As any prepper-minded individual knows, food storage is a basic foundation for being prepared. That can be a daunting project though. Storing it, rotating it, knowing how much, and now with all of these companies advertising their latest product, figureing out what to store is just as big of a challange. Their are so many companies out there now days trying to tell you why their food storage products are better, some even claim to be “gourmet”. How do you know where to begin? Well, I’ve been wondering the same thing, so I ordered some samples and have been putting some of those products to the test, and will continue to do so.
At our last ZAS meeting, I brought along two such products. I tried to choose similar items for the comparison. The first product was by eFoods, it was their White Cheddar Sauce and Shells.
My first response to this product was that I didn’t like that it came in two seperate packages, because if I’m in an emergency situation, having seperate pouches and having to prepare it in two seperate containers might be more work than I want.
The second product is Pasta Alfredo by Wise Fod Storage. This product came in one pouch and was prepared in a pan. It also had the added benefit of not having to be drained. When we sampled these products we did so while at a campsite with just our camping gear. I didn’t have a strainer with me.
I gave samples of both products to all who were present, children and adults alike, and didn’t get a single complaint. They all said they liked them and would eat them again without a doubt. I did have a few say they prefered the Pasta Alfredo (Wise Food), siting the creamier texture, but I think that the White Cheddar Sauce and Cheese (eFoods) could have come out a little thicker and creamer, if I had been able to drain more water off.
Both products were pretty quick to make. A plus if you happen to be running from zombies. They both also contained 4, 1 cup servings, and were pretty similar in calorie content, with the eFoods shells and cheese wheighing it at 302 Calories, and the Wise Food alfredo at 300.
That however is where the similarities stop. The nutritinal values of these two were very different. My two biggest concerns are the protein and the sodium. The Pasta Alfredo had only 5g of Protein but a whopping 920mg of sodium. If I’m working hard, slaying zombies for instance, I’m going to need more protein from a meal than just 5g, which means I’m going to have to add more to this meal or eat more of it, both of which would be fine but since this one serving has allready given me 38% of my daily value of Sodium there isn’t much I could add to this that won’t really max me out on salt. If I’m having to ration water for any reason, this is not going to help with that. The White Cheddar & Cheese came in much more reasonably with 11g of Protein and a much samller Sodium count of 295mg.
Another thing I noticed with these foods were the differences with the vitamins and minerals available in them.
eFoods Wise Food Storage
Calcium 8% 2%
Iron 12% 10%
Folate 30% not listed
Riboflavin 15% not listed
Niacin 12% not listed
The Pasta Alfredo did win one item though, it had 2% of the daily value of Vitamin C where as the shells and cheese had none.
White Cheddar Shells & Cheese
My vote has got to go the the eFoods White Cheddar Shells and Cheese because it is a healthier choice. I think that if I were going to store either of these items though, that I would need to also store food that could be added to them to increase their ability to fill hungry people, and to add some nutrients. Some suggestions: dehydrated vegetables, canned or pouched tuna, ham flavored tvp, or perhaps canned ham. What do you think?