# Costco.com's 1 year food supply deal



## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...2010Mailer-_-Focus-_-83-_-ShelfRelianceTHRIVE
Costco.com's Shelf Reliance THRIVE 1-year Food Supply for 1 Person
5,011 Servings
84 #10 cans
$799.99 s/h included


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

I just forwarded this to Mom. She has been trying to put some supplies together.


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## Zipporah (Jul 30, 2006)

http://www.shelfreliance.com/all-products/thrive-foods.html?showLanding=1

I buy direct from Shelf Reliance their products are great.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Be careful. Most "1 yr supply" packages are not a full year's supply of calories, protein or other nutrients. Also, a lot of that is TVP, which, IMHO is quite inedible.


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

Has anyone bought this? A few things I wonder about are: what size is their "serving"? For instance, they claim a #10 can is 46 servings of sugar and the same size can is 49 servings of beans. That doesn't sound like a very large "serving" even after rehydrating the beans. I've never bought freeze dried foods, so maybe I'm lacking the knowledge to figure the accurate size of a serving. 

12 #10 cans of wheat is only 1 can per month, (I use more than that every week!) 

Someone in the comments section says that it only provides 1220 calories a day. That sounds a bit lacking. They added that if you eat 2000 calories a day it'll last 223 days. 

Here's a list of what you get in the kit.


> Grains
> 
> * 8 Cans of Instant White Rice (48 servings per can)
> * 12 Cans of Hard White Winter Wheat (44 servings per can)
> ...


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## Tobster (Feb 24, 2009)

What is TVP? Thanks


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

textured vegetable protein (fake soy meat...yucko)
I think you could do better buying the sale eggs and potatoes at honeyville today with the 15% OFF code, and wheat/rice from LDS...and either dehydrate your own veges, or buy a bit at a time from honeyville...800 bucks is a lotta money for that imo


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

no fats, tomato or any extras either...you would need other stuff besides whats on this list


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## Tobster (Feb 24, 2009)

beaglebiz said:


> textured vegetable protein (fake soy meat...yucko)
> I think you could do better buying the sale eggs and potatoes at honeyville today with the 15% OFF code, and wheat/rice from LDS...and either dehydrate your own veges, or buy a bit at a time from honeyville...800 bucks is a lotta money for that imo


Thanks beaglebiz.:goodjob:


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Spinner said:


> Has anyone bought this? A few things I wonder about are: what size is their "serving"? For instance, they claim a #10 can is 46 servings of sugar and the same size can is 49 servings of beans. That doesn't sound like a very large "serving" even after rehydrating the beans. I've never bought freeze dried foods, so maybe I'm lacking the knowledge to figure the accurate size of a serving.
> 
> 12 #10 cans of wheat is only 1 can per month, (I use more than that every week!)
> 
> ...


http://www.costco.com/Images/Content/Misc/PDF/443250n.pdf

Here is the nutritional info.

ETA: Looks like a serving is 1/4 cup on everything except eggs and that is 1 Tblsp.


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## Guest (Oct 6, 2010)

soulsurvivor said:


> http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...2010Mailer-_-Focus-_-83-_-ShelfRelianceTHRIVE
> Costco.com's Shelf Reliance THRIVE 1-year Food Supply for 1 Person
> 5,011 Servings
> 84 #10 cans
> $799.99 s/h included


Wayyyy expensive! That's only for one person? And judging from the other comments, it isn't enough anyway.


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## Zipporah (Jul 30, 2006)

I've never bought the TVP but I use their eggs regularly and their milk since I don't buy milk from China.Everything I've got from them has been very good.The vegetables are really good and so are the fruits.


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

The deal was posted on another forum because it could be purchased online at Costco. I simply passed along the info here. Most were looking at it as a long shelf life supply for 1 person. Some were saying they were buying it for a college aged person. Others were going to give it as a wedding gift.


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## ChristyACB (Apr 10, 2008)

Zipporah said:


> I've never bought the TVP but I use their eggs regularly and their milk since I don't buy milk from China.Everything I've got from them has been very good.The vegetables are really good and so are the fruits.


Their milk products don't come from China? That's good and unusual. 

You said you use them regularly. For baking or other purposes? What sort of range do the products have?


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## stickinthemud (Sep 10, 2003)

What do you do with the opened can? If a can holds 40-some servings, that's a lot of food at risk. Wouldn't it make more sense to store smaller portions for a single person?


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## CrashTestRanch (Jul 14, 2010)

If I were to get this, I would also get the meat sampler as well as the fruit ...


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

From what I've seen none of the "one year supply" paks are truly complete. Other companies usually say you have to add your own oil since that can only be kept a couple of years or so. Also I think many folks would want more grains. But this really is a good deal moneywise. The cost on the Shelf Reliance website is $1200.00. At $800.00. this comes out to $67.00 a month -- add what fresh veggies you grow, oil, and more grains and it still wouldn't go over $100.00 a month. There's a lot in the pak I can't eat, but if I could I'd be tempted as a hedge against inflation as well as in emergencies. 

The TVP conundrem is interesting. It seems as though no one here or on frugals likes it. But I don't mind it at all, especially the flavoured kind. Mixed in to casseroles, chili and soups, I can't tell the difference between it and meat. Back in my vegetarian days, I used to get chicken, beef, and bacon flavoured in bulk at Sun Harvest stores, and I found it really good. And it is so much cheaper than the cans of dried meat. 

I am impressed that Cosco will allow non-members to order for such a small surcharge. I just ordered one of the smaller paks they have to add to the starter LDS pak I already have.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

stickinthemud said:


> What do you do with the opened can? If a can holds 40-some servings, that's a lot of food at risk. Wouldn't it make more sense to store smaller portions for a single person?


The #10 cans are more economical than any other long term storage method. I have several plastic lids that can be used to re-seal the can, but I'd only use that for grains. For the other stuff, I'd probably repackage in either zip lock bags or other containers for ease of use.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Can all of this food be purchased separately at a Cosco store?


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## CrashTestRanch (Jul 14, 2010)

7thswan said:


> Can all of this food be purchased separately at a Cosco store?


I've looked at my local CostCo and could not find it, they may order it in for pick up, but I haven't checked ...


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

On the original link I posted, you can find and read the product reviews. They're all positive and say that this is a greal deal for a great product. Many are buying as a hedge against inflation.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Most of the reviews seem to be from people who took it home and stuck it on a shelf. Wonder what they'd say after they were stuck eating it for a while.

IMHO TVP is flat nasty and not particularly healthy.


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## CrashTestRanch (Jul 14, 2010)

agreed TVP is some nasty, horrid tasting stuff, but in a SHTF scenario it's better than starving ...


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## Guest (Oct 6, 2010)

CrashTestRanch said:


> agreed TVP is some nasty, horrid tasting stuff, but in a SHTF scenario it's better than starving ...


True, better than starving, but it makes good sense to me if one stocks up on the edible foods one normally consumes, rather than inedible ones, before whatever event happens.

If I stopped buying groceries right now, my diet would still be the same for a long while, except for lack of fresh produce and fresh meat- those would be coming out of a can instead.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I would starve before I could get enough tvp down to sustain life! Though I have my doubts about how long life could be sustained on that stuff.

I agree, put your money and effort into food you know you will eat. That is why I just put *another* 21 qts of chicken into my closet. That is why I have poultry and why I have 11 goats. With what I have stored, a garden, the goat milk, eggs and meat birds, I shouldn't have to eat fake food.


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## CrashTestRanch (Jul 14, 2010)

if they subbed their freeze dried meats for the TVP, at the same price, I would snatch this stuff up, I just can't seem to get the courage to buy it with the TVP ...


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

I have been reading a lot of labels lately. Many products you will find in freezers and canned use TVP as a meat stretcher. Brown and serve sausages,meatloaf,meatballs,salisbury steaks..etc. If you have your own canned meats the TVP would work as a stretcher in soup,stews and cassaroles.

As regards this package. For folks just starting out I can see it as a good first step to build around and a quick "relief" that "there I am prepping and it won't spoil anytime soon". Both true. I have a "package" given to me after Y2K quietly sitting in my basement waiting for the "day". Mostly wheat berries and white rice, beans and dehydrated veggies..I'll have to re-inventory it soon and fill in any gaps.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I wouldn't buy this package because I like to pick what we buy and store. I have lots of #10 cans of dried fruits and vegetables, and lots of dried meats (not counting canned foods). But the lentils, beans and wheat I buy in 50 pound bags or 5 gallon sealed Superpails because we eat a lot more of those than this kit would provide. Most of the package deals I've seen have a lot of soup mixes, desserts and not enough calories, although this one is better.

If someone wanted to buy this package, they should plan to use it as a base and build around it. They would still need spices, salt, yeast, oils, etc. And meat! TVP just wouldn't cut it for our family if that were the only "meat" offered. And they'd need a grinder for the wheat.

Their cost for 84 cans isn't outrageous for this kind of food - Beprepared.com sells freeze dried #10 cans for $10-$25 each. The fact that this one isn't a "complete" package means you'll be spending more to really have a rounded diet. 

I think of it like those emergency BOB/medical kits you can buy - they are a good starting point to build on, but I'd rather assemble my own that fits my family.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

I checked out the Shelfreliance site. I'm interested in things like dryed mushrooms, something I don't have in the pantry. Our mennonite store has #10 cans of regular canned mushrooms, I been thinking of re-canning them in smaller jars. The dryed ones sound perfect.


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## Jonaspear (Oct 13, 2006)

This is a much better option, made by Mountain House...

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11539429&search=mountain house&Mo=4&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=mountain house&Ntt=mountain house&No=3&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1


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## CrashTestRanch (Jul 14, 2010)

Jonaspear said:


> This is a much better option, made by Mountain House...
> 
> http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11539429&search=mountain house&Mo=4&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=mountain house&Ntt=mountain house&No=3&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1


not bad, approximately 100 days worth


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## cvk (Oct 30, 2006)

I don't understand all of the comments about tvp being horrible flavored. Tvp has no flavor at all. It tastes exactly like what is added to it for seasoning. If you are getting a horrible tasting product it is because you are buying some kind of horrible flavoring recipe. As far as health is concerned--nothing is healthy if eaten constantly to the exclusion of other foods. There is absolutely no reason that tvp can't be added to stretch available protein products and provide good nutrition. It keeps indefinately if you buy the unflavored type and only about a year if it is flavored. The flavoring goes bad.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

cvk said:


> I don't understand all of the comments about tvp being horrible flavored. Tvp has no flavor at all. It tastes exactly like what is added to it for seasoning. If you are getting a horrible tasting product it is because you are buying some kind of horrible flavoring recipe. As far as health is concerned--nothing is healthy if eaten constantly to the exclusion of other foods. There is absolutely no reason that tvp can't be added to stretch available protein products and provide good nutrition. It keeps indefinately if you buy the unflavored type and only about a year if it is flavored. The flavoring goes bad.


The cans of flavoured TVP in the one year supply mentioned above is rated for 25 years. I'll be long dead before it expires, so it is a good deal for me. I agree about the plain TVP not tasting very good, but it is supposed to be added to other foods, not eaten by itself.


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## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

Sam's has also started carring 'emergency food' items.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/c...ltQuery=&rootDimension=2340121&navAction=push

Some of their prices seem pretty good. :shrug:


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## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

As far as TVP is concerned the few times I have used it I used half meat/half TVP. I just used it to make the meat go further. You really couldn't tell it was in there.


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## Guest (Oct 6, 2010)

barnyardfun said:


> As far as TVP is concerned the few times I have used it I used half meat/half TVP. I just used it to make the meat go further. You really couldn't tell it was in there.


Oatmeal works VERY well as a meat stretcher.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Lentils or plain old pinto beans work to stretch meat too. They haven't been processed to death either.


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## CrashTestRanch (Jul 14, 2010)

barnyardfun said:


> Sam's has also started carring 'emergency food' items. http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/c...ltQuery=&rootDimension=2340121&navAction=push Some of their prices seem pretty good.


Looks to be almost identical to the Costco 1 year, I wonder if it's the same canning company under a different label at the same factory?


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## Txrider (Jun 25, 2010)

Jonaspear said:


> This is a much better option, made by Mountain House...
> 
> http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11539429&search=mountain house&Mo=4&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=mountain house&Ntt=mountain house&No=3&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1


Yup I have eaten Mountain House food for a long long time out on backpacking trips and such.. Not awesome food, but quite edible..

And the shelf life rocks.

It would cost about 4 grand to feed me well with it for a year I think though. For $900 it would be bare bones survival just to scrape by.


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## Lone Pine (Jan 11, 2010)

I have been using Shelf Reliance for about a year now. I mainly only use the Freeze Dried products because they do not have any preservatives in them! The freeze dried Pinapples and mangos are AWESOME! I also like the backing basics. I can honestly say that I have not tried anything that I didnt like. 

I became an independant consultant about a month ago. If anyone is intersted I can add you as a party customer and you will see the party price. You dont have to actually have a party, unless you want. PM me with your email address and name and I will add you as a customer. I will NOT contact you unless you ask me too. 

They have a great system for people that dont want to take the time to figure out how much food storage they want and need. I would say it is different for everyone....like for me, I know that I dont want alot of preservatives and sodium, so I stay away from that, but you cannot beat the selection! 

Let me know if I can answer any questions.

Della Jones
www.lonepinefarmstead.com
Independent Shelf Reliance Constultant, NC


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## ChristyACB (Apr 10, 2008)

TVP reminds me of the meat in school lunches from the 70s.

I have found that putting it in at about 1/3 rate in stuff like taco meat or other highly seasoned dishes it works pretty well. Lisa sent me an opened can so I could experiment without opening my stores and it really isn't easy to learn to incorporate TVP into food without making it taste "off" or change the texture too much.

Anyone who intends to do the TVP for stores would probably be better off in the event of actual need if they took one each of the smaller cans and learned how to use them well in normal times.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Cyng... won't you tell us how you _really feel_ about tvp?  I agree, it's calories I'll pass on.

I think these 'kits' are for folks who don't have a clue. One of my oldest friends was looking into buying these for his family, last year about this time. I told him to save his money and just start stocking on the food his family ate on a regular basis.

I could see getting cases of some luxury foods (fruits, etc.). I ate lots of freeze dried foods, back in the rangering days.


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## Zipporah (Jul 30, 2006)

ChristyACB said:


> Their milk products don't come from China? That's good and unusual.
> 
> You said you use them regularly. For baking or other purposes? What sort of range do the products have?


I called and asked and they said all there stuff is local to the area.I use all the baking stuff it's great.The freeze dried veggies are as good as fresh and the fruit too. I'm going to try the meat next pay day because I want to store of it so I'll have to get back to you on that.The eggs are very good.I use them for baking and have even use them scrambled but they scramble better if you blend them in the blender a bit.The milk had a good taste too for powdered milk.


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## Limon (Aug 25, 2010)

Agree with the others that you're better off buying food locally when it's on sale. Someone mentioned that the kit only has 1,220 calories a day. If you work that out, you're getting about 445,300 calories or roughly 556 calories per dollar. 

Compare that to some prices I noticed today at the grocery store:
...Pasta $.79 a pound ---> 2,216 calories/dollar
...Rice $8.49 for 20 pounds. (I never buy 20 lbs of rice at a time, so don't know if that's a good price) ---> 3,765 calories/dollar
...Dried split peas: $.69/pound ---> 1,594 calories/dollar
...Dried Navy Beans: $.89/pound ---> 1,079 calories/dollar
...Pearled Barley: $.89/pound ---> 1,794 calories/dollar

You could buy 68 of each of those items for less than $800. Yeah, it's not enough variety, has no fruit or vegetables, and who needs 1,300 pounds of rice, but the example is just to make a point. You'd end up with almost 6 times as many calories for slightly less money and that doesn't count any savings from coupons. You could buy reasonable quantities for caloric bulk and use the rest of the money to round out the selection.


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## cvk (Oct 30, 2006)

The advantage of tvp is that it is high protein without carbs. Pantries are loaded with carbs and low on protein. Some people aren't interested in eating a ton of carbs to get the 50 grams of protein needed per day. The other advantage is that it stores indefinately in its unflavored state the same as wheat. To each their own.


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## CrashTestRanch (Jul 14, 2010)

wow, Limon, thanks for giving us that data and your work ... puts things into perspective ..


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## Limon (Aug 25, 2010)

CrashTestRanch said:


> wow, Limon, that's for giving us that data and your work ... puts things into perspective ..


Don't be too impressed - it wasn't that much work. When I started keeping track of what was in the pantry, I included a calorie count for the different items, so I had most of that info at hand.

One thing to remember with any soy-based product like TVP is that some people can detect a certain chemical in it, and others can't. If you're one of those people who can - like me - it tastes horrible and it's hard to cover up. If you can't taste it, you don't understand why people react the way they the mere mention of it.


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## Guest (Oct 9, 2010)

Limon said:


> One thing to remember with any soy-based product like TVP is that some people can detect a certain chemical in it, and others can't. If you're one of those people who can - like me - it tastes horrible and it's hard to cover up. If you can't taste it, you don't understand why people react the way they the mere mention of it.


There are a number of foods like that.

For example, broccoli has a certain chemical in it that *some* people have a taste receptor for. To those people, broccoli tastes bitter.

To everyone else, it has no bitter taste. Although whether all *those* people like it or not is just a matter of personal preference.

A broccoli lover has trouble understanding why some people can't stand it.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

When I was working Pediatrics at a regional children's hospital, our chief Pediatrician ordered a jar of baby food beef to be served to each of her patients daily. She said it protected the liver against some of the very potent antibiotics that the patients were on. She said the hospital cafeteria served tvp burgers and the patients were getting liver damage from the meds if they ate the tvp burgers and did not eat the beef. I have never eaten tvp since.


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

I don't intentionally eat tvp, but I do intentionally keep baby food in my food stock. Anyone that has a sudden dental emergency that can't quickly get to dental care will still have an option for nutritional food that's easy to swallow. It's also the best way for me to have my banana fix. I hate dried bananas.


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## Txrider (Jun 25, 2010)

ladycat said:


> There are a number of foods like that.
> 
> For example, broccoli has a certain chemical in it that *some* people have a taste receptor for. To those people, broccoli tastes bitter.
> 
> ...


I must be one of those people, and it isn't just broccoli.


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## Sylvia (Dec 1, 2004)

soulsurvivor said:


> http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...2010Mailer-_-Focus-_-83-_-ShelfRelianceTHRIVE
> Costco.com's Shelf Reliance THRIVE 1-year Food Supply for 1 Person
> 5,011 Servings
> 84 #10 cans
> $799.99 s/h included


Just looked -- product not available


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