Are feds stockpiling survival food?

[raiven]

Are feds stockpiling survival food?
'These circumstances certainly raise red flags'

Posted: July 24, 2008
12:00 am Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily



A Wall Street Journal columnist has advised people to "start stockpiling food" and an ABC News Report says "there are worrying signs appearing in the United States where some … locals are beginning to hoard supplies." Now there's concern that the U.S. government may be competing with consumers for stocks of storable food.
"We're told that the feds bought the entire container of canned butter when it hit the California docks. (Something's up!)," said officials at Best Prices Storable Foods in an advisory to customers.
Spokesman Bruce Hopkins told WND he also has had trouble obtaining No. 10 cans of various products from one of the world's larger suppliers of food stores, Oregon Freeze Dry.

He said a company official told him on the telephone when he discussed the status of his order that it was because the government had purchased massive quantities of products, leaving none for other customers.
That, however, was denied by Oregon Freeze Dry. In a website statement, the company confirmed it cannot assure supplying some items to customers.
"We regret to inform you Oregon Freeze Dry cannot satisfy all Mountain House #10 can orders and we have removed #10 cans from our website temporarily," the company tells frustrated customers. "The reason for this is sales of #10 cans have continued to increase. OFD is allocating as much production capacity as possible to this market segment, but we must maintain capacity for our other market segments as well."
The company statement continues, "We want to clarify inaccurate information we’ve seen on the Internet. This situation is not due to sales to the government domestically or in Iraq. We do sell products to this market, but we also sell other market segments … The reason for this decision is solely due to an unprecedented sales spike in #10 cans sales.
"We expect this situation to be necessary for several months although this isn’t a guarantee. We will update this information as soon as we know more. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your patience. We sincerely hope you will continue to be Mountain House customers in the future," the company statement said.
But Hopkins wasn't backing away from his concerns.
"The government just came in and said they're buying it. They did pay for it," he told WND about the summertime shipment of long-term storage butter. "They took it and no one else could have it.
"We don't know why. The feds then went to freezedried companies, and bought most of their canned stock," he said.
A spokeswoman for Oregon Freeze Dry, sales manager Melanie Cornutt, told WND that the increasing demand for food that can be stored has been on the rise since Hurricane Katrina devastated large sections of the Gulf Coast, cutting off ordinary supply routes.
"We are currently out of stock on our cans. We are not selling any of our cans," she confirmed.
She then raised the issue of government purchases herself.
"We do sell to the government [but] it is not the reason [for company sales limits]," she said.
Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency told WND whatever government agency is buying in a surge it isn't them. They reported a stockpile of about six million meals which has not changed significantly in an extended period.
But Hopkins said it was his opinion the government is purchasing huge quantities of food for stockpiles, and Americans will have to surmise why.
"We don't have shelters that [are being] stocked with food. We're not doing this for the public. My only conclusion is that they're stocking up for themselves," he said of government officials.
Blogger Holly Deyo issued an alert this week announcing, "Unprecedented demand cleans out major storable food supplier through 2009."
"It came to our attention today, that the world's largest producer of storable foods, Mountain House, is currently out of stock of ALL #10 cans of freeze dried foods, not just the Turkey Tetrazzini. They will NOT have product now through 2009," she said.
"This information was learned by a Mountain House dealer who shared it with me this morning. In personally talking with the company immediately after, Mountain House verified the information is true. Customer service stated, 'I'm surprised they don't have this posted on the website yet.' She said they have such a backlog of orders, Mountain House will not be taking any #10 can food requests through the remainder of this year and all of the next.
"Mountain House claims this situation is due to a backlog of orders, which may very well be true, but who is purchasing all of their food? This is a massive global corporation.
"One idea: the military. Tensions are ramping up with Iran and news segments debate whether or not we will implement a preemptive strike in conjunction with Israel," she wrote.
Hopkins raised some of the same concerns, suggesting a military conflict could cause oil supplies to plummet, triggering a huge increase in the cost of food – when it would be available – because of the transportation issues.
The ABC report from just a few weeks ago quoted Jim Rawles, a former U.S. intelligence officer who runs a survival blog, saying food shortages soon could become a matter of survival in the U.S.
"I think that families should be prepared for times of crisis, whether it's a man-made disaster or a natural disaster, and I think it's wise and prudent to stock up on food," he told ABC.
"If you get into a situation where fuel supplies are disrupted or even if the power grid were to go down for short periods of time, people can work around that," he said. "But you can't work around a lack of food – people starve, people panic and you end up with chaos in the streets."
At his California ranch, the location of which is kept secret, he said, "We have more than a three-year supply of food here."
In the Wall Street Journal, columnist Brett Arends warned, "Maybe it's time for Americans to start stockpiling food.
"No, this is not a drill," he wrote.
His concern was about various food shortages around the globe, and the fact that in a global market, prices in the U.S. reflect difficulties in other parts of the world quickly.
Professor Lawrence F. Roberge, a biologist who has worked with a number of universities and has taught online courses, told WND he's been following the growing concern over food supplies.
He also confirmed to WND reports of the government purchasing vast quantities of long-term storable foods.
He said that naturally would be kept secret to avoid panicking the public, such as when word leaks out to customers that a bank may be insolvent, and depositors frantically try to retrieve their cash
"[These] circumstances certainly raise red flags," he said.
Are feds stockpiling survival food?

Are feds stockpiling survival food?

[Ri22o]

Any way to edit that or link to the story? It put the tags and HTML into your post.

[raiven]

just click on this link here.

Are feds stockpiling survival food?

[raiven]

Originally Posted by Ri22o

Any way to edit that or link to the story? It put the tags and HTML into your post.

sorry abought that didn,t realize that happned ill try to watch that next time.

[Pami]

Originally Posted by Ri22o

Any way to edit that or link to the story? It put the tags and HTML into your post.

I took the color tags out... looks like most of the clickies still work, but in any case it's a lot easier to read now.

No worries, Raiven.

[Disposable Heart]

This post reminds me of the movie Deep Impact. Public didnt know what was going to happen, but all through the beginning, nothing but cans of Ensure around.

IMO It would take a tremendous amount of trouble to cause the food shortages that people imagine. However, many many people think that the human body is designed for 3 squares a day, when in reality, it isnt. The human body is designed for small meals intermittantly (could be once a day, could be a big once a week). I learned that from the Discovery Channel! Lets take a situation: How many people actually eat 2000 calories a day (raises my own hand)? Many people (and I for a while) looked at 2000 calories and laughed. I began to cut back though and found that with proper exercise and GOOD food, 2000 calories is an abundance. However, many people feel hungry if they havent consumed the 6000 they "need" a day. I am frightened by a fat man with a gun who hasnt had "enough" food killing me for a pound of rice.

Crazy Vern's Advice: In addition to exercise (which naturally "balances" you metabolic engines) try to cut back on frivolous foods. Foods that are not required, but do this slowly. If too fast, humans become "bored" and will revert to their former habits. Once you get to 2K a day, I do this (keep in mind, Ive got problems ): I roll a die every day. Get a six, no eating, just water and multi vitamen. Ive only had it once where I got to 3 days without, but still. If I roll a 3, half rations for the day.

You will not believe how your body will react to that. I feel great, lost alot of weight (despite a now sedentary desk job) and my food budget is 40 bucks a week (saves me money to take my love out to dinner really fancy). Cutting sodas (diet or not) unless a treat literally saved me 10 bucks a week. Thats half a pound of H335 powder!

The point, yes I know: The point is we eat too darn much and in a frequency that is genetically puzzliing to our bodies. They form fat because in the presence of more food, they think famine is coming. Reduce your intake and if the SHTF, you will be prepared and ready while many others languish in "hunger" pains. Also, now is the time to begin learning what is tasty in the woods and what isnt. Learning of tubers, fruits, berries and leaf types (leaves of 3 leave it be, leaves of 4 eat some more!) to supplement an existing potential food source to extend one's food capability. Also, those who have land, begin thinking about farming techniques and food storage, because nuclear winters are the longest of them all...

[Lefty 21]

They reported a stockpile of about six million meals which has not changed significantly in an extended period.

This is enough to make me prepare more food stocks. Not many meals should something really severe happen here in the US. Let's see...six million would feed 100,000 (one meal/day) for 60 days????

Am I misreading this?

[Disposable Heart]

They dont want to feed the nation, thats too hard. They want to feed the elite or the upper echelon of government.

[haldir]

Originally Posted by Disposable Heart

They dont want to feed the nation, thats too hard. They want to feed the elite or the upper echelon of government.

Thanks for that. As I consider myself quite elite I can continue to assume the guvament will always take care of me. What a relief!

[ryanmercer]

I wouldn't doubt it... during the cold war they had c-rations and easily preserved foods hidden EVERYWHERE. I saw an article a year or so ago where one of the major bridges in the NYC area... some city workers found a stockpile of rations stored in a rarely visited maintenance room.