Emergency food brands market shelf life, calorie counts, and emergency scenarios. The actual job of stored food is simpler: feed the household for 2 to 30 days during a disruption when fresh food is unavailable. Two brands dominate the market for freeze dried preparedness food: Mountain House and Augason Farms. Each occupies a different niche, and the right choice depends on whether you are buying for backpacking, vehicle storage, or a 6 month household pantry. This guide breaks down both brands across cost, nutrition, shelf life, and use case.
The brands
Mountain House has produced freeze dried meals since 1969, originally for the US military. The brand pioneered the consumer freeze dried pouch market and remains the standard for backpackers. Headquarters in Albany, Oregon. Owned by Oregon Freeze Dry.
Augason Farms sells freeze dried and dehydrated foods primarily in #10 cans (gallon-size steel cans) and 5 gallon buckets. Founded in 1972. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, with significant LDS preparedness market roots. Owned by Blue Chip Group.
The brands compete in similar categories but target different buyers. Mountain House dominates retail outdoor stores (REI, Cabela’s, sporting goods). Augason Farms dominates online preparedness marketing and Costco bulk channels.
Format differences
Mountain House primary formats:
- 2 serving pouch: Standard backpacking format. 200 to 400 calories per serving. Just add hot water in the pouch.
- Pro Pak pouch: Compressed version of the standard pouch, smaller footprint, 600 to 900 calories per pouch.
- #10 can: Larger format, 10 to 12 servings, designed for storage.
- Bucket: 4 to 5 pouches plus desiccant in a sealed plastic bucket.
Augason Farms primary formats:
- #10 can: Single ingredient or single meal type. The default Augason Farms format.
- Bucket: Pre-packaged 30 day or 72 hour kits in a sealed bucket.
- Pouches: Less common, less variety than Mountain House.
The format difference reflects intent. Mountain House meals are designed to be eaten as full meals one pouch at a time. Augason Farms cans are designed to be incorporated into household cooking: rice, beans, pasta, vegetables, dried egg, dried milk.
Cost per calorie
Direct comparison using current MSRP and serving sizes:
Mountain House Classic Bucket (Sept 2024 pricing): $90 retail, 7200 calories total, 24 servings. Cost per calorie: $0.0125, or 1.25 cents per calorie.
Mountain House Beef Stroganoff #10 can: $50 retail, 1740 calories per can. Cost per calorie: 2.9 cents per calorie.
Augason Farms 30 Day Emergency Food Supply Pail (Costco pricing): $180 retail, 35,460 calories total. Cost per calorie: 0.51 cents per calorie.
Augason Farms 1 Year Food Storage Kit: $1500 to $1700, roughly 600,000 calories. Cost per calorie: 0.25 to 0.28 cents per calorie.
Reference point - bulk rice and beans from Costco: 50 lb rice ($30) plus 20 lb dry beans ($30) = 110,000 calories at $60. Cost per calorie: 0.05 cents per calorie. Roughly 5x cheaper than Augason Farms and 25x cheaper than Mountain House.
The cost difference reflects shelf life and convenience. Mountain House meals require only water. Augason Farms requires water plus minimal cooking and meal construction. Bulk rice and beans require water, cooking, seasoning, and meal planning.
Taste
Mountain House dominates in independent taste tests. The Classic line (Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Teriyaki, Lasagna with Meat Sauce, Pasta Primavera) tastes closer to restaurant frozen meals than to camping food. The texture rehydrates well, the seasoning is restrained, and the meat content is meaningful.
Augason Farms taste is mixed. Single ingredient cans (dried whole egg, instant milk, dried beans) taste like the underlying ingredient and work well as ingredients. The branded meals (Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal, Creamy Chicken Rice) taste like budget freeze dried food: high salt, dominant artificial flavor, mushy rehydration.
For a 3 day emergency where you are stressed and exhausted, Mountain House makes you feel like a person eating a meal. Augason Farms makes you feel like a person eating emergency rations.
Nutrition
Per typical serving, Mountain House meals:
- Calories: 200 to 400
- Sodium: 600 to 1200 mg
- Protein: 10 to 25 g
- Fiber: 2 to 5 g
- Saturated fat: 1 to 6 g
Per typical serving, Augason Farms meals:
- Calories: 150 to 300
- Sodium: 400 to 1000 mg
- Protein: 5 to 15 g
- Fiber: 1 to 4 g
- Saturated fat: 0 to 4 g
Augason Farms is slightly lower in sodium on average. Both brands run hot on sodium relative to a healthy daily intake (under 2300 mg). A diet of 3 emergency meals per day from either brand hits the daily sodium limit fast.
Shelf life testing
Mountain House publishes a 30 year shelf life and backs it with periodic testing of cans pulled from a controlled archive. Reviews from preppers opening 25 to 30 year old cans report intact flavor and texture.
Augason Farms publishes 25 to 30 year shelf life depending on product. Wheat berries and oats hit 30 years. Dried potato flakes and dried egg hit 15 to 20 years. Meal pouches hit 7 to 10 years.
Both brands’ shelf life claims assume:
- Sealed #10 can with oxygen absorber
- Storage at 60 to 70 F
- Humidity below 15 percent
- No freeze thaw cycles
Garage storage in a hot climate (regular 90 to 100 F exposure) cuts shelf life roughly in half. Cool dry basement storage often exceeds the claimed shelf life.
Practical recommendations
For backpacking or short emergencies: Mountain House. 7 to 14 day bug out bag rations or recreational backpacking. Taste and convenience justify the premium.
For 30 day household preparedness: Augason Farms 30 Day Pail at Costco. Cheapest reliable packaged option, decent variety, sealed bucket storage.
For 6 to 12 month household preparedness: Augason Farms #10 can building blocks (dried egg, instant milk, hard wheat berries, instant potatoes, dried vegetables) combined with Costco bulk rice and beans. Builds real meals at the lowest cost per calorie.
For taste-sensitive family members: Mountain House across the board. Augason Farms meals require seasoning and meal-construction skill that stressed people often lack during an emergency.
What to skip
- Wise Company / ReadyWise: Similar pricing to Mountain House with worse taste and less independent shelf life verification.
- MREs (Sopakco, Ameriqual): Heavy, salty, expensive at $8 to $15 per meal. Better as get-home bag rations than household storage.
- Single-meal Amazon brands without 30 year shelf life testing: Quality varies wildly. Stick with the two major brands.
See the methodology page for our food evaluation framework. The emergency water storage and bug out bag essentials articles cover the other primary preparedness categories.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for emergency food storage, Mountain House or Augason Farms?+
Mountain House has better taste, lower sodium per serving, and a verified 30 year shelf life. Augason Farms is cheaper per calorie, has more variety in pail-and-bucket formats, and works better for long-term household storage where you build meals from ingredients. For backpacking and short-term emergency pouches, Mountain House. For 30 day plus household storage, Augason Farms. Most serious preppers buy both for different purposes.
How long does freeze dried food actually last?+
Mountain House publishes a 30 year shelf life backed by independent testing of stored product opened at the claimed date. Augason Farms publishes 25 to 30 years depending on the product. Both estimates assume unopened cans stored at 60 to 70 F with stable humidity. Heat shortens shelf life significantly: storage at 90 F cuts effective shelf life to roughly 10 to 12 years. Pouches (not cans) have shorter shelf lives of 7 to 10 years.
Is freeze dried food healthy enough for long-term consumption?+
Freeze dried meals are designed for emergencies, not 365 day nutrition. Sodium is high (600 to 1200 mg per serving), fiber is low, vegetable content varies, and most meals lack fresh produce. For 14 to 30 day emergencies they are fine. For multi-month food storage plans, combine with bulk rice, beans, oats, canned vegetables, and a daily multivitamin. Long-term reliance on packaged emergency food alone leads to constipation, blood pressure issues, and nutrient deficiencies.
What is the real cost per calorie for emergency food?+
Mountain House Classic Bucket: 1800 calories per pouch, 4 pouches per bucket, 7200 total calories per bucket. At $90 per bucket that is 1.3 cents per calorie. Augason Farms 30 Day Emergency Food Supply: 35,000 calories at $180 = 0.5 cents per calorie. Bulk rice and beans from Costco: 0.1 to 0.2 cents per calorie. Augason is 2.5x cheaper per calorie than Mountain House but bulk staples are 2x to 5x cheaper than Augason.
Do I need to rotate freeze dried food the way I rotate canned goods?+
Not on the same schedule. Canned goods rotate every 1 to 2 years. Freeze dried in #10 cans rotates every 15 to 20 years even though label says 30. Freeze dried in pouches rotates every 5 to 7 years. Mark every can with the purchase date and check storage temperature annually. The biggest risk is not expiration but storage condition: heat, humidity, and oxygen exposure all shorten shelf life faster than time alone.
Jamie Rodriguez
Jamie Rodriguez writes for The Tested Hub.