Emergency Food Kit from Costco $114.99

[goosifer]

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11219554

Could anyone comment as to whether this is a worthwhile item to have and/or is a good price? Thanks.

Description:

Basic preparation will impact the probability of your family’s survival in an emergency. Delicious and Easy to Prepare. Each bucket contains 275 servings of Pre-mixed and Pre-seasoned 100 % Vegetarian and Vitamin Fortified food for you and your family. With a 20 year long shelf life, this kit is perfect for the preparation of natural disasters such as hurricane, tornado, earthquakes or even a camping/hunting trip.

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Easy to prepare
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275 servings
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Sealed in convenient Weather-Proof Bucket for Easy Transport
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30 Servings - Potato Bakon
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25 Servings - Corn Chowder
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25 Servings - Ala King
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25 Servings - Cacciatore
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25 Servings - Western Stew
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45 Servings - Whey Milk
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25 Servings - Blueberry Pancakes
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25 Servings - Barley Vegetable
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Total Weight: 23 lbs.0


Shipping & Terms

Gift Messaging is available. You will have an opportunity to enter a gift message during the checkout process.

Standard shipping via UPS Ground is included in the quoted price. The estimated delivery time will be approximately 7 - 10 business days from the time of order.

Express shipping is via UPS. The estimated delivery time will be approximately 3-5 business days from the time of order.

[hunter63]

For some one that has not gotten anything together, or even those that do, seems like a decent buy to me.
Looks like a twenty year shelf life, nothing to freeze, and the bucket will keep most rodents out and would be useful itself for water, or potty or what ever.

(Might even add a couple to the "stashes")
One for home and one for "The Place".

[DavidOH]

Looks like a good deal.
$0.42 a serving. 20 year shelf life.
SHIPPING INCLUDED !!! :o

Not something you'd want to carry around but could.

This is something to stash away in a cabin, or campsite and leave sit for an emergency.

Could be a great gift to those who don't prepair.

Good to add to you basic tools: shelter, radio, heat, a first aid kit, lighting, water and filter.

[annabella1]

It's not so high priced that you might invest and find out you don't like it. (some pre-assembled kits are $1000-$2000) It would probably be worth getting one and trying it out. Then ordering more if you like it.

[CarolAnn]

Look a little more critically at what's there. 45 servings of whey milk.

Pancakes.

Consider what you'd need to add to regular pancake mix to make it complete - some dried eggs and some dried milk . . and you'd have a lot more than 45 servings.

Also their "vitamin fortified" may not be as complete as that sounds. White foo-foo bread (that's what we call Wonderbread) - is also vitamin fortified, but the stuff will kill you if you eat it for a few years. (Colon cancer!)

This might or might not be a good deal. I'd try the $30 sampler before I spent over 100.

Usually, the best deal is what you put together yourself, carefully, and with thought into what you'd actually want to be eating for a couple of weeks or so.

Interesting that a big company like Costco put it together! Maybe we'll be seeing more stuff like this & have an even better selection! (Just make sure it wasn't packaged in China . . . .) :P

I tried some freeze-dried beef stroganoff a few years back - it came in a gallon can and was supposed to be good for years. It was surprisingly tasty, but you can only eat that stuff so many times, and once the can is open, the shelf life is pretty much over. (So think "small packages"!!) ;)

[WileyCoyote]

I am always a little hesitant on buying "storage" food items, especially in bulk.

Many of the foods are soo overprocessed that they have no nutritional value except for what they have been 'supplemented' with. The comment about 'colon cancer', CarolAnn, is very true. I am restricted to a diet of non-processed foods, and have already had my gall bladder and 1/3 of my colon removed because of the overprocessed foods.

My brother is a Mormon and is all about food storage. They preserve tons of wheat in fumigated clean garbage cans, and store them.. but they also use them, grind the wheat and eat the products so that they are rotated constantly and don't sit for years after purchase. From him I learned to always use back to front in the pantry, and always steadily buy a little bit extra of what you eat every day anyway, and build it up.

As the Emergency Preparedness director for my small town, I had to make some decisions. While the dehydrated stuff lasts forever while sealed, what happens in an ongoing emergency where you have limited potable water? Everyone has to take into consideration where they live and what available resources they have - and which of those resources can be contaminated and cause your preparations to be in vain? Are bugs a problem where you live? What about humidity? What about mice, rats, or even voles? Is your area liable to flood (ruining your potable water supply as well as soaking your prepared foods)? Is your area liable to suffer wind damage or tornadoes, that can make your supplies a part of the landscape - or bury them? Landslides? Earthquakes? Severe snowstorms? Drought? How will you cook if the power goes out and there are no available dry wood sources, charcoal, or propane tanks? How will you store leftovers -especially after you open a large quantity - if there is no refrigeration? Plan for the worst, always.

These are the things one has to consider in any viable and ongoing food storage plan.

[RobertRogers]

I agree, you could probably do better choosing your own foods - beans, rice, mixes you prefer. Put them into your own bucket. The major problem I see with CostCos bucket of food is that you do not know much about its quality and edibility. During a real emergency it might be too late.

Note: the price has come down substantially.

[jjspirko]

I have a hard time finding much wrong here with this. Can I make better provisions? Sure I can also make "better" ammo then remington or winchester but for quantity and reliability both are hard to beat. I can also damn sure make better ammo then the Yugoslovaian Government but when I got an opportunity to buy 780 rounds of 7.62x39 mm rounds for my SkS's at like 65 bucks packed in a sealed steal case I bought 4 cases.

Now I am not a nut job but that is a heck of a deal and that ammo will be good to go long after I am dead if I never use it.

This is kind of how I saw the Costco kit. I bought two when I saw them in the local store. One went to our stock pile here and the other is up in our place in Arkansas. If needed they are there, they are not all that we have nor would I depend only them, the deal though is they are great long term, easy to prepare and provide some variety to our typical stash. To me things like this are an adjunct to survival food not the sole source. They would also be fine for most typical needs (short term - 30 days or less).

On the water issue let me point out that if you can't come up with enough water to make a pancake or dehydrate some noodles and beef then you got bigger problems. With such a shortage of water you're good as dead anyway. You have to store water and be prepared to purify water too. Just remember water used to rehydrate food is not "lost" you consume it and hence it is part of your daily water intake.

[WRTN]

Speaking of the Mormon Church, I have been considering ordering a few of their starter kits. *I would appreciate any comments and or opinion on the below deal. *My understanding is these kits are provided at cost. *

http://www.providentliving.org/

I replaced the link above with this one which is a lot less script.

[jjspirko]

WRTN,

Can you please replace that massive link with this one

http://tinyurl.com/2xl5zf

It totally skewed the forum sideways,

[blackpowderbill]

Also their "vitamin fortified" may not be as complete as that sounds. White foo-foo bread (that's what we call Wonderbread) - is also vitamin fortified, but the stuff will kill you if you eat it for a few years. (Colon cancer!)

* * ;)

Cancer!

The increase in radiation will take care of that.
LMAO ;D
If you're worried bout it killen ya ,then be prepared & order a casket with the food.

I see cosco has them as well.