February 27, 2020
Today's Full Plate Is Tomorrow's Empty Plate
(Italy Grocery Stores Empty Shelves From coronavirus Panic Shopping)
By Susan Duclos - All News PipeLine
For those that still think that food could never become an issue in the U.S., those I refer to as "zombified," we will start this article with proof that food is already an issue. Not only food in grocery stores in countries already panicked by Coronavirus, but the largest of Emergency Survival Food companies are running out of some of their most sought after products.
Make no mistake, many of these products may never be available from some of these companies again.
I was reminded by someone well connected within the food industry while asking around, that one of the most important points to try to get across is that the survival food we buy today, canned, freeze dried or whatever, is from last years' crops and harvests.
Think about that. Last years crops were decimated by flooding which in many cases prevented farmers from planting, then an early freeze which forced them to harvest early, ending up with only a percentage of their crops. The same foods that companies use to can, freeze dry and use in certain items for this year.
In other words, where was already an issue with food, it just hasn't been noticed yet.
Anyone that doubts that will end up being one of the first people to starve in a disaster-type scenario, a pandemic, or any type of a catastrophe.
FOOD CHAIN IS BROKEN
The same day that ANP received an email from a emergency survival food supplier warning that "Fear of a Pandemic is depleting inventory throughout the emergency food industry," one of our long-time readers, Susie, left the following comment in our comment section:
FYI : I was checking "My Patriot Supply" for some freeze-dried stuff, etc., and they have posted a notice, that many things can be up to 28 days delayed (for shipping to customer). They are normally a 2-day shipper !!! I don't know if this applies to everything, or not ?? I did go ahead and order what I was looking for, but who knows when it will arrive ??
When we received the email which contained the graphic above, our first thought is of course they would push their product at a time of uncertainty, folks do not get into the food supply business unless they intend to supply consumers food, but seeing Susie's comment right then, had us doing some research.
What we found is quite concerning.
A search over at Augason Foods, shared on social media, shows that the "4-person, 1-year emergency shelter-in-place food supply kit," priced at over $5,100, is out of stock already.
Augason Farms and My Patriot Supply are not the only places we are hearing reports of supply shortages, as a look at the only wholesale website for Cotsco is showing one of their largest bulk packages, the "Mountain House 1-year food storage, 2,814 services," prices at $4,999.99, is also out of stock.
Here is the message on Numanna's home page:
While there are still some emergency survival items left at Amazon, we are nothing those are going fast as well.
Seeing the pattern?
Recommended and Related: Dare To Prepare - 6th Editon 2018
We are being told that the largest of emergency survival food companies can't handle more than 1,000 kits, packages and/or long-term supplies at this time, and given the shortages in crops last year, the supply chain may make ordering in bulk impossible in the foreseeable future.
Also, proving that once again how unprepared people are for a disaster scenario, using Italy as an example here because the videos have already started coming out, panic shopping, this time because of the Coronavirus, has stores shelves already empties.
People that have been prepping, whether a little at a time or have been for years, are well ahead of everyone else right now because if their grocery stores' shelves empty, they can still feed their families.
Here is one last thing to remember before we move along to our next bullet point. In a time of emergency in the United States, the government has the right to assume control of all major food sources, including farms, manufacturing, school cafeterias, basically any place that stores any stockpile of food.
ACT AS IF THERE IS NOTHING MORE COMING....................
"Reality based knowledge dispels fear" - Steve Quayle via phone, February 27, 2020
Inevitably when we write prepping pieces we will get trolls that only come to... well... troll. They scream fear porn, or snarkily remind people to be very afraid, implying that those that write prepping pieces want people to be scared.
One really has to wonder about those people and why they would not encourage everyone to prepare.
It is the exact opposite, as we at ANP have stated consistently, if a person is as prepared for any eventuality as they are capable of being, then there is never a reason to be fearful or scared.
Personally I liked Steve's quote far better, so after he said that to me, I asked if I could please quote him. As you can see above... he said yes!
Quayle, who has been recommending prepping for survival before prepping became a movement, also made another point. I am not using a quote but paraphrasing because honestly, I was writing what he was saying down so fast I am having trouble reading what I wrote.
The basic point is that as we see store shelves emptying around the globe from this panic over coronavirus, by people that obviously haven't prepared before, we are nothing a disconnect as people assume when the supply chain clears food will automatically become available again when they should be assuming it won't.
At least then they will be prepared if it doesn't, and if it does, the food won't go to waste.
DEHYDRATING, CANNING AND GROWING
We have dealt extensively with learning to grow our own foods, from lighting to sprouting to hydroponics to books showing how to grow indoor gardens year round, which is very handy for those of us that have very cold, long winters.
We'll provide those links to the growing section after we discuss canning and dehydrating your own meats, vegetables, fruits and other foods.
When it comes to prepping books, when I mentioned I was going to add a section on canning, Quayle recommended, highly, Holly Deyos book, Dare to Prepare, making it clear her book is one of the best prepping books out there.
Dare To Prepare - 6th Editon 2018
Canning is a method to preserve food in airtight containers after the foods are process. Canning, done correctly can provide a long shelf life, at least long enough to get your own gardens producing so that you can feed yourself and can your extras to store more food.
Other resources to learn more about canning, include the following:
A to Z Canning and Preserving for Total Beginners : The Essential Canning Recipes and Canning Supplies Guide
The Complete Guide to Pressure Canning: Everything You Need to Know to Can Meats, Vegetables, Meals in a Jar, and More
Canning and Preserving for Beginners: The Essential Canning Recipes and Canning Supplies Guide
Dehydrating And Freeze Drying: One of the most common misconceptions I have noted is that people use the terminology freeze dried and dehydrated as if they are exchangeable. They are not.
An explanation of the differences can be found at the ReadyStore website, but we will link to products that allow both methods, although dehydrators are far less expensive than freeze dryers, but the foods also have less of a shelf life.
The prices ranges of the products below fluctuate because what one can afford, another might not be able to.
Dehydrators:
Presto 06300 Dehydro Electric Food Dehydrator, Standard
Electric Food Dehydrator Machine, Professional Multi-Tier Kitchen Food Appliances, Meat or Beef Jerky Maker, Fruits and Vegetable Dryer with 5 Stackable Trays
Chefman Food Dehydrator Machine 6 Tray BPA Free with Adjustable Digital Timer and Temperature Control Touch Screen
Magic Mill Food Dehydrator Machine - Digital Adjustable Timer | Temperature Control | Keep Warm Function | Dryer for Jerky, Herb, Meat, Beef, Fruit and To Dry Vegetables | 10 Stainless Steel trays
STX International STX-DEH-1200W-XLS Dehydra Commercial Grade Stainless Steel Digital Food Dehydrator
Tribest Sedona Express SDE-S6780-B Digital Food Dehydrator, Black with Stainless Steel Trays
Freeze Dryer:
4-Tray Medium Red Freeze Dryer with Mylar Starter Kit
Harvest Right Large Freeze Dryer
Because the freeze dryers are so expensive, we did find an excellent piece over at "BeSurvival" that explains how to freeze dry food, with or without a machine.
Don't forget containers, whether airtight canisters, buckets or Mylar bags, and oxygen absorbers,
Growing food indoor year-round: Below are a set of links we have previously published to learn and grow your own food throughout the year. One day you may only have the food you have grown to dehydrate or freeze dry.
Some books with excellent review scores:
Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening: How to Grow Nutrient-Dense, Soil-Sprouted Greens in Less Than 10 days
Indoor Edible Garden: Creative Ways to Grow Herbs, Fruits, and Vegetables in Your Home
Other items for growing food indoors: (Related: The 8 Best Vegetables to Grow Indoors)
900W LED Grow Light Full Spectrum, with 100pcs Dual Chips LEDs, Double Switch, Adjustable Rope Hanger, Grow Bags, Daisy Chain Plant Growing Lamp for Hydroponic Greenhouse Indoor Plants Veg and Flower
AeroGarden Sprout LED - Black
Burpee Organic Premium Potting Mix, 8 Quart
CicoYinG 2-Pack 10 Gallon Potato Grow Bags - Plant Growing Bags w/Drainage Holes & Access Flap & Handles, Garden Bag Plant Pot for Grow Vegetables, Plant Bags Fabric Pots w/4Pcs Plant Labels
BOTTOM LINE - OTHER TIDBITS
A couple other points to consider include things like portion control, because if the food becomes scarce, always assume it is going to stay that way and if it doesn't, then nice surprise, but if it does stay that way, better to ration your food wisely than run out and have to fight for food.
Always act like there is nothing more coming.
Make no mistake, we are not recommending that anyone use their rent, or utility money to go out and panic shop, but if you are planning a vacation or a big spend on something less important that survival, think about using some of that to prepare, just in case.
We'll end this as we began it.... today's full plate may very well be tomorrow's empty plate... so act accordingly.
