14 of 16 (88%) customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
4
out of 5
BeingPrepared Date: November 3, 2008
Food for month-plus long scenarios
"My fiancee and I ordered a sample meal pack and tried the Rice Lentil Soup today. The product is exactly as advertised -- emergency meals that are cheap, easy to store for long term, and easy to make. The meals come in 5-serving packets of vitamin-fortified and pre-flavored dried beans/vegetables/etc. -- all you do is get some water boiling, pour in the packet, let it simmer for 20-25 minutes, let it sit for 5 minutes more, serve, and eat. The taste was perfectly fine -- not haute cuisine, but as good as my usual Typical Guy Cooking and much better than lots of other emergency food rations I've had. A few notes: - When they say 275 meals, they mean 275 rationed one-cup meals just big enough to keep you going in a survival situation, not 275 fill-you-up meals. - As others have noted, you need to have a source of cooking heat -- a wood fire, propane stove, something -- and a source for water that will also last the duration of the emergency. Plan accordingly. - The nutrition is decent. A bit high on sodium, very low on fat. - It contains no meat products and is listed as vegetarian, but is "produced on equipment that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, wheat, sesame, shellfish." Bottom line: I'm buying the full tub to act as my family's food supply for month-and-longer survival situations -- it's much cheaper, more compact, and longer-lasting than trying to get that many meals using canned goods, MREs, or the usual camping foods which are my week-or-two-long scenario options. It'll get stored with a big container of vitamins and a metal cup for rationing. May we never need them."
67 of 67 people found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
4
out of 5
Florian Location:
Hurricane Belt
Date: June 22, 2009
Reassuring, not flawless
Pros: long shelf life, inexpensive, lots of variety Cons: requires lots of water, very lean servings, high sodium
"I have not tried the food, see the other reviews for how it tastes (I trust them, I'm leaving mine sealed till disaster strikes). But here's some info from the packaging not found in the product description: * The bucket contains a total of 36,050 calories, making it perhaps a lean 1-month supply for one person. * Per the directions you will need 15.6 gal. of water to prepare all of the food. That includes 2.8 gal. for the powdered milk. * Total sodium is 150.2g, the recommended value for 62 days."
25 of 25 people found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
4
out of 5
ton1jr Location:
Queens, NY
Date: November 11, 2008
Exactly what it says
Pros: the price/value compared to other survival foods, taste
"I tried a few of the items and found it palatable. The taste is a little bit high in sodium. I think it serves it's purpose but I would definitely be mixing it with other available dry foods and grains to give variety.Add some fresh fruits and/or vegetables if available and maybe some rice, dry soy chunks and the like and you could stretch this out for quite some time. This is the one of the best survival foods I have ever tried and can even be used for backpacking in the wilderness for a few days (leave the bucket at home). It only needs water and a heat source as it says in the description."
21 of 21 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
4
out of 5
Nathaniel Location:
Wyoming
Date: October 9, 2009
Good variety, light on protein, fat
"This is a good start or supplement to existing supplies in order to add variety, but the protein content isn't very high, especially if you plan to be active. In most products, the fat content is also low. (You get 9 calories of energy per gram of fat and 4 each for protein and carbohydrates. Plus, it is fat in the diet that triggers the part of your brain that tells you you aren't hungry anymore.) I will supplement this product with protein powder and quality fat like that found in nuts."
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
4
out of 5
PrepareNorthwest Location:
Kenmore, WA
Date: April 20, 2009
Solid addition or a good start
"A great value for what you get. Just keep an eye on the storage tempature as heat is the enemy of all of your stored foods."
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
2
out of 5
IntelligentBuyer Date: October 24, 2009
Insufficient Calories for Survival
Pros: excellent longevity, minimal storage space used, great waterproof packaging, variety for your emergency supplies Cons: high in sodium, 20 servings per day needed for necessary calories
"Buyer should be aware that the calorie content is insufficient for human survival. The product specifies that an adult would consume 5 servings per day. Unfortunately, that would provide about 500 calories. Calorie consumption varies from person to person, but is generally at least 2000 calories per day. So you will definitely want to buy a lot more of this product in order to have an adequate earthquake supply"
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
5
out of 5
d4doug Date: October 23, 2009
Just Add
Model Number:
801504778001
"Excellant storage choice. Just add an order for The THRIVE Premium Meat Essentials Package or THRIVE deluxe meats variety pack that costco has at the best price I have found to add the protien and fats you need."
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
3
out of 5
DoctorV Location:
Tarzana, CA
Date: August 4, 2009
Good, but know what you're buying.
Pros: tasty. long shelf life. small footprint. Cons: low calorie. must be supplemented., impractical for backpacking., takes a long time to cook.
"First of all, I consider myself knowledgeable about emergency, camping and backpacking foods. As a physican and an avid camper, I have the basic understanding of what foods we need to survive and what is appropriate for camping and backpacking.
First, this is dehydrated food, not freeze-dried. There is a big difference. For car camping, this product is really good, for backpacking, it's heavy and must be supplemented with food that has a higher caloric content. From my estimation, this product is easily twice the weight of freeze-dried, and probably closer to three times the weight. To carry enough calories backpacking for even a few days would be difficult. However, adding other, lighter, freeze-dried food is practical.
Second, dehydrated foods take a long time to cook. This product averaged at least twenty minutes to soften the larger pieces of food. Impractical for backpacking unless you're into carrying LOTS of fuel on your back.
Third, because I need to know how much stuff weighs in a backpack, I weighed these packets and was very surprised at the variability of package weights. Example: six packages of corn chowder labeled six ounces weighed 4.2, 9.5, 7.75, 6.5, 7.0,and 8.2 ounces respectively. While not a huge problem, unless you weigh each package, you're likely to end up with either a thin gruel, or a dry paste. A hassle for sure.
Fourth, the taste. For the most part these products are really good. In part it's because they're very high in salt and carbs, two things humans really love. Also, the ingredients are basically good tasting, formulated well, and appealing.
In conclusion, from my perspective, this product is probably very good for home storage and car camping. It lasts a long time, tastes great and has a small footprint. However, it's probably a good idea to store cans of beef or chicken (wet lasts 2-3 years, dry lasts 5-10 years), or bring meat for cooking if you're camping to supplement this product. For backpacking it's impractical: heavy, heat hungry and low calorie."
61 of 62 people found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
4
out of 5
Anonymous Location:
Oakland, TN
Date: October 27, 2008
Great Emergency Food Source
Pros: taste, value, storability, reusable containers for emergency use Cons: low calorie servings, texture is a bit grainy
"I bought 20 buckets of the e-food after I had tested it it in the Store. I am glad that I did, however, I consider it simply supplemental to other foods that I have such as vegetable seeds, rabbits, and other stored food. The texture is a bit grainy, but the taste is certainly above average for this type of product. It does leave a little after taste and tends to be bland. I went a period of time where all I ate was what was in the bucket. It was tiresome after only a few days, but doable, nevertheless. Beware that serving sizes average a little less than 200 calories each. I also like being able to use the buckets again for water storage, a toilet or simply general storage. Overall, this is a great value."
39 of 40 people found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
5
out of 5
Chudleigh Location:
San Diego, California
Date: March 29, 2009
Great Deal in All Ways
"After buying a number of buckets, I opened one to see what to expect in taste, convenience and variety. The variety was terrific, the taste was great and the "meals" were completely satisfying. Portions were way too large for one person, but I was able to develop my own portion control through trial and error."
32 of 33 people found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
1
out of 5
Chaoticblue5000 Location:
Boise, Idaho
Date: October 17, 2009
Inappropiate for actual emergencies
Pros: sounds like a good idea, might be good if you are dieting Cons: low in protein, low in calorie, low in fat, needs a lot of water, needs a reliable heat source, high in sodium content and can induce thirst, useless in an emergency
"The food is low in calories, protein, fat and overall nutritional content. You need a lot of water to cook these foods, and a reliable heat source. In what kind of emergency would you have ample supply of fresh water and heat?? With almost all natural disasters the water supply will be contaminated with sewage, making it unsuitable to drink unless boiled for 10 minutes... but heat sources to boil water is also limited in emergencies like that. If you buy this make sure you have an ample stockpile of fuel and water to "cook" these rations.
In my opinion, boxes of high calorie power bars would be better for emergencies than this and you can save any fresh water for actual drinking instead of cooking.
If you are going to spend money for an actual stockpile of emergency food, buy USCG approved rations, or military rations, you can buy them in bulk online easily. At least with those rations you won't need water, heat, and won't induce thirst. They also contain tons of calories and nutrients that people in high stress environments needs."
21 of 22 people found this review helpful.
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Review 12 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
4
out of 5
Ponderosamom Location:
Texas
Date: March 5, 2009
A Good Start to Emergency Supplies
Pros: cheap and a good start Cons: need to keep some staples on hand to spice it up
"This is a good start to your emergency supply inventory. Keep in mind that these are vegetarian and pretty cheap, but I keep a lot of staples in my emergency supply inventory: bullion, dehydrated mik, veggies, potato flakes, canned soups. You can really "spruce" up the flavor and consistency by adding some canned or dry veggies or potato flakes to this. Also, a few shakes of some dry (or fresh) herbs will help. Example: for the bacon potato soup, you could add some dried bacon bits and potato flakes or fresh potato, a little dehydraded milk and a can of broth and you now have a pretty darn good bowl of soup. This would also extend the amount you get per serving. It's also a good idea to try to have a small "victory garden" for fresh veggies. If you don't have much space, try "Square Foot Hardening" where you can reap a much larger harvest from a relatively small space. We have 2 8' X 4' gardens and 1- 2' X 6' garden and we're growing: green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, squash, lettuce, broccoli, spinach, onions, collard greens and strawberries along with basil, parsley and oregano. It's amazing how much you can grow in a small space with proper soil and planning."
35 of 37 people found this review helpful.
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Review 13 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
5
out of 5
Defcon1 Location:
Kernersville NC
Date: January 21, 2009
Top 250 Contributor
Are you prepared??
Pros: high quality product, wow!! free shipping!!
"We have been preparing disaster supplies since 09-11-01. This the best value I have found for the money. Easy, long term,safe storage. I have purchased 6 of these so far. I'm hoping to try to buy a few every month. I have over 20K in freeze dried food. This product is superior. Stock up. Prepare. Be ready."
10 of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Review 14 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
3
out of 5
Leeanne Location:
Central Valley, CA
Date: October 27, 2008
Beware of Limitations w/Product
Cons: must have water and a heat source
"I have already sent this comment to Costco, but they have not added it to their description.
This kit requires you to boil water to serve the food, these are not ready to eat. It takes 20 minutes to prepare a meal.
Fine for someone who has water and a heat source, but not to throw in your car in case of emergency.
I kept my bucket for a home emergency."
33 of 44 people found this review helpful.
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Review 15 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
5
out of 5
Hanky Date: March 13, 2009
Great Buy
"I love it, and would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to have emergency food on hand."
6 of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Review 16 for Food For Health™ Emergency Food Kit
Rating:
5
out of 5
smithy Location:
southern california
Date: August 5, 2009
Food is Excellent
"I now have enough of this food for my husband and I for a year. I will be buying more and more. We have tried the food. It is very good."
