Long-Life Food

Of course, you need to prepare for every possibility, and food is a first priority in a survival situation. One of your biggest challenges is carrying enough survival meals for your entire journey. If you are new to this or unsure what to choose, this article explains survival meals in more detail.

Survival meals: what are they?

For long journeys through unfamiliar regions or challenging environments, choose your kit carefully. Food is one of the most important parts of a survival kit. Your survival food supply can include breakfasts, main meals, staple foods and packaged snacks to sustain you throughout your journey.

A survival meal is generally freeze-dried food designed to keep for 25 years. It comes in tins or packets for storage and use during your journey. Options include single and double portions, while larger tins contain several meal portions.

What does a survival meal contain?

Survival rations provide compact, nutrient-rich food that keeps for a long time. Whether your adventure takes you to sea, into the mountains or to an island, they can prove invaluable. A varied supply gives you different foods for different days, so you do not tire of eating the same thing. Our selection includes brands such as Emergency Food, Fuel Your Preparation and Real Field Meal, across a range of food types.

Breakfast

What you eat matters when starting your day. A good breakfast gives you the energy you need and helps you feel alert. Our range includes tinned raspberry oat flakes with a shelf life of 25 years. Each tin contains 18 individual portions, or roughly two weeks of breakfasts.

You can also choose scrambled eggs with cheese in two formats: tinned or packaged. The packet contains one calorie-rich portion, while the calorie-rich tin contains eight portions.

Main meals

To add variety to your diet, explore more than 80 freeze-dried products. We offer tins containing six portions of Hungarian-style beef and pasta with a shelf life of 15 years.

You can also find large packs of lamb with rice and lentils in our shop. We have plenty of other products too, so explore the rest of our range.

Desserts

Even on a difficult journey, a nourishing dessert or snack can lift your spirits. Our range offers plenty of options, including a tin of crunchy apple cream with a shelf life of 25 years. It contains 14 portions to enjoy alone or share.

A few single-portion packs of chocolate mousse with cherries and granola or rice pudding with strawberries can be just as comforting.

When you need a snack or an energy boost, choose beef jerky to suit your tastes. You can also stock up on protein bars.

Benefits of survival meals for survivalists

Eating every day is a basic human need, and eating well becomes especially important when survival is your priority. If you are a survivalist facing a demanding journey, survival meals are the best option for keeping your rucksack light. Each individually packaged portion is light and compact.

Preparation time is much shorter. Freeze-dried food should take no more than 10 to 15 minutes to prepare: just add water and wait until it is ready. A ration and some water can help you feel refreshed in under an hour, saving you valuable time.

Once packed, they save plenty of room in your rucksack. Putting together your own survival meals also lets you choose what to eat and when.

Benefits for people living self-sufficiently

Self-sufficient living brings plenty of challenges, especially when work takes up most of your time. Getting home late, cooking and waiting to digest your meal before bed can leave little time for proper rest. A ready-to-use snack from your kitchen cupboard can save time. Better still, you can stock up without spending a fortune.

Survival meals are very affordable. You can build a food supply with at least 40% freeze-dried products. Stored under the right conditions, they are not perishable and remain available whenever you need them.

You do not need to be a great cook to prepare freeze-dried food. Dishes do not necessarily need anything added before you eat them. They provide essential nutrients, so you need not worry about their nutritional value. They contain as few harmful substances as possible. What’s more, a freeze-dried meal is free from bacteria.

In short, survival meals are an essential option for survivalists and anyone seeking self-sufficiency. They offer benefits for your body, your physical needs and your budget.

Long-life food with a shelf life of up to 25 years: the selection

For maximum shelf life, several products in our range keep for up to 25 years: raspberry oat flakes, scrambled eggs with cheese, crunchy apple cream, chocolate mousse with cherries and granola, rice pudding with strawberries, and dishes such as chicken and summer vegetable pasta or Indian-style chicken rice. Other products have shorter shelf lives depending on the recipe and format. Check the shelf life on each product page before building your supply.

How to choose long-life foods

The selection has three main types of product. First are complete freeze-dried meals, including those mentioned above, garden vegetable rice and chocolate porridge. Next come staples such as powdered egg, powdered butter, beet sugar and salt. Finally, there are compact rations and biscuits, including emergency biscuits in several flavours and sweet or savoury crackers.

Shelf life ranges from 4 to 25 years, depending on the product: up to 25 years for most complete meals, 15 years for powdered butter and 10 years for powdered egg. Filters let you narrow the selection by price, calorie content (105 to 5,400 kcal depending on the product), allergens (peanut-free, gluten-free and more) or diet (vegan, vegetarian, low-salt or natural). The range includes established brands such as CONVAR Feldküche, Trek'n Eat, Expedition Foods, Emergency Food, Fuel Your Preparation, Travellunch and Food Force.

💡 FAQ: Long-life food

❓ What is long-life food?

Long-life food is freeze-dried or dehydrated food packaged to keep for several years without refrigeration. It can help you build a food supply for shortages, expeditions or off-grid living.

❓ Which foods keep for up to 25 years?

Most complete meals, along with products such as raspberry oat flakes, scrambled eggs with cheese and rice pudding with strawberries, keep for up to 25 years.

❓ Do all products in this category keep for 25 years?

No. Shelf life ranges from 4 to 25 years, depending on the recipe and format. For example, powdered butter keeps for 15 years and powdered egg for 10 years. Always check the shelf life on each product page before building your supply.

❓ How do you prepare a long-life freeze-dried meal?

Usually, you just add water to rehydrate the product. Preparation takes only 10 to 15 minutes, making it a practical option in an emergency.

❓ How much of your food supply should be freeze-dried?

It is recommended that at least 40% of your long-life food supply be freeze-dried.

❓ What types of products are in this category?

Breakfasts (oat flakes, scrambled eggs, porridge), main meals (rice, pasta, meat), desserts (chocolate mousse, rice pudding), staples (powdered egg, powdered butter, sugar, salt), compact rations and emergency biscuits.

❓ Can I filter the selection by diet or allergies?

Yes. You can filter by allergens, such as peanut-free or gluten-free, and by diet, including vegan, vegetarian, low-salt and natural options. You can also filter by price and calorie content.

❓ Which brands are included in the long-life food selection?

The selection includes CONVAR Feldküche, Trek'n Eat, Expedition Foods, Emergency Food, Fuel Your Preparation, Travellunch and Food Force.