Expedition Foods
"Established in 1995, Expedition Foods provides top quality freeze-dried meals to internationally acclaimed explorers, rowers, sailors, endurance athletes and mountaineers as well as campers, scouts, film crews, military personnel and rescue service teams all over the world.
Expedition Foods’ delicious light-weight meals provide the perfect nutrition for a wide range of outdoor pursuits. Sold globally, Expedition Foods is recognised as one of the top brands of freeze-dried meals available in today’s market. Manufactured in Britain, Expedition Foods is the expert in producing meals that retain all the nutrition of a perfectly balanced meal in a single, light-weight packet. Our meals deliver the fuel and balanced nutrition required for the most gruelling of challenges; to summit our highest peaks, to row our oceans, and to traverse the remotest wildernesses on our planet.
Our Menu
Freeze-drying food is the most successful method of preservation, making it taste better, look better, weigh less and last longer. We use the best process globally to produce freeze-dried meals cooked using the freshest ingredients that can be rehydrated in minutes. Expedition Foods meals are packed full of the best ingredients, freeze-dried at their freshest.
Expedition Foods offers a wide range of different meals desserts and a choice of serving sizes with our High Energy (800+ kcal), Regular Serving (450 kcal) and Extreme Energy or Regular Serving for Two (1000 kcal) ranges. We offer meals to suit everyone’s needs with vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free meals available. Product development and innovation is a real passion for Expedition Foods, so if you’ve got a great idea for a new recipe, send an email to info@expeditionfoods.com and you may be responsible for the newest variety of meal.
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Our Customers
It seems that everyone wants to use Expedition Foods these days. Expedition Foods provides the perfect meal for everyone from extreme athletes to campers and hikers – in fact, anyone who desires great-tasting food on the go. Expedition Foods fuels rowers crossing the Atlantic single-handedly, sailors taking part in incredible round-the-world challenges as well as expeditions to the North and South Poles. But it’s also used extensively in disaster relief operations and is held in great regard by our youngsters taking part in scouting and the Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions. We have provided the nutrition for BBC and CNN film crews as well as peace of mind to people who are preparing for emergencies.
We’ve got a number of accolades to our name as well. Expedition Foods was recently voted the most preferred brand of meal at the prestigious "4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series" and we’re the food of choice for world record holders: Mark Slats, the Solo Division Champion and World Record Holder of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, Jax Mariash, the Ladies Champion of the 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series, The Islanders, during their GB Row; Meghan Hicks, the Ladies Champion of the Marathon des Sables; adventurers James Cracknell and Ben Fogle; our meals were even enjoyed by Prince Harry during his Walking With The Wounded South Pole Expedition. We also supplied polar explorers Wendy Searle and Lou Rudd on their treks across Antarctica.
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Benefits of Freeze-Dried Food
People use the terms 'dehydrated' and 'freeze-dried' as though they are the same thing. However, there are significant differences between the two which we think you'll find interesting.
To preserve foods, the moisture contained within must be removed through a process called lyophilisation. If it isn't, micro-organisms (like bacteria) will thrive and feed, leading to food decomposition, mould growth and inedibility. Dehydrating and freeze-drying are the two more commonly used practices to do this.
'Dehydrating' has been used for centuries and dries out or smokes food by circulating hot and dry air across it. The moist air is then dried to continue removing any remaining water in the foods. The drying temperatures are set high enough to remove water but not to cook the food.
'Freeze-drying' is a relatively modern process. Food is placed on large racks inside a vacuum chamber where the temperature is lowered to below freezing, and then slowly raised. The water in the food transforms from a solid state to a gas, thereby maintaining the food's structure and preserving its all-important nutrients.
Freeze-drying removes about 98-99%. The lower the moisture content, the longer the shelf life.
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Freeze-dried foods can be stored for the longest time…
Most dehydrated products, like dried fruits, vegetables, powders and TVP (soy protein), have a shelf life of about 15-20 years. Dehydrated items like honey, salt, sugar, hard wheats and oats have a 30-year shelf life - sometimes longer. Freeze-dried fruits, vegetables, just-add-water meals and real meats have a longer average shelf life of approximately 25-30-years. Freeze-dried food can be stored at a wide range of temperatures without the food or packaging being affected - the food remains fresh for many years.
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Freeze-drying retains the nutritional value of the fresh product, as well as its fresh flavour and colour…
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Freeze-drying is akin to keeping the food in a state of suspended animation and so once rehydrated the food is as fresh and nutritious as it was the moment it was frozen.
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Freeze-drying significantly reduces the weight of food…
Lyophilisation removes about 98% of a food's water content and so the weight of that food is reduced by as much as 90%. For people having to carry their own food for days or months at a time this is a huge benefit. Freeze-dried foods weigh a lot less than dehydrated foods, important for most of our customers who take part in long-haul endurance events where food weight and package size are crucial planning factors.
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Freeze-drying is fast to prepare…
With freeze-dried foods you just need to add water – hot or cold will do (up to 5-8 minutes usually), although it might take a bit longer using cold At the end of a long day, or during a precious few minutes' lunch break, no one wants to be kept waiting for their hard-earned rations!"