Prudent Food Storage

D.1 THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS

The LDS church, commonly known as the Mormon Church, has long had a social welfare program for the benefit of its members in need. Believing the best way to deal with the problem of needy members is not to have any, the church also strongly encourages its membership to be as self-reliant and self-dependent as possible. To further this end it provides accessto church owned cannery facilities and makes large, bulk purchases of storage foods to sell at cost to any member with an interest in starting a personal food storage program.

Most facilities will be at one of the LDS Bishop's Storehouses located in various places around the country, but some churches will also have their own local facilities. The easiest means of finding one is simply to ask the LDS church member you know. If they don't themselves know, or you don't know any Mormons, then a little phone book research will be necessary. Find your nearest local Mormon church and ask to speak with the local Bishop of the Ward or Relief Society president. Either one of those two individuals should be able to give you the information you seek.

The Church also has it's own web site at http://www.providentliving.org and there you can find further information on geographic locations of church owned Home Storage Centers and instructions for how to begin your own home food storage and emergency preparedness programs. Even if you aren't an LDS member and don't intend to use their facilities the food storage and emergency preparedness areas are worth a look.

If you find that you have a cannery within striking distance give them a call. If you are not LDS inquire as to whether they allow non-church members to use their facilities, any available times, and what you need to provide. Be up front and honest, you'll hardly be the first to talk to them about food storage. Ask for a copy of the cannery guidelines and a price list of what is available. There may also be classes or seminars as well. There is a degree of variability between the canneries so what is available at one may not be at another.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Policies about non-members using the LDS Family Canneries may vary from location to location so you'll need to investigate the specific cannery you are interested in. Please keep in mind that the individuals responsible for the family canneries are all volunteers with demands on their time from many areas. Be courteous when speaking with them and, if there are facilities for use, flexible in making arrangements to use them. You will, of course, have to pay for the supplies that you use, cans and lids at the least, and any food products you use. As a general rule they cannot put your food into storage for you. Be ready to pay for your purchases in advance, if necessary. They do not take credit cards and probably cannot make change so take a check with you.

Any food products you want to have sealed in cans or pouches will need to fall within their guidelines of suitability for that type of packaging. This is for reasons of spoilage control since many types of foods aren't suitable for simply sealing in a container without further processing. If you purchase food products from the cannery, they will already be within those guidelines. A brief treatment of these guidelines can be found below.

Subject to some variability among storage centers, the following foods are generally available at the canneries:

In addition to what foods may be available for purchase from the cannery you may also be able to bring your own to put up. These will need to be low-moisture in nature, of a high enough quality for storage, and free of insects.

You will be able to purchase the necessary cans or pouches, oxygen absorbers, boxes and plastic lids for what you want to can.

Some foods do not keep well simply sealed inside a can or pouch even with oxygen absorbers so are not approved for canning.

Although I am not in complete agreement with the above list, it is workable and will get the job done. Make sure the food you want to pack has little fat or moisture content and you should be OK. For grains, legumes, flours, meals and dried fruits and vegetables do make sure to use the oxygen absorbers. You should not assume the food is insect free. When the packets remove the available oxygen any insects in the can will die or at least go dormant.

Updated: 9/18/96; 4/16/97; 7/21/97; 10/20/97; 9/15/98; 11/02/99; 12/01/03

Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003. Alan T. Hagan. All rights reserved.

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