Go Foods - Emergency Foods

Surfing the net looking for emergency food leaves me mind-numb.  Among the many choices - a product my digestive system is all-too familiar.  The gut-buster....Ready to Eat Meals. Side note, the reason they are called "Meals, Ready to Eat" is because on packing slips, forms, inventory sheets, etc, the noun is listed first - thus, as a supply guy is taking stock, he'll find something like this:

• Meals, Ready to Eat, 10ea 

That's 10 Ready to Eat meals.  As opposed to other meal options like T-Rations (T-Rats) which required prep from sitting over boiling water, to actual 'cooking'.   My google searches brought a lot of results, from freeze-dried type to self-proclaimed "Gourmet" rations.   To being to get a handle on what's out there, I coughed up $9.95 for a sample kit from Go Foods.  The package of two boxes arrived within a couple of days.  What you see here is the contents of just ONE of the boxes; labelled with identical contents.

  Now - I'd be remiss if I neglected to mention their awesome GoForces! program, offering substantial savings to members of the Armed forces, First responders, and Dept of Defense employees - just to name a few groups.  Check out the link to the program here.


Armed with half-bottle of my favourite hot sauce (see image), a bunch of water, heat, a pot, and bowls, I set out to answer the question - "Would I rather eat a MRE".

*Note: the package labels did not match one-another.  The explanation letter is pictured above.


Creamy Pasta Roma
BLUF:  Creamy, almost a little citrus flavour - I can pick up the sweetness of the tomatoes, and tang of the Parmesan cheese.  Very high sodium content.  Definitely smokey, too.  I enjoyed it best with a dash of hot sauce.   Better than almost any MRE I can remember; I'm positive it's better than any T-Rat.   For sure would turn to this in an emergency - but also would pack it for camping and eat this by choice.  WITH hot sauce.   I WOULD NOT rather eat a MRE.

Details:  eFoods Gold Label.  Vegetarian, manufactured 10 Jan 13.
Serving size: 1 Cup - 4 verified* servings per pack.
Calories: 240 - 50 from Fat
Sodium: 800mg
Carbs: 41g
Dietary Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 9g
Protein: 6g

*sometimes food makers list 'servings per bag' as if their product will be eaten by small fish.  When I use 'verified' it means their serving is enough for a fat guy (me) to feel like he ate something.

Images:
What was in the bag:

What was on the spoon:

 Chicken Cheddar Rice
BLUF:  This was a family-favourite. Sometimes we grill marinated flank steak, cut across the grain on the bias, and cooked medium rare.  We dip the steak pieces in homemade curry mayo.  I want this Go Foods dish to replace our typical boxed rice side.  Creamy, cheesy - the only thing I didn't get a lot of was Chicken.  I didn't notice chicken texture (thought they'd have fake-chicken bits) but I tasted chicken base.  Risotto-equse. SUPER-high sodium content.  Hot sauce not required, but delicious of course with a few drops.  Two members of my tasting panel complained of a bitter after-taste.  I WOULD NOT rather eat a MRE.

Details: Gluten Free, no added MSG, Vegitarian, best if used by 26 Nov 2027
Serving size: 1 Cup - 4+ verified* servings per pack
Calories: 269 - 90 from Fat.
Sodium: 912(!!)mg
Carbs: 34g
Dietary Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 4g
Protein: 7g

*sometimes food makers list 'servings per bag' as if their product will be eaten by small fish.  When I use 'verified' it means their serving is enough for a fat guy (me) to feel like he ate something.

Images:
What was in the bag:

What was in the pot:




What was on the spoon:

Creamy Potato Soup
BLUF:  Bland.  Starchy.  Tasted like potatoes.  Boil a tater - before it gets too soft remove and cool a bit.  Now eat that in warm milk - with assorted spices, chives maybe, and that's pretty close to this dish.  UNTIL I doubled-up the hot sauce; then it became pretty okay.  Could eat this with a warm grilled cheese and feel comforted.  I WOULD rather eat a MRE.

Details: eFoods Gold Label.  Vegetarian, manufactured 4 Feb 2013
Serving size: 1 Cup - 4 verified* servings per pack

Calories: 130 - 90 from Fat
Sodium: 532mg
Carbs: 17g
Dietary Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 1g


*sometimes food makers list 'servings per bag' as if their product will be eaten by small fish.  When I use 'verified' it means their serving is enough for a fat guy (me) to feel like he ate something.
Images:
What was in the bag:

What was on the spoon:

GoFoodsGlobal.com lists a week's worth of meals (Family of 4) for $240.  Compare that with about $100 for a case of 12 MREs, I'd spend three-times the cost of GoFoods meals to feed my gang.  GoFoods.com - if their other meal packs are as-good, I would not feel hosed or cheated sending in my money for their emergency foods.  In fact, I recommend - and will when asked - GoFoods to my friends and Family.  And Aoife - the SoupSandwichSurvival.com mascot - agrees with me!