A hefty pail that aims to up your food preparedness is gaining traction online.
On June 30, cookbook author Jeffrey Eisner (@pressureluckcooking on Instagram) posted a video about the Readywise 132 Serving Emergency Food Bucket bucket he saw at his local Costco.
“So I’m in Costco — which is like, my happiest place in the world to be — and I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Eisner says in the clip. “I guess this is for when the apocalypse hits, which could be any time now, right? Who knows?”
Eisner then goes on to describe the contents, including teriyaki rice, cheesy macaroni and other pasta, apple cinnamon cereal and soup. It also holds beverages including an orange drink mix and whey milk alternative.
“Up to 25 year shelf life, 132 servings, $63,” Eisner says, tapping the price tag. “So, you know, when the world collapses and caves in, as long as you have your Readywise emergency food supply, all’s right with the world.”
“I really want to sample this,” he says at the end of the video in a nod to the retailer’s try-before-you-buy practices. “Why don’t they have this here for free samples?”
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Eisner’s video went viral, garnering more than 1.9 million views at the time of publishing and drawing thousands of comments with folks weighing in on the oversized item.
“I like that someone thought to consider our desire for variety during the apocalypse,” one Instagram user wrote. “Does Costco know something?” wondered another.
Someone else told Eisner, “You are so funny!” before outlining another possible use for the product: “We actually use them for camping.”
Still, others had some questions about the feasibility of an “apocalypse” emergency bucket filled with food you have to prepare to eat.
“If the apocalypse comes, where are you getting fresh water to prepare these dried meals?” asked one user with another adding, “And electric or gas to heat them up.”
“The survivalists are stacking up on bottled water as well for that very reason,” someone commented in response. Another user added that if you were a “true prepper” you would “have your water and your filtration system” all ready to go.
For aspiring or current doomsday preppers — that contingent of Americans getting ready for when the world ends — Costco has several emergency food supply products with long shelf lives.
Representatives for Costco did not immediately respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment on how long this product has been on store shelves.
Still, this is not the first time a big bucket of grub sold at Costco has caught our collective attention. In 2019, a 26-pound tub of macaroni and cheese made headlines.
Readywise’s product line includes items with 15- and 25-year shelf lives, meaning you can almost make it to the year 2050 with its product range.
Eisner had his hands on the 132-serving kit, which isn’t available on Costco’s website. But lucky for online shoppers, the big box retailer has both a modest 110-serving protein-based bucket and a 150-serving variety pack emergency bucket available.
For $79.99, here’s what comes in Readywise’s 150 Serving Emergency Food Bucket:
- Pasta Alfredo (12 servings)
- Cheesy Macaroni (12 servings)
- Teriyaki Rice (gluten free, 6 servings)
- Creamy Pasta and Vegetables (6 servings)
- Potatoes and Chicken Flavored Pot Pie (gluten free, 6 servings)
- Tomato Basil Soup with Pasta (gluten free, 6 servings)
- Chicken Flavored Noodle Soup (6 servings)
- Brown Sugar & Maple Multi-Grain (12 servings)
- Apple Cinnamon Cereal (12 servings)
- Crunchy Granola (6 servings)
- Instant White Rice (10 servings)
- Vanilla Pudding (16 servings)
- Whey Milk Alternative (24 servings)
- Orange Drink (16 servings)
- For Eisner, who spends his days penning cookbooks like “The Step-by-Step Instant Pot Cookbook” and others, going viral for an MRE (meal ready to eat) kit is surprising, but welcome.
- “It’s just like completely gone crazy,” Eisner tells TODAY.com, noting that while he does have more than 50,000 followers, the response to this particular video is unusually fervent.
- “Is it a bad thing to have something like that in your house?” he mused, noting the heated debate going on in his comments section. “I would say it’s probably better to have it than not to have it.”
- In a July 11 follow-up video, Eisner revealed that he actually bought the bucket. He tells us that he plans on trying every single item inside and documenting the journey on his account.
“Now I’ve never seen such debate in a reel about people arguing about this thing,” Eisner says in the follow-up he’s dubbed the “Costco Apocalypse Food Challenge” in the caption. “Follow me on this journey because I don’t think Costco is going to be putting out samples of this stuff right here.”
And, when asked what food he plans on trying first, the author of the upcoming “Pastabilities” book is staying on theme.
“I’m gonna start with the mac and cheese, my friend,” Eisner says.
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