Natural disasters, pandemics, conflicts… Costco sells a box of dry food online for $259.99 to survive for 14 days, cut off from the world, in a disaster that could deprive us of food at the worst time.
“The mission of Ready Project [l’entreprise qui fait le produit] is to prepare, protect and serve by providing products that help you build a fortress to withstand any disasters that may arise in this unpredictable world,” reads the product description on Costco’s website.
“Due to a multitude of threats from natural disasters, pandemics, inflation and international conflicts, food availability and prices are unpredictable,” it says.x
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“Risk Society»
In recent days, these survival food kits, which have been on sale for some time now, have resurfaced on the web in certain circles due to the crises shaking the globe.
“We are in a society of maximum risk. This type of product will attract people who want to predict the unpredictable,” observes Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytical Sciences Laboratory at Dalhousie University.
Sylvain Charlebois, professor and food expert
COURTESY PHOTO
According to him, it is possible that the formula “grows in momentum”.
“It’s not expensive. It gets the job done. This is perhaps something that could develop as a niche,” continues the food expert.
Even if the phenomenon is causing a lot of ink to flow in the United States, Costco indicated to Newspaper Monday not having noticed anything “significant” yet with the popularity of these products in Quebec.
Hold for three years
On its website, Ready Project, which makes the box, sells formats to last two weeks, one month, three months or six months (its “most popular”).
“Ready Project designed this kit to provide a balanced diet in terms of calories, proteins and versatility in meal preparation,” we emphasize.
Taken from the Ready Project website
On its e-commerce site, Ready Project even sells a pallet of boxes to last three years (36 months). His price? $13,981.
Ready Project did not respond to questions from Newspaper Monday.
– With the collaboration of Gabriel Côté and Martin Jolicoeur
BOX SOLD ONLINE AT COSTCO:
- Brown Sugar Flavored Oatmeal (10 servings)
- Multigrain cereal (20 servings)
- Spanish rice (20 servings)
- Semolina with cheddar and green peppers (10 servings)
- Savory Beans and Rice (20 servings)
- Butter and Herb Pasta (20 servings)
- Creamy rice pudding (10 servings)
- Mulligan Stew (20 servings)
- Broccoli Cheddar Rice (10 servings)
- Potato stew (10 servings)
- Pineapple-orange-guava drink (30 servings)
- Long grain rice as a side dish (10 servings)
- Beans as a side dish (10 servings)
- Salt and pepper packets (14 packets of each type)
(Source: Description of the product sold on the Costco Canada French website)