Is Dehydrated Food the Future of Food Security?


  • Water Feature
  • More Affordable Prices
  • Nutritious ingredients
  • Reduction of Food Waste
  • Final thoughts

Waterless food is nothing new. From instant coffee to powdered milk, dry foods play a vital role in our diet. And if you have ever eaten a box of dried grapes, a piece of fruit skin, or a packet of seaweed, you have eaten fresh water. Why, then, is there such a growing movement of light food so dried on the shelf that they claim to save the planet by their habits?


As someone who invented a type of dehydrated diet, I am not a stranger to the benefits of dehydrated foods, ranging from extended shelf life to concentrated flavors. But I wonder how many new brands are using the claim. As we continue to see the impact of our climate-damaging options, it is only natural that changing the focus on diet that includes reduced demand for resources is growing exponentially. There is even a food-based identity called climatarianism, in which fans aim to choose foods with as little carbon emissions as possible.


I wanted to know if these dehydrated snackers were really focused on something or just playing the obvious fact that dried food is less weighty, and, it, requires less fuel to ship. So, I did some research and talked to the founder and CEO of the Eat the Change mushroom jerky, Seth Goldman. Next, find out what I learned.


Water Feature

Not to mention the reduced water content of dried foods alone makes it more stable than many other light foods. By extracting water from the mixture, you make it much easier by weight. That means when you move it, a few resources are needed, and the carbon footprint is low. Eating is easy, for one, but takes up little space, too. As a result, you can post more of something with the same amount of space than you can with a new balance. However, there are additional reasons why dehydrated foods may be a better and more sustainable choice.


Nutritious ingredients


Grass-fed beef has a variety of health benefits, but not all are vegetarians. The increase in dehydrated vegetarian diets is accompanied by a growing popularity of meat analogs, vegan restaurants, and mid-meal delivery kits.


Keho snack bars, full of vegetables and at the same time gluten-free, vegan, and keto, give consumers looking for a change from bars to delicious protein bars such as food without any added snacks. They are an easy way to get your vegetarian needs satisfied on the go and may be more satisfying than a granola bar because of their sophisticated taste.


Supernola, which makes non-oat-free superfood collections, packs its own simple foods that contain antioxidants and adaptogens, using ingredients such as sprouted nuts, goji berries, and green cork. They also donated part of the Supernola fund to Girls on the Run, a volunteer-based program that builds social, physical, and emotional skills for 3rd to 8th graders. At less than $ 3 per feed, their bite is a healthier and more socially sensitive approach than pubs.


Eat The Change, which makes mushroom jerkies, has turned a stable diet into a very good cause. I was impressed by the richness and quality of their plant-based juices, which I found more appealing than any soy or seitan I had tried. "Mushrooms act as an amazingly durable fabric, capable of absorbing all flavors and textures," Goldman tells me of their choice to use mushrooms as a jerky base. "Our mushrooms are submerged in salt water and hickory made of organic portobello and crimini mushrooms, which are one of the most widely grown crops." He notes that there are many reasons why mother mushrooms, such as their growing environment for food waste, can be planted upside down (ten layers in one building), and there is very little water waste when planted.


Reduction of Food Waste


It wasn't until the beginning of brands like Imperfect Foods that most people realized how much food was grown and not eaten. Grocery stores only sell good-looking produce products, with some remaining to be processed. However, there are still resources available.


“The biggest natural phenomenon of eating is wasting food,” Goldman says. "Estimates are that about 20-30% of all food production is wasted, which means that all the water, land and resources used for farming are wasted." Products such as Eat The Change reduce food waste by prolonging product shelf life as dehydrated foods increase your shelf life from one week to two to 12 months. He also noted that by choosing to use tobacco as a natural preservative (a process dating to the paleolithic period), their products do not require any chemical preservatives.


Additionally, snacks like fruit skin and jerky flavors are great when made with a nice little product that can be discarded otherwise. Goldman notes that mushrooms are made from “incomplete mushrooms,” which include large stems and are often discarded because they are delicious and nutritious — an act that reduces food waste. The effect of these mushrooms combined with the smoking of wood gives a "perfect texture to a different kind of meat" rich in nutrients and surprisingly stable.


Final thoughts

The combination of ingredients makes dehydrated snacks a viable option that, when acquired by most consumers, has a positive impact on the future of food security. Between the simple and natural nature of dried food, how to increase the availability of expensive ingredients, and how to reduce food contamination, simple dehydrated foods are a sensible choice for nature. Not to mention, it can be as delicious and nutritious as other snacks, if not more.