Longest Proven Shelf Life. Period

We take pride in the shelf life of Mountain House freeze-dried foods. Our over 50-year history of using top-quality ingredients, the highest processing standards, and premium packaging materials allows for a shelf life that is unmatched. We are the only brand to fully cook our meals before freeze drying. We make our meals like you do at home, in a cookpot (granted ours is a tad bit bigger). This allows the flavors to mix just right like your meals do at home. However, instead of putting our meals in a plastic container, we package them in a variety of different ways:

  • Adventure Meal™ Pouches — Mainly two servings, our pouches are great for your outdoor adventures. From hiking that epic trail to a weekend camping trip, Mountain House has you covered from sunup to sundown.
  • Adventure Meal™ Buckets - Containing an assortment of meals, each bucket is easy to store and carry. Perfect for RVing or extended camping trips.
  • Pro-Pak® Pouches - Aligned with military specifications, meals contain one serving, have focused calories and higher protein so you can achieve peak performance in any environment.
  • Classic Pouches - These original recipes were pulled from our archives, freeze-dried, and then put in pouches big enough to match our nostalgia. These meals offer multiple servings and are for those that believe original is always best.
  • Just In Case...#10 Cans® — On average, our #10 Cans offer about 7-10 servings each and are perfect for feeding large groups or your family after a busy day.
  • Just In Case…® Multi-Day Kits — Our kits are easy to store, and easy to carry. Perfect as part of your 72-hour, earthquake or emergency kit. You’ll find a variety of assortments to fit your family’s needs.

No matter which packaging works better for you, you can bet it’ll be backed by our same Taste Guarantee. Mountain House has the longest proven shelf life in the freeze dried emergency food industry. Take Mountain House with you on your next outdoor adventure, or stash away in your emergency food pantry just in case that next storm knocks your power out.

How to Store Mountain House Freeze-Dried Meals

Store Mountain House food under dry, sanitary conditions, without prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures and avoiding any environment that could cause damage to the packaging, such as punctures, dents, or rust.

30 Year Shelf Life*

Based on our ongoing sensory and nutrition testing of actual Mountain House products, in July 2016, we raised the shelf-life on our Mountain House meals to 30 years. Purchased Mountain House before then? That’s okay! Our Taste Guarantee is retroactive to products dating all the way back to 1986. We confidently claim a 30-year shelf life, because our testing has shown the shelf life exceeds 30 years. We’ve had independent studies performed on actual 30-year-old product stored under real-world conditions, which weren’t always ideal – not on newer product exposed to an accelerated –time environment in a laboratory. We’ve personally tasted products that were 35 years old and still taste great! Take Mountain House with you on your next outdoor adventure or store just in case that next storm knocks your power out.

*30-Year Shelf Life available on Adventure Meals™ (with the exception of Ice Cream products that have a 3-year shelf life), Just In Case...® products, Classic products, and Pro-Paks®. For more information regarding our shelf life, please check out our FAQs

How to Date Your Mountain House Food

Over the years, we’ve changed the way we’ve displayed when our meals were made on our packaging. To see when your food was made, reach out to us at info@mountainhouse.com. The information we’ll need to help you can be found on the back of our pouches and on the bottom of our #10 Cans.