This is the most comprehensive guide to selecting your best emergency food source on the planet.
The best part?
We’re going to cover the topic from every angle:
- which survival food brands are best for which situations?
- which are the most nutritious, tastiest, convenient,
- and which offer the longest shelf life.
If you want to rest assured that you’ve provided you and your family with a reliable backup food source for YEARS to come, then you’re in the right place.
Let’s get right to it.
Emergency Food Quick Comparison
| Name of Product | Weight | Shelf Life(years) | Product Dimensions | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survival Tabs Emergency Food Supply | 1.75 lbs | 10 | 3 inch x 4.8 inch x 6.4 inch | $$ |
| Valley Food Storage Survival Food Kit | 11.8 lbs | 25 | 15 inch x 12 inch x 11 inch | $$$ |
| Chef’s Banquet Emergency Food Supply | 28 lbs | 10/20 | 13 inch x 13 inch x 18 inch | $$$ |
| Datrex Emergency Food Bar for Survival | 6.45 lbs | 5 | 3.4 inch x 4.7 inch x 8 inch | $$ |
| MRE Meal Kit Supply Survival Food | 5.7 lbs | 5 | 6.5 inch x 9.5 inch x 11.5 inch | $$ |
| Wise Company Entrée Grab & Go Food Kit | 20 lbs | 20 | 15 inch x 12 inch x 10 inch | $$$ |
| Mountain House Classic Assortment Bucket | 3.4 lbs | 30 | 12 inch x 10 inch x 13 inch | $$ |
A reliable food and water source ranks right at the top of the list of most preppers. Humans can only go a few days without food. And when the s**t hits the fan, you can bet you won’t be the only ones looking for it.
So it only makes sense to have a backup food supply
There are dozens of companies out there touting their emergency food as the best, but when it comes to survival you need to know for sure.
Here are the best emergency food brands on the market. They are calorie dense, require little to no preparation, and can help you and your family survive the worst emergency situations.
Our Reviews of the Top Brands
Mountain House
Mountain House is our pick for the best emergency food rations on the market.
They’re also one of the most well-known name brands out there. This is because they’ve been making high quality survival food kits for decades.
It’s also considered some of the tastiest.
This particular package contains 14 days worth of food in 42 pouches. Many of the packages contain more than a serving so you should measure them to single out one serving for each of your meal. This bucket is sufficient to feed one person for 14 days.
This package is great for emergency preparations, but could also be used hiking and camping trips. The food preparation before consumption is simple.
Simply add boiling water, to the pouch and let it sit for a few minutes to rehydrate.
Each meal has a shelf life of 30 years. Each comes in a lightweight, reusable bucket that is highly portable and needs to be efficiently stored in cool, dry and dark areas for long term storage.
Each of the recipes are pretty tasty and there are quite a few options. The 14 day package comes with 2 servings of beef stroganoff with noodles, 2 servings of granola with milk and blueberries, 2 servings of chicken teriyaki rice, 2 servings of lasagna with beef sauce, 2 servings of beef stew and finally 2 servings of noodles and cheese.
Pros:
- Simple preparation
- Great taste
- Good variety
- 30 years shelf life
Cons:
- some packages contain multiple servings
- no gluten free kits available yet
Wise Company 120 Serving Food Kit
Wise Company’s emergency food kit is also one of the better tasting options on the market. This 120 serving package consists only of entrees, but there is a great deal of variety in each pack.
Each package contains four servings. While this is convenient for a family of four, it can be a bit of a hassle for those with fewer people to feed.
But their intentions are good as they’re trying to cut back on the amount of waste created.
It has a 25 year shelf life and comes in a very convenient and easy-to-store bucket.
Preparation is simple. Simply portion out the amount you want to eat and add boiling water. Once the food has been reconstituted (usually 5-8 minutes) you’re ready to eat.
Pros :
- Simple preparation
- 25 years shelf life
- Great variety
Cons:
- multiple servings per bag
- most packs contain very little protein
Valley Food Storage Survival Food Kit
This survival food kit is great for snacks, road trips, camping trips and survival for emergency situations. It contains a total of 100 servings of assorted dried food to accommodate yourself and your family when disaster strikes.
The servings of food on the other hand are healthy and tasty. It doesn’t contain any hydrogenated oils or unhealthy flavorings such as MSG, GMO or trans fat food. Instead, the foodstuffs are made from fresh and natural ingredients. You can either make your own family recipe with the ingredients or have an easy pre-made meal.
Apart from that, this product comes with a reusable and airtight MYLAR bag. The bag is of high quality and re-sealable to protect your food from air, bugs and other contaminants. Also, the bag is designed for durability and also its ability to preserve your food for a long term of 25 years. However, they need to be stored in a cool and dry environment for the best preservation.
The bag is designed with zippers for user’s convenience. Therefore, you can easily open and close your bag according to your preference. You just need to simply open the seal and reseal it back to get your healthy and nutritious snack. Not only that, the drying process in making this assorted snack locks in its nutrition therefore providing you with the same nutritional values similar to that of fresh food.
Weighing 11.8 pounds, it has a package dimension of 15 inch x 12 inch x 11 inch. One serving contains around 900 to 1100 calories per day depending on the type of food of assorted food you consume. Since the product consists 100 servings in many different packets, you should inspect all of them well incase either a few of them are damaged.
Suitable for :
- Reusable and airtight MYLAR bags
- 25 years shelf life
- Fresh, natural and healthy food
- 100 servings of assorted food
Survival Tabs Emergency Food Supply
The Survival Tab’s brand comes with a bottle of vanilla flavor tablets to provide you with source of energy. It has a shelf life of 10 years. In other words, the tablets can last for 10 years provided you don’t remove its seal and store it in a proper cool area.
Moreover, the chewable tablets are certified and approved 100% by US RDA as it contains 15 essential vitamins and minerals to provide you with sufficient nutrients. It is completely digestible in which 99% of its calorie content can be utilized to give you enough energy for survival.
The tablet servings overall offers a 15 day survival food supply. You need to consume a total of 12 tablets per day to give you sufficient energy. However, you can reduce the recommended consumption of 12 tablets if you take other available foodstuffs in an adequate amount. The consumption of each tablet provides you with 20 calories.
Weighing under 2 pounds, this product has package dimensions of 3 inch x 4.8 inch x 6.4 inch. It is lightweight and suitable for consumption during severe SHTF as it is portable due to its light weight therefore you can store it in your backpack or even your pocket conveniently.
The tablet contain protein of high biological value as well as carbohydrates which are 100% utilized by your body as an excellent source of energy. 97% of the protein content on the other hand is important for the repair of your body tissue and the replacement of the essential body substances.
Besides that, the protein content in this tablet contains 8 essential amino acids. It might invoke thirst however, it performs well in giving you energy so you should have plenty of access to water when consuming the tablets to prevent you from dehydration. Also, the tablets taste great, in which they are available in either strawberry or chocolate flavor.
Suitable for :
- 10 years shelf life
- 15 day supply
- Completely digestible
- Lightweight
Chef’s Banquet Emergency Food Supply
Weighing 28 pounds, this food supply comes in package dimensions of 13 inch x 13 inch x 18 inch. One whole pack of this product consists of a total of 330 servings of delicious varieties of foodstuff.
This emergency kit can be used to supply a month’s worth (30 days) of foodstuffs. It provides at least 2100 calories per day for a person consuming one serving of food. Also, it comes in a durable 6 gallons round plastic pail with a tight seal. All in all, it has excellent packaging to ensure long term shelf life.
In addition to that, it has a great variety of 8 different favorite meal that are assorted to give you more food options to choose from according to your preference. The net food weight in the pail on the other hand is 82.7 pounds. Each of the meal takes about less than 20 minutes to prepare and reheat by just adding a little water, therefore it is rather simple to prepare.
In terms of shelf life, it can last up to 20 years from the manufacturing dates when stored at a temperature of 60 F (16.6 °C) meanwhile it will last up to 10 years if stored at a temperature of 70 F (21.1°C). Overall, they must be stored in a cool temperature at a dark and dry area for a long term shelf life.
Moreover, this kit comes with oatmeal, 60 servings of chicken vegetable stew, 30 servings of instant potatoes, 60 servings of potato soup, 30 servings of mixed vegetables 60 servings of pasta, 30 servings of beef flavored vegetable stew, 30 servings of cheddar broccoli rice and finally 30 servings of cheddar cheese sauce.
In other words, it is equipped with a variety of main meal food suitable to accommodate a large family. However, the foodstuff are not properly packaged. All the similar food servings are dumped in one whole large packet so it is a little tedious as you have to measure them to take a serving. Also, keep the pack properly sealed at all times.
Suitable for :
- 1 pack-330 servings
- 30 day emergency food kit
- Great variety of main meals
- Comes in 6 gallons plastic pail
Datrex Emergency Food Bar for Survival
This product comes in a value pack of 4, where each pack consists of 18 bar packs. Similar to the energy bar, it contains 200 calories per bar and a total of 3600 calories per pack if you do the math. The bar is suitable for severe SHTF in which you need not cook, boil or even pre-heat it to consume it as a source of energy.
Besides that, the pack is tabletized as well as sub-packaged so it is a lot easier for you to ration and store the bars separately in your survival food kit. The pack overall is simple, compact and easy to store as the 18 bars per pack does not take up much storage space.
Weighing 6.45 pounds, the package has dimensions of 3.4 inch x 4.7 inch x 8 inch. In terms of shelf life on the other hand, it is able to last for a long term period of 5 years, provided you do not breach its outer wrapper.
This is due to the good packaging with a heavy duty outer layer of thick foil wrap and vacuum packed designed to sustain longer shelf life. In addition to that, the food is made from all natural ingredients with a tinge of superior coconut flavor and without any trace of preservatives.
It is really tasty and contains high energy value. Also, it is non thirst provoking so you don’t have to worry about plenty of water access which comes in handy if there are limited water sources during a disaster or SHTF.
Furthermore, this emergency kit will able to supply you with 3 days of food which contributes to around 1200 calories per day. For the usual 3 main meals of the day (breakfast, lunch, dinner), you are supposed to consume 2 bars per meal. Nevertheless, this product only provides low caloric consumption and is suitable if you are in an inactive state such as laying down or sitting most of the time.
Suitable for :
- 5 years shelf life
- 3 day worth of food supply
- Good packaging
- Compact food bar
MRE Meal Kit Supply Survival Food
This meal kit is designed and made by the US Department of Defense contractor with a flameless ration heather as its additional feature to ensure user’s convenience. The pack on the other hand is shelf stable, impact resistant, waterproof and tightly sealed to prevent pests from getting into it.
It can be utilized when engaged in any outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, camping and backpacking other than only for emergency storage. It is deemed a prepper’s gold standard kit in terms of emergency food preparation for any natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and flash floods.
Besides that, this product includes a 2 course meal which consists of the main meal and desserts as well as a sports energy drink. Nevertheless, the portions are rather small so you should top it up with some other food to fill your stomach.
This supply kit on the other hand comes in 6 packs, in which consists of 6 main (lunch/dinner) meals and dessert, a flameless ration heater, a 6 inch spoon together with a napkin. The flameless ration heater self-heats your food so you don’t have to cook it anymore. Instead, you can just dig in the food conveniently.
Furthermore, each meal provides 600 calories with a shelf life of 5 years provided you don’t open its packaging. The 2 course meal on the other hand are designed so you get enough calories therefore energy, without any extra weight exerted as it allows field stripping. The field stripping comes in handy especially for soldiers during their field work as it lightens their load and allows for easy transport.
Suitable for :
- 2 course meal
- Comes with flameless ration heater
- 5 years shelf life
Considerations When Comparing Brands
It is better to start prepping for food storage now itself rather than waiting for disaster to strike. Because when it does, majority of the population will be rushing to get food supplies and you’ll be left with limited items or worse, none at all.
Having a reliable water source is also crucial. For more information on options check out our reviews of water filtration systems.
Nutrition
Serving Size
The size of the servings depends on the product itself. You can buy the larger emergency food kit that has variety of food servings in large amounts. This type of serving is beneficial for family use, if you have large number of people in your family because once opened, the food will last at most for 2 weeks.
Some food kit on the other hand provides main meals while others are a lot lighter such as food bars and tablets. The food bar and tablets type of food are small and portable so you can easily bring it around with you which comes in handy during severe SHTF.
Calories Per Serving
The calorie per serving depends on the type of food you are consuming. Larger full meals contain higher calories that will keep you from hunger for a long time. However, smaller meals such as bars and chewing tablets need to be taken in double quantities since it is very light.
The emergency food on the other hand should contain all essential nutrients for your wellbeing. Most importantly, it needs to have carbohydrates and proteins as your main source of energy to go through your day. It would be good if it had vitamins and minerals however the most important intakes needed are protein and carbohydrate to keep you active throughout the day.
Shelf Life
The shelf refers to how long the product will remain edible while unopened. Anything you consider should have a minimum 5-year shelf life. Most of the products we’ve reviewed here offer a 25-30 year shelf life.
Conclusion
Emergency food are essential for your survival. It has versatile applications as it can be used not only for long term storage but also as quick food for outdoor activities such as camping. Therefore, you should choose the right size according to your preference and the number of people it is supposed to accommodate. I hope my review assists you in making the decision.