Food Shortages

November 20, 2009
As yet, there has been no announcement by government authorities regarding a massive food storage program. There is, however, anecdotal evidence to support the theory that such a program exists. I have heard interesting reports about Oregon Freeze Dry, one of the world’s largest suppliers of food stores. I’ve also read reports about shortages at Mountain House Foods, a big supplier of foods that have a shelf life of 25 years. Mountain House is a sizable organization. Under normal conditions, one would not expect it to experience shortages. A spokesperson for one of the key price-oriented storable foods companies has discussed huge government purchases of food for storage. There have also been related tidbits from a columnist from The WSJ, a quotable professor of biology, and assorted Web sites of interesting pedigree. So far, as noted above, no one in the government is stepping up to provide answers. My take on the deal is the same as it is on most things, investing included. I ask, what’s the risk, what’s the downside, what does it cost to protect myself? I see enough here to make me pay attention, especially given my intelligence on electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks, Iran, and Afghanistan. In terms of sensible preparation, I’ve installed a well, a generator fed by piped-in natural gas, solar power, and a Katadyn TRK Drip Gravidyn filter (Swiss-made super water purifier). I’ve also developed a network of local farm sources for fresh food, and online suppliers of heirloom seeds, organic specialties, and grass fed to finish beef, pork and poultry. I have a freezer stock of organic pasture butter and “il burro” butter from family farms in Italy (provides 13% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A). The point here is that omega-3 rich products from pasture-raised cows is the way to go. We do not use omega-6-loaded polyunsaturated oils (especially safflower). Rather, we stick with first-press virgin olive oil from small Italian family farms and the butter noted above.