entrees or your side dish!

Now, how does the actual heater itself work? At the bottom of the MRE heater pouch is smaller sealed pouch that contains magnesium. The chemical reaction with the magnesium and the water starts to work immediately after you add the water. When metal rusts, the oxidation process generates heat. Usually this takes such a long time (years), the heat is not noticed. However, in this heater there is Magnesium dust(which burns, or rusts, much faster), iron dust, and salt. This combination of minerals creates a rapid reaction and generates a lot of heat when water is added. Think of it as an Magnesium and Iron bar in water rusting in just a matter of seconds rather than years!

Here’s how you get your Meal Ready to Eat nice and hot! You start by cutting off the top of the bag (there is a tear notch if you don’t have scissors). Next, you pour the water in the bag, making sure not to pass the fill line (it takes about 1 ounce of water). Then take the MRE out of the cardboard box and slide it in the MRE heater pouch. Fold the pouch so the open flap is on top and the heater is on the side of the entree. Slide the whole MRE pouch with the meal back inside the cardboard box, and let sit for the designated time, usually about 10 minutes, and enjoy a delicious and hot meal. It’s that easy!

It is never safe to drink water from a source that has not yet been treated or you are unsure of. (For Example: water from a stream, lake, river, pond etc.) These sources of water especially could be contaminated with a variety of biological or chemical contaminates, including bacteria and parasites (such as Giardia) that may cause diseases such as dysentery, cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis.

There are many different methods that can be used to treat a contaminated water source; among the most common and effective ways are boiling, filtering, and using chemical treatments. In an emergency situation where you are forced to evacuate, your resources will be limited. You might not have fuel or supplies available to burn for fire, and if you aren’t prepared with a water filter, chemically treating your water is your best option. There are a few ways to chemically treat water if the supply you have is not deemed ‘drinkable’.

These are some of the most common ways to chemically treat your water:

Chlorinating Water with Bleach - In this method water should be treated with bleach. Add 1/8 of a teaspoon (8 drops) of liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) for every gallon of water. (4 liters) Use only house hold bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives.

Using Iodine - Iodine is a little better than chlorine at eliminating Giardia, however it’s more difficult to carry
and is not for everyone. Iodine must be stored in a place where no light can enter, and another downside is that anyone who is allergic to iodine, has thyroid problems, is on lithium, is a woman over 50, or is a pregnant or nursing woman, should be very careful and caution their doctor before using iodine. Generally iodine works best when the temperature of the water is warmer (at least 68 degrees F). If you are using a liquid preparation of 2% tincture of iodine, add 5 drops to a quart of clear water or double that if the water is cloudy. Shake well
and let stand for an hour.

Specialty Products on the Market - There are many products that are specifically meant to preserve or treat water for storage or immediate use on the market. These come in the forms of drops, tablets, pouches, and more. When using one of these methods, always follow the instructions directly on the packaging. Most of these products will purify the water within 20 minutes to a couple of hours.

It will always maximize the life span of the purified water if you store it in a cool place where it will never receive direct sunlight.

The term “food storage” is used rather loosely in the emergency preparedness industry. Depending on who is sharing the information it can mean anything from a pail of beans to the canned food in your pantry. I want to briefly outline for you the different types of food storage and make you aware of their pros and cons.

Food in your pantry

This is the starting point for your food storage. Depending on your family size, having enough food to last you at least two weeks in your pantry is one of the most cost effective ways to have food stored. I came from a large family, so we had a large room where we stored many weeks worth of food. It worked great for the family because my mom rarely had to run to the grocery store in a hurry. She would use our storage room as her grocery store and then restock that when she went shopping. I strongly recommend having a well stocked pantry with food that you are eating and will eat.

Here are a couple things to keep in mind:

• Make sure you buy food that you eat – I see people make the mistake of buying canned food at a case lot sale, but it is food they never want to eat. So even though the food was a great price, the food just sat in their pantry.
• Shelf life – This brings me to my next point of the shelf life of wet packed canned from you local grocery. The best rule of thumb is that your canned food will last at least 2 years. A lot of canned food will last much longer than that, maybe even up to 5 years. Foods that are high in acid content such as tomatoes and fruits will be closer to the 2 year range. If the canned food is past the expiration date, you should carefully inspect the food (the sniff test) and then make your best determination whether it is still safe to eat.

Once your pantry is stocked and you feel comfortable there, you need to consider more long term food storage products. These fall into three main categories:

1. Dry bulk food items
2. Dehydrated foods
3. Freeze-dried foods

Dry bulk food items

The items in this category include wheat, beans, rice, rolled oats, sugar and other staples. They are typically bulk packed in either cans or buckets. These items can be good to have around, but here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Preparation - It is difficult to turn these dry bulk food items items into something edible. If you are going to store food in this way, then you have to go all the way. You will need wheat grinders, lots of fuel (to cook these items into something edible) and additional ingredients to make the food usable. Just the fuel alone will be difficult to store and in the quantities you will need. So just remember, you have to go all in with this approach or you won’t be able to use it when you need it.

• Shelf life – Most of these items will store for a very long time. If stored properly, the wheat, beans, rice and oats will store for many, many years and probably many decades.

• Taste and Nutrition – These dry bulk storage foods typically will give you excellent nutrition. As for taste, that depends on what you can make out them. A pot of beans, doesn’t taste that great without some other ingredients added to it.

Dehydrated Food

This type of shelf stable food is processed using high heat. The high temperatures remove the moisture from the food which gives allows for the extended shelf life. The two things that really affect shelf life are moisture and oxygen. Here are few things to consider with dehydrated food:

• Shelf life – because of how the food is processed, the shelf life for most dehydrated items is 5-10 years. A few items might be a couple years longer and a few items might be a couple years shorter (such as dairy). So all that being said, dehydrated food is on the shorter end of the spectrum for long term shelf life.

• Taste and nutrition – again, because of how the food is processed using high heat, it actually damages the food and removes nutritional value as well as flavor. You will find with dehydrated food that it just won’t taste quite as good (sometimes it will taste awful!) and the food will look a little off.

• Preparation – most dehydrated food requires that you add and cook it. This requires fuel and a stove to be able to do so. It is easy to prepare, but it does take time. For example, dehydrated soup mixes will require cooking for up to 30 minutes. Over time that will use a lot of fuel.

Freeze-dried food

Freeze-dried food uses a unique process to make the food shelf stable. Rather than using high heat, it uses low heat in a vacuum chamber to slowly remove the moisture from the food. Because of how it is processed, the food retains nearly 100% of the natural nutrients, enzymes and taste. Freeze-dried food is my choice for long term food storage because it is the best in all three categories. Here are a few things to consider with freeze-dried food:

• Shelf life – freeze-dried food will give you the longest shelf life. You will get at least 25 years and more than likely much longer. I have heard of 40 year old freeze-dried food being tested and it has lost very little taste or nutritional value.

• Taste and Nutrition – This is another outstanding quality of freeze-dried food. It tastes like fresh food. The entrees, fruits and vegetables taste fresh and not processed. The flavor isn’t muted or dull. It will also retain the same texture, color and look of the fresh food. Because it is processed in low heat, the food retains 99% of all the fresh vitamins, nutrients and enzymes of the fresh food. This food tastes so good that I eat it regularly for my lunches and I know many other people that do the same.

• Preparation – again, another exceptional quality of freeze-dried food is how easy the preparation is. This food is designed for just add water simplicity. All you have to do is add hot water, stir and wait about 5 minutes and you have a meal. Because of that, your fuel costs are very low and you don’t have to spend valuable time in the preparation.

Remember with food storage that the most important thing is to start. But, I want to make sure you are spending your hard earned money on a product that you will use and will last.

One of my most commonly addressed subjects that the general public doesn’t seem to know much about is water storage. Storing water is one
of the most overlooked items in emergency preparedness, but it is easily one of the most important. Water is commonly one of the first things to become contaminated after a disaster, but it is essential to living. Death caused by dehydration can occur in 5 days or even less inhot weather, but drinking water isn’t the only thing we need to be prepared with. We also use water to clean injuries, cooking and eating supplies, and for personal hygiene.

It’s important to know how much water you should store. The Red Cross recommends a minimum of one gallon per person per day in an
emergency situation. In colder or warmer temperatures the need for water is even greater. The need for water also increases with exertion.

We recommend that you have at least 3 different way to access your water:

• Large barrels are perfect for storing large
  amounts of water, but are obviously not portable since when full they
  can weigh over 400 lbs. In a disaster that allows you to stay in your
  home, (a ‘Shelter-In-Place’ Emergency Situation), this is the best
  water storage solution. Even in the United States people have been
  confined to their homes due to severe storms, ice storms, major
  blackouts, and in extreme situations earthquakes and tornadoes; and any
  of these can cause a need for your gas and water to be shut off. It’s
  also important to remember that Food Grade plastic is only plastic
  ideal to store water in since it will not contaminate the water and
  extends it’s storage life.

• Portable water containers are appropriate when
  you are forced to evacuate a location. (a.k.a. Grab-N-Go Emergency
  Situation) An excellent example would be a 5 gallon stackable or
  collapsible water container. Again, make sure that you are storing your
  water in “Food Grade” Plastic which can extend your storage time to
  over 5 years. Other plastics are only good for holding water for about
  1-2 years.

• You also need a way to purify water if you have a
  source, but it’s unsafe to drink due to contamination. An optimal tool
  to use in this situation would be a water filter. Just remember to to
  get the maintenance kit to keep it functional when you’re on the go
  since you wouldn’t be able to order replacement parts in an emergency
  situation. I recommend any of the MSR or Katadyn water filters. I
  especially like the MSR MiniWorks for what it can do and the cost.
  Also, chemical purification using water purification tablets like
  Potable Aqua and AquaMira are a safe, effective and relatively fast way
  to clean your water.

As you work on you emergency preparedness it is important to understand the new vocabulary. Terms that you hear quite a bit are “Shelter in Place” and “Grab and Go”. It is important to make sure you have emergency supplies that allow you to do both. Depending on the disaster and depending on the circumstances surrounding the disaster you may need to “Shelter in Place” or you may need to evacuate or “Grab and Go”.

The term sheltering in place became very popular following 9/11. There was a lot of talk at that time regarding the possibility of a chemical or biological terrorist attack that would make it necessary for you to stay put, ideally in your home. You remember everybody buying plastic sheeting and duct tape to seal their windows? Yeah, me to. The basic premise of sheltering in place is that if it is unsafe to leave your residence you will need to stay put and find everything you need to survive right there. Hopefully, you will shelter in place at your home, but it might be that you have to shelter in place at your place of work, at school or at some other location.

Following a disaster, if it is safe to stay in your home, that is ideal. Whether you know it or not, you will have many emergency supplies at your disposal that will help you survive. The most important part of staying in your home is that it provides excellent shelter to keep you out of the elements. With a little bit of planning and preparation, you can build shelter in place supplies that will allow you to survive after a disaster. You will want to have supplies for at least the first 72 hours. My recommendation is that you have a shelter in place kit for at least two weeks and much longer if you can afford it. Here are some items to have in your “Shelter in Place” supplies:

Water

• Store water in barrels or 5 gallon containers. Make sure you use a Water Preserver to extend the storage life of the water.
• Water filter – having either a micro water filter or a more robust
  system will allow you to clean suspect water that you will get at your
  residence.

Food

• Use the food that will spoil first, then use the supplies in your pantry.
• Have long term food storage, such as freeze-dried food along with enough water to reconstitute.
• Store a wide variety of food in case you need to shelter in place for a long period of time.

Fuel & Generators

• You may have to shelter in place without any electricity or heat.
  Make sure you have a portable stove that will allow you to cook your
  food.
• Storing some wood at your house to make a fire if needed is a good
  idea. Make sure you have water proof matches, a lighter and a flint
  & steel.
• If you are able, purchasing a generator for your house is an
  extremely valuable item. Make sure you have some fuel set aside to run
  the generator.

Warmth

• Store warm blankets with your shelter in place supplies. You may not have heat and it will be critical to stay warm.

Light & communication

• You should have a quality battery powered and hand crank multi-band radio to get information from local and national sources.
• For light make sure you have a combination of flashlights, light sticks, lanterns and candles and all necessary batteries.
• Two battery powered 2-way radios are very helpful to stay in contact with loved ones or neighbors.

First-aid & hygiene

• A shelter in place first-aid kit should be much more comprehensive
  than your grab-n-go first-aid kit. Make sure you stock common
  medications that you and your loved ones will need.
• Have a personal hygiene kit in your shelter in place supplies. You may want to consider a port-a-potty as well.
• Stock N95 masks to protect against airborne pathogens.

Daily Items

• Make sure you take care of the most vulnerable ones in your group
  first. Small children and older people are often overlooked in
  emergency supplies.
• If necessary, stock baby food and diapers for babies.
• Have a supply of simple but warm clothing for everyone in the family. Make sure the clothing is easy to layer.
• Have some games or other distractions to help keep people occupied and improve moral.
• Have some paper goods, like paper plates, cups, napkins, spoons, forks, etc. that can be used for eating.

Tools

• You may want to have items like a crowbar, small axe, folding
  shovel, rope, duct tape, plastic sheeting and gas shut off wrench.

You have heard it said that the first 72 hours after a disaster are the most critical. This is the time frame when action needs to be taken in order to save lives. Unfortunately, in major disasters there is a good chance that outside help will not reach you until 72 hours. More than likely you will be on your own. The question then becomes, how do I survive the first 72 hours after a disaster?

Before I get to the list, I think it is important to prepare and practice. Survival is a skill that is acquired through study, preparation and practice. Take time to get yourself prepared with basic emergency supplies and a 72 hour emergency survival kit so are ready when disaster strikes. That being said, let me share with you a few insights that will help you and your loved ones make it through a disaster alive.

#1 – Stop, think, don’t panic.

Your most important asset during any emergency is a focused mind. Panic, stress, anger and frustration will only make your situation worse. So after a disaster occurs, stop, look around, observe your surroundings, assess problems and damage and then make a plan that will take care of immediate needs.

#2 – Render first-aid if necessary and possible.

Stabilizing your health and the health of those around you is critical to your survival. So look around and see if you or anyone around you is in need of first-aid. If you are bleeding badly, do what you can to prevent blood loss. Make sure everyone is able to breathe and does not have their breathing obstructed. Do what you can to calm down and help those around you not succumb to shock.

#3 – Find a safe place.

If after a disaster, your immediate location is not safe, then you need to remove yourself and help others get away from the danger as quickly as possible. When moving others, make sure that they are in a condition to be moved. Once you have moved to a safe location, again, stop, think, observe and plan.

#4 – Signal for or find help.

It might be that after a disaster, help is nearby. If you are unable to find help, do what you can to signal for help. You may have a whistle, flashlight, reflective mirrors or bright colored clothing that can be used to signal. If practical, you may need to start a fire to signal others. Be cautious with starting a fire, especially in an urban environment where there could be dangerous or flammable fumes in the area.

#5 – Find drinkable water.

It is critical to keep hydrated. Find clean drinking water to keep you alive. If you are uncertain of the condition of the water, you may boil the water or use a water filter or chemical water tablets to make the water drinkable. Do not drink water that will make you sick. Do all you can to avoid dehydration. Remember, you can go without food for many days, but you will need water within the first 72 hours.

#6 – Find shelter.

Keeping yourself out of the elements will help you survive. Stay out of the wind, rain, sun, cold and heat. You may need to make yourself a temporary shelter. Use whatever you can find around you to make a simple lean-to that will keep you out of the elements.

#7 – Have a way to start a fire.

It may become necessary to start a fire to stay warm. A fire has many provides many advantages for staying warm, boiling water and cooking. If possible, keep waterproof matches, a lighter and magnesium fire starter available for use after a disaster. Again, the same caution applies in urban settings. Fire can be very dangerous if not contained properly. Make sure you are in a safe place to have a fire.

This is a question that I hope none of you ever have to find out about in real life. In my opinion, water is the most overlooked item in our emergency supplies. In general, a healthy person can survive weeks without food. But you won’t survive nearly that long without water.

Making sure you have access to healthy drinking water during an emergency is critical. Do not drink unsanitary water or salt water as that will make you sick and cause you to dehydrate that much faster. As a general rule, if you are in an active environment, you will need to drink two quarts of water per day. You may have heard the rule of 1 gallon of water per person per day. The additional 2 quarts of water are for sanitation and hygiene purposes.

You are especially susceptible to dehydration on very hot or very cold environments. Both of those situations will have dry air that will suck the moisture out of your body. Extreme heat is of course the worst, but dehydration can occur in very cold environments as well. Dehydration will cause your be less efficient and your blood to thicken which in turn forces your heart to work harder. Do all you can to obtain clean, potable water, to reduce activity and to stay in the shade. That is how you stay hydrated.

Now back to the question of how long you can survive without water. This will depend greatly on the temperature. Assuming you are healthy and you have no water and the temperature is 100 degrees or less, you can survive anywhere from 5-10 days. If you are consuming water, even
as little as a quart a day, that number will be extended.

This is an interesting question and there is a lot of misunderstanding out there as to how long you need to boil
water to make it safe to drink. First, let me say that boiling is the best way to make your water safe to drink. The problem with it is, boiling requires a lot of fuel which might not be readily available in an emergency and it takes a lot of time to boil the water and allow it to cool.

I have heard and read all kinds of recommendations on how long to boil water, such as “10 minutes with a rolling boil” or “3 minutes with a rolling boil”. The truth is as soon as your water hits the boiling point, it is safe to drink. No need to allow it to boil for a period of time afterward. Depending on the altitude, the boiling point is 212 degrees more or less. That temperature is well beyond the point where micro-organisms have been eliminated.

So, no need to boil your water for extended periods of time and waste water (through excessive evaporation) and fuel. Once the water hits a rolling boil it is safe.

I get this one all the time. People have heard lots of stories about MREs, some of them good, most of them bad. I have tried a lot ofMREs in my day and I am a pretty honest critic of food (ask my wife!). The truth is MREs are about as good as any canned food that you would buy in the store. If you can eat canned chili or Chef Boyardee, than you will be able to eat most MREs.

I do have my favorites as well as the nasty ones. I would share them with you, but I have also found that other people have the complete opposite opinion. For example, I really like the beef pot roast with veggies, but a lot of other people here at The Ready Store are not a big fan. It has a big piece of beef pot roast and yummy veggies in a gravy. I think it is awesome but other people here can hardly look at it. Then again, I am not a fan of the vegetable manicotti, but a lot of other people here really like it. They like it as much as I hate it.

Anyway, as far as how an MREs entrée tastes, think of it as canned food. Most of it is alright, some is really good and some is nasty. I can say this much, we have people here that eat MREs for lunch a lot so it can’t be that bad. And when you are hungry, it tastes good in a whole new way.