Mountain House Emergency and Survival Foods

WHAT IS FREEZE-DRYING?

"Freeze-drying" is a unique process that provides product characteristics that cannot be achieved with other processing methods. Fresh or cooked foods are flash frozen and then placed in vacuum chambers that are as cold as -50F. As low-level heat is applied the ice evaporates without going back through the liquid phase.

This process, called "sublimation", removes approximately 98% of the product's moisture which prevents the food from spoiling. The finished food products are immediately packed in Mountain House®'s unique moisture- and oxygen-barrier packaging to preserve the food's flavor, texture, color, and nutrients.

To "double" ensure freshness and prevent the food from turning rancid, an oxygen scavenger packet is placed in each pouch. The oxygen scavenger consists of iron oxide, which absorbs oxygen within the pouch. This product is not harmful to your health, but is not meant to be eaten.

WHY IS FREEZE-DRIED IMPORTANT?

Freeze-drying provides very unique benefits and advantages over other food processing methods. Frozen foods maintain fresh flavor, but they must be kept frozen. Dehydrated and canned foods are shelf-stable, but their high-temperature processing reduces their flavor, texture, color, and nutrients.

Freeze-drying combines the best of these processing methods--it locks in the freshness, color, texture, and aroma of frozen food while providing the shelf-stable convenience of canned or dehydrated food. Mountain House® freeze-dried food:

TASTES FRESH: Freeze-dried foods are nutritious and retain their fresh-food taste. Freeze drying removes only the water, not the flavor.

LOOKS FRESH: Freeze-dried foods maintain their original shape and texture. Low-temperature processing removes the food's water yet keeps the moisture channels and food fibers intact. When water is added back to the food, you can enjoy every fresh-food detail within minutes.

WEIGHS LESS THAN FRESH: 98% of the water has been removed from Mountain House® so the weight of the food is reduced by 60% to 90%.

STAYS FRESH: Mountain House® freeze-dried foods are packed in specially-designed foil packaging. This multi-layered package can be stored at room temperature for several years without food deterioration or spoilage. (We recommend use in 3-5 years.) For best results, please avoid prolonged storage in humid environments or at temperatures above 70F, and please be careful not to cause even the smallest "pinhole" punctures that can let air and moisture into the package.

  WHY SHOULD YOU CHOOSE MOUNTAIN HOUSE®? GREAT TASTE * LIGHT-WEIGHT * 10 to 25 YEAR SHELF-LIFE EASY TO PREPARE * HIGH QUALITY * HEARTY SERVINGS

Other brands of recreational foods mix freeze-dried and dehydrated ingredients. Dehydrated foods do not have the flavor of freeze-dried foods and may require cooking and/or pre-soaking to completely rehydrate.

Our recipes are formulated to provide you with the best-tasting recreational foods you can buy. Our unique inner preparation pouch provides you with the most convenient method of preparing food "on the trail". We work hard to constantly maintain the highest quality standards in the industry. You benefit from our vigilant efforts to keep our manufacturing costs at a level that keeps the price you pay for high-quality Mountain House® very competitive with other products that simply do not taste as good. We control the quality from start to finish. This makes Mountain House® the best value for your money.

All of these features mean Mountain House® foods are simply THE BEST you can buy. And outdoor enthusiasts all over the world--from family campers to Mt. Everest climbers, from Navy Seal Teams to NASA Astronauts--have long recognized and appreciated the delicious flavor, convenience, high quality, storability unique to Mountain House® foods.

The Future

One hears daily of the family who was stuck in a snow bank for 4 days without food or water - of the earthquake which blocked transportation of food and medicine to areas which needed it - of the trucking strike which stopped freash, frozen or packaged foods from getting to the stores.

These all have something in common: NO FOOD AVAILABLE! A small box, stuck in your closet, filled with our long term storage foods could mean the difference between life and starvation for your family.

PLEASE! Think ahead. Whether you choose Mountain House products, or another form of food storage products, make it a habit to have at least one week of emergency food, water and other necessities available at all times.