# Food storage companies' price comparison chart



## elkmountaintents (Aug 11, 2016)

Hey everybody!

Last year I wanted to make a really big order of food. I was really nervous about what place could get me the best prices on the basics, so I looked at 11 different foods and compared their prices. This was 2015 so they may have changed a bit though. I've attached the comparison chart.

The best deal is if you are Mormon. The Mormon Church subsidizes the cost of several foods but I think you have to be a member.

Hopefully you find the information useful! If you know a better place to buy food storage, please share!

Enjoy the attachment!


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

I'm not Mormon and I shop at the cannery. You are right about their low prices.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Thank you for that comparison chart.

I shop at an LDS Food storage center as well and I am not a Mormon. The bulk of my food storage is from there. I loved being able to go in and can my own food when that was an option. Sometimes there were volunteers in there helping. Once, there was a young Jewish man who was volunteering, and I never really understood his motive. Maybe he was interested in prepping himself, or maybe he had a service project for college.

I think that the person in charge has more to do with how willing they are to work with someone who is not a member, or not.

I see that your list has red *beans*, but not pinto, black or white beans. Maybe that is a regional thing or a preference for you. I do have pintos and white beans in my preps, but the bulk of my beans are black beans. I like how quickly they cook up. I also have lentils and garbanzos, as well as many 1 pound bags of red beans and other miscellaneous beans. I think variety will be really important when we are eating beans and rice day in and day out. I can imagine having red beans and rice with cornbread for one meal, and Indian dal with basmati rice and naan bread for another.

I have *rice* from the LDS Cannery, and I have not eaten any of it. A friend of mine told me it is the worst tasting rice, so I know to add some boullion or other seasonings to it. Maybe it will go into rice pudding or something else that will mask the taste. I will not be eating it plain, that is for sure. My favorite rice is basmati, so I have some of that for when I cook Indian recipes, such as dal, made with lentils. I also have other varieties of rice for variety. We love mango sticky rice, and it requires a glutinous rice. Yes, I have coconut milk and dried mango for making it. There is a chain of Asian stores called H-Mart. They have 1000s of pounds of rice in each store in many, many varieties, and in a variety of bag sizes, up to 50 pounds. They also have varieties of beans that I cannot get at my Safeway or Kroger.

There was a research project done about which *powdered milk* tastes best. The LDS milk came in last place for taste, but the price is the best.

I have collected spices that I need in my recipes. Bland beans and rice will not cut it!

Somethings might have the best price, but are less desirable in being palatable.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

We all talk about beans and rice being a complete protein. That is also true of beans and any grain. Baked beans or beans with ham and cornbread. It also works with wheat so bread or biscuits of any variety.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Caribou said:


> We all talk about beans and rice being a complete protein. That is also true of beans and any grain. Baked beans or beans with ham and cornbread. It also works with wheat so bread or biscuits of any variety.


Yes, the book, "Diet for a Small Planet" was all about complete proteins, made by eating certain foods in combination. Then just a few years ago I read that was not really true. I prefer to believe that they really do make a complete protein. I do think that beans have good protein in them, as do some grains.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

weedygarden said:


> I have some one pound canned hams. I think I need to look for some more. I found them at Big Lots. I wonder who else might carry them?


They are a seasonal item at a small chain around here called Three Bears. I'll pick up some more closer to the end of the year when they show up. Four or five pounds of beans, a pound of canned ham, some onions (dry or dehydrated), and flavorings to taste.


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## elkmountaintents (Aug 11, 2016)

weedygarden said:


> Thank you for that comparison chart.
> 
> I shop at an LDS Food storage center as well and I am not a Mormon. The bulk of my food storage is from there. I loved being able to go in and can my own food when that was an option. Sometimes there were volunteers in there helping. Once, there was a young Jewish man who was volunteering, and I never really understood his motive. Maybe he was interested in prepping himself, or maybe he had a service project for college.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your extremely helpful response! I'm so glad to hear that you don't have to be Mormon.

I ended up getting Red beans, re-fried beans, lots of black beans and I think one box of white beans.

Also, I realized the chart wasn't super clear, but the bottom line is the LDS cannery. They have some amazing prices there but what is available varies drastically by location and may only have a few things.


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## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

there are no canneries close to me so I'm making due with what I can. Buy on sale and use mylar and O2s to make my own storage.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Genevieve said:


> there are no canneries close to me so I'm making due with what I can. Buy on sale and use mylar and O2s to make my own storage.


When I finally got serious about prepping, one of the things that I did was google to see what might be options in my area. I knew Costco and Sam's, but in the mix I found H-Mart, and other places with the option of buying larger quantities. I was thrilled to find a place that carries bulk foods.

I searched the internet quite a bit and then realized that I could potentially go the the LDS cannery. I liked being able to use the order form and to make good plans for what I was going to can. They used to have more products, such as a bean soup mix, pudding mix and more, but that was before I went there.

They also used to have options for random wet pack foods, such as canned beans, soups, salsa, tomatoes, jams, fruits, and more. I miss that option. If they still had those options, I would go on a regular basis and buy some. What they had was not advertised or consistent, but was just random.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

There is a store near my last home that specializes in case lots. You can buy single cans but the best price is by the case. Each summer when the river opens and the barges start running they have their sale. 

The community is about six thousand but the store also services a number of smaller communities in the area. I mention this because there may be unique buying opportunities in your area.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

Like Genevieve ,I don't have any canneries near me so I just canned what we like and keep it simple and cheap and I always rotated my goods during the year especially during some days I don`t feel like cooking ,I just hit my readytogo jars.


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## LastOutlaw (Jun 1, 2013)

*LDS online*

You can buy from LDS online too!

https://store.lds.org/webapp/wcs/st...nOrOcSn2w==&ddkey=https:SetCurrencyPreference


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

As LastOutlaw says you can order online.

My folks don't have a cannery near them but Mom has a Mormon friend that adds Mom's order in with hers. Actually a bunch of Mormons in the area order together a couple of times a year and they are usually quite helpful with this to anyone that asks. The large quantities help with both prices and shipping. 

Except when they are on mission Mormons don't usually wear their religion on their sleeve so you may have to ask around.


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