MH just sent me a note, as a dealer, that they are going to offer a bucket product. Its there standard pouches simply in a bucket. They have tested pouches over 30 years old and verified that they are good to go.

Many of us knew that the 5-7 year rating on the pouches had nothing to do with the shelf life of the food and more to do with the way people abuse the pouches.

It'll be retailing with 12 pouches for $70 or so. Real meat, more protein, less sodium and less oxygen per pouch according to their flyer.

That being said, I still think pouches are piss poor for long term storage. They are expensive, bulky, and did I mention expensive. These are simply to augment real food storage.

12 pouches in a bucket for $70?

MH has always been about $6 a pouch. You are effectively getting the bucket for free.

That actually might not be too terribly bad of a deal, especially if it's the 2-serving pouches.  Comes out to $5.83 per pouch, and you get a free bucket.  

I got the same email. I guess they are going to try to compete with the other buckets out there. Hell, even Walmart has buckets now. Mountain House already had the 72 hour kit which I liked, but the packaging sucked.

Also I agree 100% with your above statement. Though they are also useful for bugout and get home bags.

Had to use OCR to take the PDF to text so its not perfect:

ALBANY, Ore. - July 12, 2012 - Mountain House, the leading domestic brand of freeze-dried food, released
the results today of a study designed to illustrate how different brands handle oxygen levels in their long-
term food storage products. The study, conducted by 9mbia Food Laboratories, focused on oxygen
levels found in pouches of Mountain House freeze-dried foods compared to those of a competitor.

"For proper long-term food storage, it's important to maintain oxygen exposure as low as possible," said
Lee Goin, laboratory director at Columbia Food Laboratories. "Oxygen causes rancidity in foods containing
unsaturated fats. Even slight rancidity can make a food undesirable. Oxygen causes nutritional value to be
lost, especially vitamins A, C, D and E. Removal of oxygen will kill any insects, larvae and their eggs that may
to be present."

Consumers should be aware that there are four main contributors to food spoilage: water, heat, light, and
oxygen. Freeze drying removes 98% of the water in food, while dehydrating removes between 80% and
97%.  Storing food in a cool, dark place helps to avoid heat and light exposure. However, the fourth factor,
oxygen, can only be averted through quality processing and packaging, which is where the study found
competitor' s products falling short.

"Our curiosity was piqued when we saw brands such as Wise Company implying that their pouches have up
to a 25-year shelf life, which is rarely found in pouches of freeze-dried foods," commented Norm Jager,
head of research and development for Mountain House. "Freeze-dried meals serve families in times of dire
need when emergencies hit, which means that it's imperative that these foods deliver on the promises
made. So instead of just sitting on the sidelines, we decided to test their products in an effort to educate
consumers across the U.S. on the importance of oxygen, which should ideally be less than 2 percent for
long term food storage."

Oxygen Levels in Wise Company Products were 110 Times Higher Than Mountain House
Mountain House commissioned Columbia Food Laboratories to test 30 samples of dehydrated and freeze
dried meals from Wise Company as well as 30 samples of comparable Mountain House freeze dried meals.
The results were staggering. Average oxygen levels in Wise Company products were 18.25%, nearly the 21%
level found in the atmosphere and 110 times higher than the average 0.16% oxygen found in Mountain House products.

The most alarming part is that Wise Company Products were manufactured in April of 2012 and already exhibit near atmospheric levels of oxygen, which would not provide a 25 year shelf life.


In distinction, Mountain House has a long'-standing history of excellence in the freeze-dried foods industry,
pioneering the necessary technology and processes for more than 40 years. As part of a rigorous, ongoing
quality assurance program, Mountain House regularly tests its own archived products from as far back as
35 years.  For additional information on products offered by Mountain House please visit
www.mountainhouse~com.

About Mountain House
Mountain House, the #1 domestic brand of freeze-dried food, has been the leading choice of backpackers,
hikers, campers and other outdoor enthusiasts for nearly 50 years, and more recently has become a
favorite long-term food storage solution for emergency preparedness. Mountain House products are
convenient, easy to prepare and have an industry-.leading shelf life. For more information and a complete
list of product offerings, visit yvww.mountainhouse.com~

What's the best price out there for the Mountain House pouches?  Local stores have several Buy Two/Get One deals throughout the year, bringing the cost per pouch down to about $4.00 per pouch.

I saw a box of pouches at Costco the other day but it wasn't in its normal spot so I never found a price tag for it.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Yeah, I got that email too.

Sounds like Mountain House is seeing Wise as a bit of a threat to their virtual ownership of the FD food market. Plus, now that the  huge mystery contract they had that shut out their dealers has been filled, they probably need something to do with all that excess production capacity.

This is not a good option for bulk, bug in food storage. The pouches are good for hiking, camping, BO and such, but this bucket deal is a horrible expense for anything else. You can get ALOT of food and package it yourself for that price.

I have some FD foods, but not much.  Our food pantry is a living, breathing entity. Its viable only because we take care of it, and do not buy useless shit. For a while after my sister-in-law and mom-in-law moved back here from FL, seemed like every time my wife went out with them, she would come back with a shit-ton of useless stuff, like salad dressings, and other condiments. I'd have to remind her that condiments will not feed anyone. Anyway, we use what we store, and store what we'll use. Rotate your stock, and it'll all come out all right.

I guess my feelings on freeze-dried stuff is that they are only useful for people who want to stash away a significant amount of food and forget about it until the time comes. Its a good way to store food if you dont want to adapt to a prepper lifestyle, and go your own way. The caveat being is that you'll have to wing it once the shit does hit the fan. Easier said than done in my opinion. Shitty food does not help ameliorate a shitty situation.

Wise food tastes like salty garbage.

Real independent testing there. Competitor tests the other guy's stuff and finds it 100% worse. Right. Unbiased and fair review.

Can your own tests prove otherwise?

LOL, I was wondering about the objectivity as well.  "Mountain House...our pouches don't have rats!"  



And no I don't have any of my own tests to prove Wise does or doesn't have rats.



 

Free bucket but shipping is going to suck.

The mac & cheese was tasteless wall paper adhesive

Yeah, at first I thought the same ting, but then re-read it:

Now, I suppose you could argue that the person doing the hiring still gets the results they want......

We feel pretty much the same way about FD foods.

The freeze dried stuff we store are more or less ingredients:
Ground beef, chicken, sausage, strawberries, pears, mango, blueberries, raspberries, sliced peaches

Please find the Wise Company response to recent Mountain House attacks below:



Salt Lake City, Utah – July 16, 2012: Mountain House, a supplier of emergency and outdoor foods, issued a press release on July 12, 2012 targeting a single competitor: Wise Company. Why attack Wise Company when Mountain House has dozens of other competitors? Because Mountain House is now launching a new bucket and pouch line designed for emergency preparedness very similar to a product that has been a specialty of Wise Company since their inception.

Wise Company has experienced tremendous growth over the last few years with its emergency foods packaged in pouches capable of lasting up to 25 years. During this time, Mountain House has claimed that food pouches have no more than a 7-year shelf life. Now, in conjunction with the launch of its new product line, Mountain House has changed its story and claims that pouches can achieve a 25-year shelf life!

Wise Company takes great pride in providing high quality emergency food with a long-term shelf life. The Mountain House surprise attack relies on a lab study commissioned and presumably paid for by Mountain House. Notably, Wise Company’s existing quality testing and data show oxygen levels in its products lower than those alleged by Mountain House.

Wise Company’s raw materials and finished goods contain very low moisture levels. The extreme low moisture content contributes to product stability. Wise Company product is then packed in ultra-high barrier (UHB) packaging with a very low oxygen transmission rate as well as a very low water vapor transmission rate (WTR). Once sealed, Wise individual pouches are stored in durable plastic containers. These elements, along with proper storage and temperature, are essential to providing consumers with quality products capable of lasting up to 25 years.

“We take our obligations in this industry very seriously,” said Brian Neville, president and CEO of Wise Company. “We have confidence in our food pouches standing the test of time.”

About Wise Company, Inc.
Wise Company takes an innovative approach, providing dependable, simple and affordable ready-made freeze dried and dehydrated foods for emergency preparedness and outdoor use. Whether you are preparing your family for the future or planning your next outdoor adventure, Wise Company provides great tasting, nutritious entrees that are quick and easy. In short, Wise Company offers a dependable, simple and affordable choice for both your emergency food supply and outdoor needs. For more information on Wise Company and a complete list of products go to www.wisefoodstorage.com.

So are you saying that the oxygen content found in the study commisioned by Mountain House is wrong?

Did you read the third paragraph?

Well, I thought I had but I guess I missed that. Sorry.

It would be good if Wise posted their own data.

Is the O2 absorber in Wise different than that of a MH pouch?

What is your target number for oxygen content?  

Grove

It seems to me that MH is alleging that their way of packaging is superior in 02 content compared to Wise and that high 02 content leads to deterioration of food and nutrients/vitamins.  If neither company uses 02 absorbers and they both use a different method that I would imagine that one is better than the other.  If MH's numbers are wrong I would imagine that Wise would refute them.

Grove

That is a good question.

I work in the beverage industry and keeping O2 out of our packaging is an exhaustive process.

Oxygen is a sneaky slippery spring that will wriggle into most stuff given enough time and just a little opportunity.


You can take a pipe, flowing 100.000% pure CO2 out of it, and oxygen WILL flow upstream and is measurable in the pipe.
It literally swims upstream like a salmon!

I'm not talking about a lot, measurable in the parts-per-billion range, but it shows the tenacity of O2 getting in places.

"We" typically get beverages in the package well under 100ppb.

I'm right there with you on the cans vs. pouches, but the pouches offer a few benefits:

1)you know how many servings are in the bucket-MH's "10 serving" cans are laughable-a cup of food isn't a 'meal' to me...
2)quality of the food might be a bit better as there will be some settling with a #10 can with the larger, lighter components at the top
3)If SHTF, you could only open a few cans with the expectation of finishing them before they spoiled at the recommended serving size. Pouches might help dietary fatigue-2 weeks of scrambled eggs and bacon might get old.

any reason MH didnt compare there items to what Augason Farms offers? my local WM actually started carrying the AF buckets a few weeks back.

If you are referring to somehting like this, then the reason is fairly simple.

Apples and oranges.

The Augason Farms products ARE packed with O2 absorbers, Mountain House & Wise are not.
Most (if not all) of the AF stuff is dehydrated, not Freeze Dried.
For example, the Vegetable Stew Blend is simply a mix of dehydrated vegetables. (We have some, tried it and it is good - so we stock some)
The Morning Moos and Oatmeal are definately not FD.

I am all for competition in the marketplace. Maybe one day MH will actually have some competition. Right now theirs is the top when it comes to flavor, variety, and quality. Just my opinion though. Wise is hitting the market hard because so many people only look at price.

The market need some strong competitors. With Sam's, Walmart, and Costco starting to sell storage food mainstream, the Mountain house way of doing things will not fit in. They are slow to respond, inflexible on pricing, and treat small dealers poorly.

I want to see real apples to apples competition, not somebody with a lack of expertise short cutting.  Storage food is an investment and there needs to be integrity in the process. One bad batch etc undermines the industry.

I believe Mountain House is a division of Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc.

I have often wondered if Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc. freeze dries for AlpineAire, etc.

"Servings" are not "meals".  Meals are usually made up of multiple servings.  IF you were to go to MH site and look at the #10 can of Beef Stew and the Pouch of same, they both have the same serving size, 1 cup & 210 cals. Most of the rest are similar.  Usually the #10 cans are cheaper by the calorie. I use to have a Excel program that broke down every product they sold by either serving, calorie, etc. and could compare which was the best deal going.

FB

I've got a couple Wise products, and we had their sample of Lasagna.  It was good.  My whole family enjoyed it (me DH, and the 3 Monkeys).  The buckets are handy for strom season as the kids can carry them easily when we go to the shelter.

I have recently spent thousands of dollars with Mountain House assorted freeze dried foods.  I am thinking about getting some Efoods supplies, but before I do I was wondering if anyone here in the community has tried them yet. And if so what is the quality like of the food and is the packaging good?  I value the input of our community and that is why I am reaching out to you guys/girls on this.

Would the Wise sample pack be a good rep of the taste, etc?

Personally I am more inclined to go with canned goods since I am not planning on traveling.

Canned goods do not store for nearly as long as freeze dried foods.  If you have a family, I suppose you can be constantly rotating canned goods.  But I spend alot of time deployed, and my wife would never be able to keep up with the amount of food we would need stocked.

I don't know about any of their other products but the Mountain House pro-pack are vacuum packed and have a 02 absorber in the package.  I eat many of these every summer on trips to the cascades mountains.  I usually rotate the spaghetti, lasagna, chicken and rice, and chili mac for a main dinner dish.  If you buy them at REI you get a discount when you buy 12.

Chris

makes sense. i will probably pick up a bucket or two just to stow away but i will buy a couple of the pouches to find what i like first.

Just like Cristina Agulera!

 

45.00 I think, just bought one today

I think the "pro packs" from MH do though as they are all sucked in looking and take up less space.

shes offensive to every sense




as far as MH offering buckets hope they offer more products,options and competition is usually good for the consumer so cheers to more competition