Thursday, May 25, 2017

10 Sources for Bulk Food to Store

How are your food stockpiles looking?  If you are just starting to get your emergency food stockpile together, consider these ten places to buy food to add to your collection...

  1. Amazon.  You can find a wide variety of bulk food online at companies like Amazon and it will be delivered to your front door.  You can also buy MREs here.
  2. LDS Home Storage Center.  You don't need to be a Mormon to take advantage of this service which features foods especially prepared for long term storage.
  3. Costco.  Costco is kind of the granddaddy of bulk food sellers.  You can find all kinds of restaurant-sized bulk food products here.
  4. Grocery store loss leaders.  If you purchase loss leaders at your local grocery store every week you will soon be well on your way to a good-sized food stockpile.
  5. Ethnic grocery stores.  While a regular grocery store may sell a 10 pound bag of rice, an Asian store will sell 50 pound bags at a reasonable price.  Ditto for dry beans at a Mexican grocery store, lentils at an Indian grocery store, etc.
  6. Ordering in bulk from your local grocery store.  Some grocery stores have special "bulk" sales where they sell canned goods by the case or bulk bins you can buy larger quantities of grains and other items from, and at other stores, they are often more than happy to order food in bulk for you.
  7. Wholesale food distributors.  Some wholesale food/restaurant distributors will also sell directly to the public.  Simply Google wholesale food distributors for your nearest city to see what's available.
  8. Specialized emergency food companies.  There are a multitude of companies that focus on selling food specifically for emergencies and long-term storage.
  9. Backpacking food companies.  Backpackers have always sourced ultra light, dehydrated food that will last forever and now there are a number of companies that cater to just this market.
  10. U-pick/catch, U-preserve.  Whether from fishing, hunting, gardening, or u-picking at a local farm, the "do it yourself" approach to gathering food can be a cost effective way to build up your food stockpile.
Not included in this list but still a possible option is buying bulk grains (oats, corn, etc) from animal feed stores.  You need to make sure the grain is fit for human consumption and doesn't included added things like antibiotics, that the grain isn't moldy, and that isn't infested with insects.  Don't forget, once you have a hundred pounds of grain sitting in your kitchen you need to properly prepare it for long term storage.

3 comments:

  1. 11. Co-op food suppliers, like Azure Standard and Frontier Co-op. Or start a co-op of your own. http://gnowfglins.com/2014/10/20/how-to-start-a-co-op/

    12. Start a buying club. These clubs can and often do beat the prices of the wholesale clubs http://www.homegrown.org/forum/topics/how-to-start-a-buying-club-starting-a-food-buying-club-101 http://startabuyingclub.com/

    13. Surplus food store suppliers, also called banana box stores because of the banana boxes the items come shipped in. Some suppliers often let you choose what is shipped to you. Like all dry goods, first aid supplies, canned meat etc Just do a google search for the term "banana box groceries", "Frozen food liquidators", or "banana box general merchandise".

    14. Flea market or wholesale suppliers. Most of these will need a business license and a reseller's certificate (both can be gotten online in most states and for under $50) You can start a "side hustle" business AND supply your pantry.

    ReplyDelete