Mountain House Responds to Reader Questions + Giveaway

Early this year, I featured an interview with Kenny Larson, from Oregon Freeze Dry, the makers of Mountain House products.  In the article, Everything You Wanted to Know About Mountain House, I invited readers with an opportunity to comment on Mountain House and to submit questions to the Mountain House or Oregon Freeze Dry team.  There were over 200 responses which tells me two things:  you love these free food giveaways and you also are interested in learning more about Mountain House.

Today on Backdoor Survival we not only have some answers for you, but also another Free Food Friday giveaway featuring an assortment of some of the newest Mountain House meal pouches.  This time there will be THREE WINNERS!

More about the giveaway in a moment; first the answers to your questions.

Q & A with Mountain House

First off, I want to say that we at Mountain House were very impressed with reader response here at Backdoor Survival. We cataloged each and every comment, suggestion and question. We will keep these in mind as we make our plans for the future. We may not be able to implement all of your suggestions, but we wanted you to know that your voice was heard. Thank you!

Do Mountain House products contain GMOs?

We understand and are aware of concerns about GMOs. While, Mountain House products are not certified GMO free, our focus is to provide a premium product with delicious flavor, and good nutrition at a consumer friendly price point.

Up until the last year or so, GMO hasn’t been a big concern among our customers, so it wasn’t really on our radar. Issues like shelf life, pricing variety, easy of prep etc., were bigger customer concerns and received most of our focus. Since we’ve been receiving more questions about GMO, we’ve started exploring the possibility of using non-GMO ingredients. As you can imagine, there are trade-offs: price and consistent supply from certified vendors being among them. Non-GMO certification is a costly and time-intensive process.

Speaking of which, to our knowledge, there is no certified non-GMO product in the long term food storage industry. While some companies claim to be non-GMO, according to the non-profit Non-GMO project:

“While you may see other claims regarding GMO status (e.g. “GMO free”), these are really not legally or scientifically defensible, and they are not verified by a third party. The Non-GMO Project is the only organization offering independent verification of testing and GMO controls for products in the U.S. and Canada. “

Here’s the link if you are interested in reading more:  http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/understanding-our-seal/.

What is the Shelf Life of #10 cans once opened?

I talked to our R&D about this. We have always said that our food is good for 1-2 weeks after opening. Our bar for quality is very high. The moment the #10 can is opened, humidity, oxygen and heat will attack. The food may very well be good for longer than this depending on environmental conditions.

The longest we can guarantee our indistinguishable-from-new-quality is 1-2 weeks because we don’t know the environment the food will be exposed to.  Mountain House meals are eaten in literally every environment on Earth. Some of these environments are very extreme so we err on the side of caution to ensure our consumers have the best possible experience. As a rule, humidity, temperature and oxygen are the primary enemies of all food.

Using the provided plastic lid and refrigeration can extend the life of an opened #10 Mountain House can.

Gaye’s note:  I have found that the food in my opened tins stays tasty for at least six months.  That said, my home is kept very cool (about 65 degrees) and the tins are well sealed in a dark closet.  Of course, they don’t last that long.  Love the Chili Mac!

Do Freeze Dried Foods Have the Same Nutrition as Other Food Preservation Methods?

We process our food at lower temperatures and pressure than other methods. We also package our food in a nearly oxygen-free environment. This means Mountain House food has less opportunity to lose nutrition and flavor. Our freeze-dried food retains nutrition better than regular air drying preservation techniques.

I or Someone in my Family has Specific Food Allergies

We take consumer food allergies seriously and have a vigorous sanitation program in place to avoid cross-contamination. We also declare allergens on our packaging in accordance with the regulations outlined by the FDA.

I am Interested in the Nutrition of Mountain House Foods

Many of our most popular Mountain House meals are based on recipes that were originally developed in the 1970’s when flavor was the primary priority. We currently offer options for people on specialized diets including Gluten-free, Vegetarian and Low-Sodium entrees.

I have concerns about MSG:

Monosodium Glutamate is sometimes added by other food manufacturers as a flavor enchanter. We don’t add MSG to our foods.

That being said, glutamate occurs naturally in certain ingredients like cheeses, tomatoes and mushrooms and is what gives them their characteristic savory flavor. We achieve our home-cooked flavor the same way you do at home, in the cook pot.

In fact, we at Mountain House are the only brand that fully cooks our meals before packing. To see how we put our meals together check out our YouTube video.

The Giveaway

I just love to say “. . . and here is the part you have been waiting for”.  This latest Mountain House giveaway is for a kit consisting of some of their newest meal pouches: Biscuits & Gravy, Apple Crisp and Fire Roasted vegetables.

There are three kits up for grabs – meaning 3 winners!

Here is today’s easy peasy poll question.

What best describes you?

A – I currently have freeze-dried food in my long-term food storage pantry.
B – I sometimes use freeze-dried foods and meal pouches in day-to-day meal planning.
C – I am new to FD food but anxious to give them a try.
D – None of the above

As with all giveaways, you will need to enter your response in the comments area at the end of this article. The deadline is 6:00 PM Pacific next Thursday with the winner selected at random and notified by email and also with an announcement in the Sunday Survival Buzz on June 8th.  The winner will have 48 hours to respond or an alternate will be selected.

Note: If you are reading this article in your email client, you must go to the Backdoor Survival website to enter this giveaway in the comments area at the bottom of the article.

The Final Word

I would once again like to thank the folks at Mountain House for taking the time to answer our questions.  As you know, Mountain House entrees are a part of both my long and short term storage strategy and as they introduce new products, I like to give them the taste test.

If you are just getting started with freeze dried foods, I suggest you start out with a variety of meal pouches so you can determine which varieties are best suited to your personal taste preferences.  Heaven knows, I have my favorites and even a few that I shun.  And then there is the Beef Stroganoff and Chili Mac – my favorites!

Please take a few moments to enter the giveaway.  Everyone has an equal chance of winning, plus, there will be three winners!

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye

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Mountain House Sale

I was very excited to learn about this short term sale on Mountain House products. Save 30% when you purchase 6+ of the same item.  I can see there is going to be some more Chili Mac and Beef Stroganoff in my future.  While supplies last or until the end of May.

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Bargain Bin:  Let’s make today all about Mountain House and water!

Mountain House Single Pouches: Amazon makes it really easy to order single pouches of Mountain House meals for taste-testing purposes.  With free shipping, this is a good way to sample meals that you think you will enjoy before investing is a large tin.

Mountain House Amazon Store: You will find a full complement of Mountain House products at their Amazon Store.

AquaPod:   With hurricane season coming up, have you considered storing water in your bathtub?  The AquaPod is a bladder that you can use in your bathtub to store water if you know that a storm, flood, or hurricane is brewing. (I call these “disruptive events”.)

Suncast RB50D 50-Gallon Rain Barrel:  A rain barrel is a great way to collect water for, well, a rainy day.  This is the rain barrel I own.  The instructions indicate that it must be dumped regularly to prevent algae formation but since I will be using this “free” water in the garden, it will get replenished regularly by Mother Nature.  That said,  I am definitely going to keep an eye on things.

Potable Aqua Water Treatment Tablets: Potable Aqua Water Purification Tablets make questionable water bacteriologically suitable to drink. Easy to use and the water is ready to drink in 30 minutes. One 50 tablet bottle treats 25 quarts of water.

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter:  The LifeStraw is considered the most advanced, compact, ultra light personal water filter available. It contains no chemicals or iodinated resin, no batteries and no moving parts to break or wear out. It weighs only 2oz.  making it perfect for the prepper. For more information, see my LifeStraw review.

Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System:  Fans of the Sawyer water filtration systems are evangelistic in their praise.  This is an ongoing favorite on the Amazon Top 10 Most Wished for Items.

Amazon – Gift Cards: Perhaps with a brightly colored water bottle for that special someone?

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My eBook, The Prepper’s Guide to Food Storage will provide you with everything you need to create an affordable food storage plan, including what to buy and how to store it. Nothing scary and nothing overwhelming – you really can do this!