Mayday Food Bars

While there are several ways to go about securing an emergency food supply, one of the easiest is to purchase emergency food bars.  The compact size of the bars, and the fact that they can be purchased in case lots for a saving on price, means that these bars are an intelligent and economical way to begin your survival food supply.  The most popular brands of emergency bars are Mayday Food Bars and Mainstay Food Bars, and comparing the two will help you to decide which will be better for your family.  The bars produced by the two companies both have a shelf life of approximately five years, and are able to withstand extremes of heat and cold, which means that they can be tucked away in the car without worry that they will deteriorate either during the summer or the winter.

Nutrition and Taste

Both Mayday and Mainstay Emergency Food Bars for proper bodily maintenance.  The ingredients have been carefully chosen to be the least likely to produce an allergic reaction in anyone, and both Mayday and Mainstay have absolutely no nuts or nut oils used in their production.  Those who may have an allergy to nuts will be able to eat these products without any problem.

The flavor of Mayday is an apple cinnamon taste, and that of Mainstay is lemon.  Both bars have a texture similar to a cookie.  Most people found the taste of both brands pleasing, but some found Mainstay to be a bit bland, and an aftertaste was mentioned, too.  Both Mayday and Mainstay will not promote thirst, an important factor when water may be short.  The bars may appear to be quite dry, but this apparent dryness will not make you crave water.

Variety

Mayday and Mainstay both offer emergency food ration bar, however, there is a difference in the sizes of the bars available.  While both bars are available in 1200, 2400, and 3600 calorie sizes, only Mayday offers the smaller 400 calorie size.  You should always keep in mind that once the packaging is broached, the emergency ration will have to be consumed within a certain period of time before deterioration sets in.  Having the smaller, 400 calorie size, Mayday gives you the option of only opening what you may need at the moment, and not have to worry about unused portions spoiling.

Conclusion

Both Mayday and Mainstay will provide good emergency rations that are nutritionally complete, and both are free of nut products so are safe for those with allergies.  In order to protect those who are subject to potentially serious nut allergies, these bars are produced in machinery that has never been used with nuts.  Mayday and Mainstay are both approved for use by the United States Coast Guard.  There were complaints about Mainstay arriving with the packaging broached, and very close to the expiration date.