Sometimes a situation arises where food can't be refrigerated, however a ready supply of nutritious food is still required. Shelf stable meals are put together using food items that would normally require refrigeration, but are processed in such a way that they can be kept at room temperature. Usually though, these meals must me kept in a special sealed container.
Due to their ability to be kept at room temperature, also called ambient temperature, these pre-prepared meals are also sometimes referred to as ambient food. Ambient foods are used in many different applications as a result of them not requiring refrigeration. The diverse ways in which these meal kits are used range from emergency conditions to purely for the sake of convenience.
The majority of food prepared in this way has the advantage of a very long shelf life. Because of this they are well-suited to be used as a food source during emergencies. They can be purchased although they are not required yet and kept in storage for situations where food is not easy to get and preparation is difficult.
If used correctly, pre-prepared meals that do not need to be refrigerated can be very handy and even prevent starvation in an emergency. An example of this would be if people have to take shelter due to a flood, heavy snowfall, tornado activity or a hurricane. Under these conditions, food that does not have to be refrigerated and has a long shelf life, is a ideally suited to serve as emergency rations.
The military also makes extensive use of shelf stable food to feed personnel that have had to be deployed into the field. This could be due to training needs or because they are on active deployment in a combat or support role. Under these conditions there is likely to be little or no access to refrigeration, making it essential that they are provided with meals that are able to be used, transported and stored in an environment where refrigeration is impossible.
Elderly people can also find pre-prepared shelf stable food kits useful. Sometimes residents of retirement facilities of nursing homes have limited or no access to cooking facilities. Even if they have access to a kitchen there can be times when people at this stage of their lives simply do not feel like cooking every day.
Besides the specific uses mentioned before, shelf stable food is often made use of simply because it is so convenient. A few meals kept in a grocery or pantry cupboard can come to the rescue when the power goes out or if it's late at night, the store is closed and there is nothing handy to cook. In this situation, a few meals can be easily warmed up in a microwave or even used cold if there is no power.
In the past, certain types of these meals had a reputation for a bland a and boring taste, however food preparation technology has advanced so much lately that food of this type is a lot better than before. Unfortunately, though, there are still some manufacturers out there that do not keep up with the times and produce low quality meals. On the other hand, there are other companies that make convenient meals that are also very tasty.
Due to their ability to be kept at room temperature, also called ambient temperature, these pre-prepared meals are also sometimes referred to as ambient food. Ambient foods are used in many different applications as a result of them not requiring refrigeration. The diverse ways in which these meal kits are used range from emergency conditions to purely for the sake of convenience.
The majority of food prepared in this way has the advantage of a very long shelf life. Because of this they are well-suited to be used as a food source during emergencies. They can be purchased although they are not required yet and kept in storage for situations where food is not easy to get and preparation is difficult.
If used correctly, pre-prepared meals that do not need to be refrigerated can be very handy and even prevent starvation in an emergency. An example of this would be if people have to take shelter due to a flood, heavy snowfall, tornado activity or a hurricane. Under these conditions, food that does not have to be refrigerated and has a long shelf life, is a ideally suited to serve as emergency rations.
The military also makes extensive use of shelf stable food to feed personnel that have had to be deployed into the field. This could be due to training needs or because they are on active deployment in a combat or support role. Under these conditions there is likely to be little or no access to refrigeration, making it essential that they are provided with meals that are able to be used, transported and stored in an environment where refrigeration is impossible.
Elderly people can also find pre-prepared shelf stable food kits useful. Sometimes residents of retirement facilities of nursing homes have limited or no access to cooking facilities. Even if they have access to a kitchen there can be times when people at this stage of their lives simply do not feel like cooking every day.
Besides the specific uses mentioned before, shelf stable food is often made use of simply because it is so convenient. A few meals kept in a grocery or pantry cupboard can come to the rescue when the power goes out or if it's late at night, the store is closed and there is nothing handy to cook. In this situation, a few meals can be easily warmed up in a microwave or even used cold if there is no power.
In the past, certain types of these meals had a reputation for a bland a and boring taste, however food preparation technology has advanced so much lately that food of this type is a lot better than before. Unfortunately, though, there are still some manufacturers out there that do not keep up with the times and produce low quality meals. On the other hand, there are other companies that make convenient meals that are also very tasty.
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