Have you ever pondered this question yourself? Well you’re not alone! I get asked this all the time and I’m about to let you in on one of the biggest food storage secrets out there…..are you ready….
Most food storage companies are re-sellers (meaning there are a few companies that actually produce the food and they resell it to other companies who repackage it and put their own label on the cans) So…in the end you should purchase what ever is CHEAPEST. Make sure to compare weight and price as each company fills the cans to different weights.
How do I know this? Well I’ve consulted for different food storage companies and talked to enough other people “in the know” to know that this is true. Case and point-Powdered Eggs. There is actually only one company approved by the USDA to powder eggs and can them. So do the other companies get the powdered eggs? They purchase from the manufacturer and relabel. Now you may be asking, “why do different companies say different amounts of dry egg powder equal an egg then?” Well, if you tell people to use 3 T. dry egg powder opposed to 1 T. you’ll go through your can a lot faster and have to buy more. It’s a cheap marketing trick-that’s why you have to be educated when you’re purchasing your food storage!
Doesn’t Shelf Reliance (THRIVE brand) package all their own food? I’ve been under the impression that they don’t re-label anything.
They definitely don’t package EVERYTHING (I’m not really sure that they do produce or process (or whatever word they use) or where…but that is a different story…). There are a few big companies (I know for a FACT) that supply dairy, wheat, etc. to everyone. What word do they specifically use when they talk about their food? Unfortunately with marketing you can use a bunch of words that people will assume is something but technically mean something else.
Okay. I just got official word from Shelf Reliance corporate. While they do not PRODUCE all the food they can, they do can all their food. NOTHING is purchased as a #10 can and then re-labeled. So, they may purchase something from another company, but it is purchased in bulk and tested, sampled, and approved on site before being canned, labeled as THRIVE and sent out.
They are HACCP certified, and also have their own USDA certification
number for their egg and meat products. They also have an on-site quality assurance department and FSIS Inspector.
Interesting about the eggs and milk tasting different like you mentioned. I know I’ve bought eggs all over and they all work the same in baking, but milk has been a big one for me. Seems to be VERY different from company to company. I’d never really thought about the oxygen absorber thing…but some cans do seem to have less or more than others. I wonder if that would make that big of a difference in the quality of the product.
But I do have to agree with Swainsrus, I like your honesty! Marketing can be a tricky thing!
Thank you for looking into that! Such great information!
There is a huge difference in products. Yes, look for the sales, but you taste testing does make a difference.
So which company is the cheapest, on average?
Crystal, this is WHY I love you. Your honesty is refreshing! Thank you!!!!
That is interesting but I do have to say that I have tried a lot of different brands of powdered eggs and to me the taste and texture are not the same. Some powdered eggs are terrible even inedible. Others taste great. If the eggs are the same I wonder what the difference is.
I’ve had powdered milk taste different all from the LDS Cannery. There are a lot of factors that go into taste (one being how old the product is-which can be hard to decipher if you’re purchasing from a grocery store). The other is some companies may purchase the product and can it themselves (but that doesn’t mean they actually do the processing of the food) and in that time it can depend on how long the product sat out, how they canned it, how much open space they left in the can because one oxygen absorber can only go so far…
Cheapest does not always mean the best tasting. Sometimes it is a trial and test experience. A friend called and said she found a great deal on freeze dried strawberries. She was only looking at the price. It turns out one brand was 9 oz in the #10 can, and the cheapest was 6 oz. Don’t let the price be your only factor in deciding what brand. Taste plays a major role too. Thanks for bringing this subject up. As is said, buyer beware!
Ladies, I would like to hear what powdered eggs and milk you recommend and WHY? Thanks!
I have only tried two brands but my favorite was from Shelf Reliance because when I scrambled the eggs they tasted good and they had the color of eggs. I do use my dry powdered eggs when baking, but to truly know the taste, be sure to scramble them.
I’ve wondered about eggs–I’ve bought from emergency essentials and from honeyville. the powder from EE is much more dense, and no additive is listed on the label to prevent caking. They also call for 1 T powder, and 2 T water for each egg. The powder from HV, on the other hand, lists 2% anti-caking ingredient, and calls for 2 T powder, 4 T water for each egg (which I’ve found to be way too much liquid for most recipes, and an actual large egg should be slightly less than 1/4 c liquid). I’ve tried scrambled eggs with both cans and did not care for either, but LOVE cooking with them in baking. SO convenient.
Thanks so much for this information! I was wondering about that!
I like the powder milk from emergency essentuals. It has a picture of cows. It ISN’T CHEAP so I just use this for drinking and use the Bishop Storehouse for cooking.
Where are some places to get bulk foods? I only know of Montana Milling and Walton Foods.