Well it seems from all this information, I am not so concerned about the sodium content.

I will also purchase regular canned products, that we normally eat anyway.

Is there an average amount of time that veggies in a sealed can (supermarket, Sam's Club, Costco) are good for? I thought I read that the actual dates stamped on the can are not totally accurate.

ok I havent read all the responses, but there is a place called www.beprepared.com has diff. food for sale.

I never really think about this stuff.

I`m always several months ahead on most food items anyway, except fresh fruits and veggies, offcourse.

If the electricity in the freezer should go out for a long time, there isn`t really an issue as long as I got enough salt around.

My wife bought me this book for Father's Day. It's got a lot of good information and will help you think through how much food you'll need and ways to store it.
Also includes info on other preparedness topics, but the most extensive coverage is on food requirements and storage solutions.

http://www.amazon.com/Crisis-Preparednes...3861&sr=8-1

HTH
-phil

A lot of Mormons have been storing up 1-5 years of emergency food supplies for generations and have a Emergency Preparedness Manuel that has good recommendations.

For storing dry grains like wheat and rice as well as dried beans, peas, etc., give some thought to using home canning jars and a jar adapter for a vacuum sealer. I know the FoodSaver home vacuume sealer has one. Vacuumed sealed dry grains and such should outlast you by several generations eliminating the need for rotation on some items. (I'm sure most people here have heard of 2,000 year old seeds and grains found in Egyptian tombs germinating.)

An advantage to using glass canning jars for storage is that they are reusable, (you just need a supply of new lids, inexpensive and easily stored, and a few other canning supplies) in case things go long term and you need to home preserve food from a garden or other sources.

Doing a little home canning now is also a money saver, healthier and allows you to take advantage of low seasonal prices for bulk fresh veggies and meat at local farmers markets and discount places like Sam's Club or Costco. Plus you can preserve preprepared meals that you know your kidlings will eat.

There is lots of good literature available on home preservation of food and I find it an enjoyable hobby as well as an essential survival skill. Your mileage may vary.

Edited to add: A link to Freshpreserving.com , one source for canning supplies and info.

Another link, National Center for Home Food Preservation that's pretty comprehensive.

From the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University
http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/nutrition/factsheets/sodium.html

"Requirements - The Food and Nutrition Board recommended a sodium intake of less than 2,400 mg/day for adults."

They say that athelete who are exercising more than 2 hrs a day would need more due to excessive sweat losses.

And "hypertensive individuals are recommended to limit their sodium intake to less than 2,400 mg daily..."

"Toxicity - Excessive consumption of sodium on a regular basis is often associated with hypertension and edema. High intakes of sodium can also lead to osteoporosis because sodium can increase urinary calcium losses.

"No upper safety limits for sodium have been established because the body generally excretes excess sodium through the kidneys. But health organizations recommend daily consumption of sodium < 2,400 mg per day (about half of that found in the typical American diet)."

I just picked three random meals from the Mtn House choices and all were over 5,000 mg. If you're a young adult in good health, with no hypertensive issues, you could probably get away with it. But it would be like eating fast food all day, every day.

If you're middle-aged or so, it wouldn't be very good.

If you only ate one MH meal per day (say dinner), and ate more regular stuff for your other meals, it would be better. Say a double portion of quick-cooking oatmeal with milk (reconstituted dry) and two tablespoons of brown sugar would have about 125 mg of sodium.

Balance is probably the key.

Sue