ER Emergency Ration 3600 Calorie Food Bar for Survival Kits and Disaster Preparedness, Case of 20, 1BC

I received my package sooner than the expected delivery date, which was a much appreciated surprise. As a heads up: the case shown online is the box that the bars actually ship in. I would have preferred that the case was placed in another box with some padding, because it arrived in pretty rough shape when I received it (that, and I'd rather be discreet about my purchases). Because of this, it prompted me to open up the case and check the integrity of the contents. Of the 20 bars, 2 of them had compromised seals, evidenced by the amount of give the packaging had when inspected, which was way more than was felt on any of the other bars (sealed properly, the packaging stays firmly and uniformly stuck against the bar inside). I promptly contacted the seller, who was very responsive and courteous and resolved the matter in minutes. I wasn't sure what to expect from their customer service department given the current crisis, but they were very helpful and I honestly couldn't speak highly enough of the experience.Since I had 2 replacement bars on the way and since the manufacturing date was the same month that I ordered the bars, I took the chance to open the two packages and try them for myself. While I couldn't find where the punctures were from the outside, upon opening, I did hold the packaging up to one of my windows and was able to find one pinhole puncture each, where light could be seen passing through. Despite this, the bars looked and smelled to be in good condition and seemed to be safe enough to sample. Despite the toughness of the material, opening the packaging was easy, and I found that the bars were intact. As others have said, the bars are not so much "scored" as simply having lines cut along the top to show how to portion the rations. I broke off a chunk as best I could, and had a bite. The texture is very similar to that of a dense shortbread or butter cookie, with the flavor being a subtle vanilla with a very slight lemon aftertaste, but overall pleasant enough and better than I had expected. As advertised, I felt no thirst despite the dryness of the bar, and found myself having to stop nibbling at it since each portion has enough fat to use up almost half of one's recommended daily allowance.Long story short, I think that these bars are an excellent option to consider in emergency situations. Beyond their nutritional value (which I think is impressive for what they are), the bars' ability to withstand extreme temperatures while maintaining their 5-year shelf life is a very attractive feature. You can keep one in your car, at your office, in your go bag, whatever, and can be confident that you'll have something to temporarily and adequately sustain yourself in an emergency situation. And while I'm sure I'd get sick of the flavor if these bars were my ONLY source of food, I think that by using the bars' individual rations as a supplement to an MRE or Mountain House-style meal (especially if you need to limit yourself to only one meal per day), these have enough nutrients and vitamins in them that I'd consider them a very viable addition to your emergency preparedness plans.

I just got my case today (5/1/13) and had a challenge bringing it into the house. The outer packing box actually broke from the weight. Perhaps I should have known this but I had NO IDEA how heavy these were. They take up very little room but they are truly like BRICKS of food. A case of these doesn't take up much space, but the case weighs 37LBS!!! (and yes--everything was factory sealed and ready to go for long term storage)I called my teenagers down and told them the rations had arrived--we had a family meeting and promised to test any food products or equipment that I purchase for bug out bags so this was a moment of truth. Everyone agreed that we should open a pack so that we would know what we were in for should we ever need them. So I sacrificed a bar--each of us consumed one full 410 calorie serving.-- Many people wrote that the food bar crumbled like dust. This was NOT my experience. While they were crumbly, we had no problem breaking them into the pre-sized serving portions, right on the lines. They were crumbly, but not unmanageable. They were not hard, but they were very, very dense. I didn't fear breaking my teeth or anything like that, but if you still had to break it into smaller pieces for a young child or elderly person, that would be very easy to do.-- The taste reminded all of us of the following combined: a mild flavor fig newton (the cookie part only), shortbread cookie and cornbread. That is literally what they tasted like. I didn't find it to be super gritty or anything. Not sweet, not memorable but not unpleasant.-- It was not unpleasant, but it also wasn't something we would ever eat again if we didn't have to. I would never worry about somebody eating them endlessly like potato chips--nobody in their right mind would do that. We all agreed, we would only eat these rations if we had to, because there seriously was no other reason to want to consume it. You didn't want seconds--it was purely food for fuel. The idea of eating this for more than 3 days---we would no doubt work like hell to find something else because this, although not unpleasant, is the most boring food ever. But hey, it's not meant for pleasure, it is emergency food to sustain a person until help arrives. I strongly recommend that you have other emergency food available so that folks do not become depressed. It is not meant to be a person's sole food for long term anyway....-- While we were eating it, it seemed endless--like we would never finish the serving. It seemed like so much. We all finished our serving only because we promised each other we would and wanted to be sure nobody developed some unpleasant side effect (like gas and bloating). There was no way in hell we were going to "waste another moment of potential pleasure" as my son put it by replacing our next meal with these, so my son is bringing the rest of the pack to school to share with a few interested teachers. Note: These are not meant for pets, but we gave the dog a little as a treat and he loved it. (But he loves anything.....so I am digressing)-- If you end up needing to travel on foot, this is a VERY HEAVY food supply to carry even though it takes up little space, so be mindful of that.-- If you put a few of these in a bag and swing it, you could probably disable a person if you hit them in the head with the bag. I'm serious...its like rolls of quarters in a purse.-- There are no nuts, but it does contain soy and wheat. Below is info from the label.Vitamin A (40%)Vitamin C (40%)Iron (50%)Vitamin E (15%)Thiamin (60%)Niacin (50%)Vitamin B12 (40%)Pantothenic Acid (40%)Zinc (40%)Calcium (8%)Vitamin D (0%)Vitamin K (40%)Vitamin B6 (40%)Biotin (40%)Iodine (40%)Copper (50%)Total Fat 19grams/Sat Fat is 9g/trans fat 0. (Calories from fat 170/calories per serving 410)Cholesterol (0 mg)Sodium (5mg)Dietary fiber (2g)Protein (7g)-- It will do the job and if I were starving, I do not think I would have any complaints. For what it is, I like it. I will do my best NEVER to need to eat these rations by having more enjoyable alternatives.Info from the package:For more information 1-800-2-PrepareVita-Lifeindustries.com

I threw one of these in my emergency kit in my Jeep, I go to remote locations often, in case I’m stuck, I’ve got extra emergency calories beyond whatever else I might be carrying.

Expiry 2022. So only 1 year shelve life left. 🤦‍♂️