Packaging Details of Freeze Dried and Dehydrated Food

Food products packed in #2.5 cans (about the size of a large soup can), #10 cans (large coffee can size) and 6 gallon buckets contain an oxygen absorber. See this link on Shelf life and storage conditions for the different products available and how you can dramatically increase your food storage shelf life.

Cans and buckets are airtight containers, ensuring the longest possible shelf life and freshness of food. We also have many products available in pouches (see below).

For best storage and longest life, either cans or buckets are recommended. Paper bags and "boxed" products are not recommended for long storage unless you repackage these yourself into airtight containers with oxygen absorbers. We also sell buckets and oxygen absorbers so you can do this yourself. Pouch products have a more limited recommended shelf life due to the packaging (pouches are not hard-sided like cans or buckets).

There are two types of buckets -- RB (ribbed bucket, since discontinued) and SP (Superpail). Both are packaged with oxygen absorbers. The Super Pail bucket has the added benefit of food first being sealed in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber. See our FAQ page for other information.

• RB = Ribbed 6 gallon bucket with oxygen absorber. The food is placed directly in the food grade bucket and sealed with gasket lid. We no longer carry this bucket!
• SP = Superpail: This is the same heavy, plastic bucket used for the RB, but with the added insurance of a metalized nonporous mylar bag. The bag is filled with the product & an oxygen absorber packet to remove O₂. The bag is vacuum sealed and the bucket is sealed with a lid. This bag protects the product from light, moisture and oxygen. If stored in a cool place, grains & legumes will last for many years.
• Buckets are 17.5" tall, 12" in diamter. #10 cans are 7" tall, 6 1/8" diamter.
• Buckets may be dented upon arrival. This is the affect of air pressure differential and is a "good sign", since it indicates a tight seal on the gasket lid. Not all buckets will dent, head gasses vary depending on product. If these are SP buckets (the food is in a sealed mylar bag inside) and you want to remove the dents, you can crack the lid open and allow in some air, but this is not necessary or generally recommended. Dents can be ignored unless they are problematic and threaten the integrity of the bucket.
• Buckets with "expanded" lids are showing the same air pressure differential. If this is an SP (super pail product with mylar bag) you can ignore this, or bleed off the air from the bucket by opening the lid slightly and the air pressure will equalize. There is no need to do this, but it is still safe since the food is in a sealed mylar bag inside (be sure this is the SP bucket!).
• Products containing leaven (yeast) such as Biscuit Mix can expand due to activated leaven. If this happens, carbon dioxide gas is created (CO2), expanding the container. C02 is harmless and is actually used to preserve food in the "dry ice" method (adding dry ice to a bucket), a common food-storage technique. Excess CO2 can simply be bled off and the mylar bag resealed (tape or use a hot iron on a mylar bag). Products containing leaven have a shorter shelf life, see our shelf life page for further information.
• Notice: UPS has increased their Non-standard Package Fee (NSPF) to $6.00. To save you money, there is a $2.00 box charge per bucket, saving you the NSPF fee charged by UPS.

There are two types of cans we use. The #10 can is the large coffee can size everyone is familiar with (1 gallon). The #2.5 can is the smaller can, the size of a large soup can.

• Each can has one oxygen absorber packet which almost always assures contents remain 99.5% oxygen free. #10 cans use a 500cc absorber, #2.5 cans use a 300cc absorber.
• SP (Superpails) and cans give the best storage protection. Paper bags offer the least.
• #10 enameled cans hold 13 cups. #2.5 enameled cans hold 3 1/2 cups.
• All cans are shipped dent free from the cannery. We do not ship out dented cans. Any can that is received severely dented on the seam or fold of the can is considered damaged and is caused during shipment mishandling. Any minor dent elsewhere on the can is not considered damaged because the food is dehydrated and has different guidelines than other canned foods such as wet-pack foods found in the supermarket.

Pouch Products are available from Mountain House, Richmoor and Alpine Aire. They all use a heavy foil / mylar pouch with ziplock openings, and are all date coded. 2 person and 4 person sizes are most common, there are larger sizes too depending upon the product (read the descriptions to determine sizes). Pouch products can usually be eaten beyond their expiration dates by several years.

Date Codes: All of our cans are date coded (Mountain House, Rainy Day, Alpine Aire). Both Rainy Day and Alpine Aire use Julian date codes on their cans. This is an ink stamp on the top of the can. Pouch products from Alpine Aire, Mountain House and Richmoor are date stamped.

Rainy Day example: 10303 Cabbage 32809. The first set of numbers is the product code. The second set of number is the Julian date (packing date). This can was packed 328th day of 2009.

Alpine Aire example: 92-992 Instant Milk 05310-4045. The first set of numbers is the product code. The second set of numbers is the Julian date (packing date). This can was packed on the 53rd day of 2010.

We do NOT sell old stock! We have a huge volume and simply never have old stock. All cans are shipped out dent-free and are date coded.