Introduction
When preparing for an emergency, having enough food available can make a major difference. Power outages, severe storms, natural disasters, supply-chain disruptions, evacuations, and longer-term emergencies can all make obtaining groceries difficult or impossible. For preppers, one of the biggest challenges is finding emergency food that has a long shelf life, is relatively easy to store, and provides enough variety to prevent every meal from becoming the same.
The Augason Farms Lunch & Dinner Variety Kit is designed specifically for this type of situation. This emergency food kit contains 113 servings of dehydrated meals and is packaged in a 4-gallon bucket. The advertised shelf life is up to 25 years when stored properly, making it a product intended for long-term emergency food storage rather than simply short-term camping use.
This review takes an in-depth look at what the kit offers, how it can fit into a preparedness plan, what to consider before purchasing, and where it can be useful during an emergency.
What Is the Augason Farms Lunch & Dinner Variety Kit?
The Augason Farms Lunch & Dinner Variety Kit is a collection of dehydrated emergency meals packaged together in a compact storage bucket. Rather than purchasing one type of meal in bulk, the variety kit is intended to provide several different lunch and dinner options.
The 4-gallon bucket format is particularly useful for emergency preparedness because it keeps the food consolidated into a single container. Instead of having numerous individual packages scattered around a pantry or basement, a large portion of the food can be kept together and moved relatively easily.
The product is designed around long-term storage. The 25-year shelf-life claim makes it particularly interesting to preppers who are building a food reserve that may remain untouched for years.
113 Servings
One of the biggest selling points of the kit is the advertised 113 servings.
At first glance, 113 servings sounds like a substantial amount of food, and it certainly can provide a useful emergency reserve. However, it is important to understand what a "serving" means when evaluating emergency food.
A serving is not necessarily equivalent to a complete meal for an adult.
Depending on the particular meal and its nutritional content, someone may require multiple servings to create a satisfying lunch or dinner. Calorie requirements also vary considerably depending on age, body size, physical activity, weather conditions, and the circumstances of the emergency.
For this reason, I would look at the 113-serving figure as a useful measurement of the quantity of food included in the kit rather than assuming that it automatically represents 113 full meals.
This is an important consideration when building an emergency food supply.
Variety Is Important During an Emergency
One of the advantages of a variety kit is that it can prevent your emergency food supply from becoming monotonous.
Eating the same meal repeatedly can become tiresome, particularly during a prolonged emergency. Having different flavors and meal choices can make emergency meals more enjoyable and can help people maintain a normal eating routine.
This becomes even more important when preparing for an emergency that could last weeks or months.
A variety of meals can also be useful for families. Different people have different preferences, and having several choices makes it easier to find something that everyone is willing to eat.
For a prepper, food variety isn't simply about luxury. Keeping people willing to eat the stored food is an important part of maintaining a practical food reserve.
Dehydrated Food and Long-Term Storage
Dehydration is one of the primary technologies used in long-term emergency food storage.
Removing much of the moisture from food helps create an environment that is much less favorable to spoilage. Proper packaging then protects the food from environmental factors that can reduce its storage life.
The result is food that can remain stored for an extended period when kept under appropriate conditions.
This is very different from ordinary groceries.
A typical package of fresh meat, vegetables, or refrigerated food may have a relatively short usable life. Emergency dehydrated food is specifically designed to provide a much longer storage window.
For someone building a preparedness pantry, that difference can be extremely valuable.
The 25-Year Shelf Life
The advertised 25-year shelf life is one of the most attractive features of this kit.
Long shelf life means that emergency food can be purchased and stored well before it is actually needed.
This is important because preparedness isn't supposed to depend on knowing exactly when a disaster will occur. The entire purpose of long-term food storage is to prepare ahead of time.
However, a 25-year shelf-life figure should not be interpreted as a guarantee that the food will remain perfect under every possible storage condition for 25 years.
Storage conditions matter.
Heat, moisture, direct sunlight, physical damage, and improper handling can all affect stored food. A cool, dry, dark storage location is generally preferable.
This means that where you store the bucket can be almost as important as buying it in the first place.
The 4-Gallon Bucket
The 4-gallon bucket is another useful aspect of the product.
A bucket provides a convenient storage container and helps keep the food organized.
For preparedness purposes, this makes the kit relatively easy to incorporate into a larger storage system.
You could place emergency food buckets in a basement, pantry, closet, storage room, storm shelter, cabin, or other suitable location.
The bucket also makes the food easier to relocate if circumstances require you to move your supplies.
For example, if a family needs to evacuate a home, having emergency food already consolidated into sturdy containers can be much more convenient than trying to gather dozens of individual packages.
Emergency Preparedness Uses
The Augason Farms Lunch & Dinner Variety Kit can serve several different purposes within a preparedness plan.
It can be used as a reserve for power outages, severe winter storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes, supply-chain disruptions, evacuations, temporary unemployment, extended emergencies, camping, outdoor activities, and remote cabins.
The kit can be particularly useful for emergencies where grocery stores are temporarily unavailable.
Imagine a major winter storm that prevents people from traveling for several days. Having food already stored at home means there is less pressure to leave the house simply to obtain groceries.
The same principle applies to hurricanes and other disasters where stores may be closed or supplies may disappear quickly.
A Good Addition to a Larger Food Storage Plan
I would not recommend viewing a kit like this as an entire emergency food strategy.
Instead, it works better as one component of a broader preparedness system.
A serious long-term food plan might contain several categories of food, including long-term emergency meals, rice, beans, pasta, canned vegetables, canned fruits, canned meats, peanut butter, oats, flour, sugar, salt, cooking oil, spices, freeze-dried foods, dehydrated foods, seeds for gardening, comfort foods, and snacks.
Having multiple food categories provides redundancy.
If one type of food becomes unavailable or difficult to prepare, another category may still be usable.
Water Is Essential
One of the most important things to remember when purchasing dehydrated emergency food is that food storage and water storage need to be considered together.
Dehydrated foods generally require water for preparation.
That means a large emergency food supply without sufficient drinking and cooking water can create a serious problem.
A preparedness plan should therefore include a reliable water supply along with a method for obtaining, filtering, purifying, and storing additional water.
Water should always be treated as one of the highest priorities in emergency preparedness.
Cooking Requirements
Another consideration is how the meals will be prepared.
During a normal day, adding water and heating a meal may be simple.
During a major emergency, however, electricity may be unavailable.
That makes alternative cooking equipment important.
A prepper might consider having several methods available, such as a propane camp stove, outdoor cooking equipment, portable stove, or another appropriate backup cooking method.
You should also have cookware, utensils, measuring equipment, and a way to safely heat water.
The emergency food bucket should therefore be considered part of a larger emergency cooking system rather than a stand-alone solution.
How Long Could 113 Servings Last?
The answer depends heavily on how the servings are used.
For example, if one person consumes approximately two servings from the kit per day, 113 servings could theoretically provide around 56 servings-days of food.
At three servings per day, the same quantity would represent roughly 37 servings-days.
For a family, the supply would naturally be consumed much faster.
This demonstrates why calculating emergency food based solely on the number of servings can be misleading.
Instead, determine how many calories your household requires and compare that requirement with the nutritional information provided for the specific meals.
That gives you a much more realistic understanding of how long the food could actually contribute to your emergency supply.
Portion Planning
Another advantage of having a variety kit is flexibility.
You don't necessarily have to treat every package as a complete meal.
You can combine emergency meals with other stored foods.
For example, an emergency meal could potentially be supplemented with canned vegetables, crackers, rice, beans, canned meat, or another stored food.
This can increase meal variety and potentially make the overall food supply more satisfying.
It also allows you to preserve some of the emergency meals for later rather than relying exclusively on them from the beginning of an emergency.
For Families
Families can benefit from having a dedicated emergency food bucket.
Children can be particularly sensitive to changes in routine during emergencies. Having familiar-looking meals available can help establish a sense of normalcy.
Parents should also remember that children have different nutritional requirements from adults.
The food bucket should therefore be considered part of the household's overall food supply rather than assuming that the advertised serving count represents the exact amount needed for every family member.
Families should also consider allergies and dietary restrictions before depending on any emergency food product.
For Preppers
For the serious prepper, the biggest benefit of a product like this is preparedness time.
Buying emergency food now means you don't have to depend on stores during an emergency.
This is one of the fundamental principles of preparedness.
You purchase supplies while they are available, store them properly, and maintain them until they are needed.
The long shelf life also allows emergency food to become a relatively passive part of your preparedness system.
Once properly stored, the bucket doesn't require the same frequent replacement schedule as perishable groceries.
For Camping
Although the product is marketed primarily as emergency food, dehydrated meals can also have practical applications outside disaster preparedness.
Camping is an obvious example.
For people who already maintain emergency food storage, occasionally using stored meals during camping trips can also provide an opportunity to become familiar with them.
This is useful because you don't want the first time you prepare an emergency meal to be during an actual disaster.
Testing the food ahead of time allows you to learn how much water it requires, how long it takes to prepare, how large the portions are, what flavors you prefer, what cookware works best, and whether additional seasonings improve the meals.
This information can help you build a better emergency food strategy.
Storage Location
Where you store the bucket matters.
A cool, dry environment is generally preferable for long-term food storage.
Avoid locations where temperatures routinely become extremely high or where water leaks could damage the packaging.
A basement can be useful if it is dry and temperature controlled. A pantry can also work well if there is adequate space.
Some people may also want emergency food distributed across multiple locations rather than storing everything in one place.
For example, a household might maintain food in the primary home, another location, or a secondary shelter.
Distribution creates redundancy.
Emergency Food Rotation
Even products with very long shelf lives should be included in an organized food-storage system.
Keep track of when food was purchased.
Place newer supplies behind older supplies when appropriate.
Use older food during camping trips or normal meals when practical and replace what you consume.
This creates a rotating food-storage system.
The goal is not simply to buy emergency food and forget about it for decades.
The goal is to maintain a functioning food reserve.
Packaging and Organization
The bucket format makes organization easier.
Instead of having loose emergency food packages spread throughout your storage area, the food remains consolidated.
You can also organize your emergency supplies by category.
For example, you might have separate storage areas for food, water, medical supplies, lighting, batteries, communications equipment, cooking equipment, tools, sanitation supplies, shelter equipment, and emergency documents.
This approach makes it easier to locate what you need when an emergency actually occurs.
Potential Limitations
No emergency food product is perfect, and there are several things worth considering before purchasing this kit.
First, the number of servings doesn't necessarily equal the number of complete meals.
Second, dehydrated food requires water.
Third, you need a method of heating or preparing many emergency meals.
Fourth, individual dietary restrictions need to be considered.
Fifth, emergency food can become expensive if someone attempts to build an entire long-term food supply using only commercially prepared meals.
For that reason, many preppers combine commercial emergency food with inexpensive staple foods such as rice, beans, pasta, oats, and canned goods.
This can create a more balanced preparedness strategy.
Taste and Meal Variety
Taste is highly subjective.
What one person considers a great emergency meal may not appeal to another person.
That is another reason I recommend trying emergency food before an emergency occurs.
If you discover that you dislike a particular meal, you can adjust your storage strategy.
Seasonings can also make a major difference.
Salt, pepper, hot sauce, garlic powder, chili powder, and other long-lasting seasonings can add considerable variety to emergency meals.
A small collection of seasonings can therefore be a useful addition to an emergency pantry.
Emergency Food Should Not Be Your Only Food
One mistake that new preppers sometimes make is thinking they need to purchase a giant supply of specialized emergency food immediately.
That's not necessarily the best approach.
A better strategy is often to build gradually.
You can start with normal foods your family already eats.
Then add dry staples.
Then add long-term emergency meals.
Then expand your water storage and alternative cooking capabilities.
Over time, this can become a substantial preparedness system.
A product like the Augason Farms Lunch & Dinner Variety Kit can fit nicely into that strategy.
Building a Complete Emergency Food System
If you purchase a bucket like this, I would recommend thinking beyond the bucket itself.
Consider creating a complete system consisting of emergency food, long-term staples, drinking water, water filtration, water purification, alternative cooking equipment, fuel, cooking pots, eating utensils, a can opener, seasonings, food storage containers, emergency lighting, battery-powered equipment, backup power, first-aid supplies, sanitation supplies, and communication equipment.
The more complete the system, the less likely you are to discover an important missing item after an emergency begins.
Final Thoughts
The Augason Farms Lunch & Dinner Variety Kit Emergency Food Supply is designed to provide a convenient long-term emergency food reserve in a compact 4-gallon bucket. With 113 advertised servings and a claimed shelf life of up to 25 years when properly stored, it is aimed at people who want to prepare for emergencies well in advance.
The variety is one of the most appealing aspects of the kit. Having different meal choices can make a significant difference during a prolonged emergency, particularly when compared with relying on a single type of food.
The long shelf life is another major advantage for preparedness. You can purchase the food long before you need it and keep it as part of a larger emergency supply system.
However, buyers should understand what the serving count actually represents, calculate their household's nutritional requirements, and remember that dehydrated food requires water and appropriate preparation equipment.
For a prepper, I would view this type of kit as a building block rather than an entire food-storage solution. Combining commercially prepared emergency meals with staple foods, canned goods, water storage, gardening, preservation, and alternative cooking methods can create a much more resilient food system.
For someone beginning to build a long-term emergency food supply, a variety bucket can be a practical way to add a substantial quantity of shelf-stable food without having to assemble every meal individually.
When the grocery store is closed, the power is out, roads are blocked, or an emergency prevents normal shopping, having food already sitting in your storage area can be one less problem to worry about.
And that is ultimately what preparedness is about: solving problems before they become emergencies.
