I am in the survival supply business, and have been a distributor of a very well known brand of LTSF (long-term storable food) for 6 years.

I do the vast majority of ordering via the internet, but you are assigned a sales rep who calls now and then, offers new products and trolling for orders. Usually nice guys, but sometimes a pain in the ass.

In May of 2011, my supply dried up. I mean I was waiting for 12-13 weeks for an order that normally shipped in 1-2 weeks. I have people coming to me, to fill their orders, and we all have customers wanting to know where their food is. So I called my sales rep.

He told me it was because FEMA had placed a $12 million order.

Now people, this is a huge amount of LTSF. Enough to feed a million people for several months, and my curiosity was certainly roused. I pressed the rep for a little more info and he told me the P.O. was on line (because it's an open bid contract).

It was indeed online, and yes, the number were huge. Enough food to feed millions.

But the most curious thing about this request for bid was they were looking for food with a 3-5 year self life.

This particular brand happens to have a 25 year shelf life (if stored in a cool dry place).

Why 3-5 years?