Frequently Asked Questions
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ABOUT FOREVER FRESH
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GENERAL INFORMATION
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NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
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ORDERING INFORMATION
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PAYMENT INFORMATION
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SHIPPING INFORMATION
We are a South African food producer specialising in the production of freeze dried products.
You can email us on info@foreverfresh.co.za. You can also contact us via our Instagram and Facebook page (forever.fresh.foods)
Our Physical Address is:
Unit 1 A & B
2 Erica Way
Somerset West Business Park
Somerset West
Western Cape, 7130
South Africa
Office Hours (Mon - Fri) (9:00 - 17:00)
Tel +27 (0)87 5501 579
We are an online shop only, but do have a number of Stockists all over South Africa and in Namibia that stock our products. A full list of our Stockists can be found here:
Yes, through our online shop at www.foreverfresh.co.za
Our products can also be found at many retailers throughout South Africa. For a full list, click here.
Yes. More information on our partnering programs can be found here:
We produce and market the following ranges of freeze dried food products and related items:
If there is something that we don’t offer and you would like to see, please feel free to contact us with your request.
Great question! Dehydration and Freeze-drying both seek to remove moisture from food, however the methods are vastly different. Dehydrators use heat to evaporate water, whereas Freeze drying uses vacuum freezing (a process called sublimation) to gently remove water, without damaging the food and the delicate vitamins and essential phytonutrients. This allows the food to retain its original shape, texture and concentrated taste. Freeze dried products are generally more expensive than Dehydrated equivalent products, but are way superior in every other aspect.
Our products section of the website provides detailed information on each product, together with nutritional information.
Forever Fresh Foods is certified by the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC).
Our Forever Fresh branded Outdoor and Adventure range of ready-made meals as well as our Proactive Foods brand are not certified Halaal.
Our Fresh Candy Range is Halaal certified.
Yes. Our pouches are designed to bring customers the extra added convenience of cook-in-the-bag functionality and can therefore take boiling water.
Simply tear open your pouch, remove the oxygen absorber, add boiling water, seal and wait the recommended time and enjoy your meal!
Each Product has clear REHYDRATION instructions on the REAR LABEL. Note that rehydration times are different from product to product and are guidelines of minimum times required to ensure the product is suitably rehydrated for consumption. When in doubt, leave the product to rehydrate at least 10min or longer for optimal results.
Our Rehydration instructions, as found on the REAR LABEL of each product recommends HOT water. HOT water will in most cases speed up the rehydration time.
You can also use cold water as our meals do not require any cooking time. Cold water can be used to save gas/fuel/energy. This means you will carry less (weight) and cost you less in the long run.
Most of our products are pre-cooked. This means that you don't need to cook them. All you need to do is to heat them up to the desired temperature you want to eat them at. This saves massive amounts of time and energy.
Avoid cooking the meals. It is not necessary and will just make the delicate flavours and textures turn into something that looks like soup or Jungle Oats.
Our Outdoor and Adventure Meals are all pre-cooked to save you valuable time and energy. These do not require cooking (only heating to your desired temperature) and could as a matter of fact be eaten cold.
Our Single Ingredients, Snacks and Pantry items are generally raw (as nature intended) to preserve all their nutrients. There might be some exception in which case it would be noted under that product’s page.
With the exception of the Beef Lasagne (which is equal to 400g rehydrated weight), all VALUE PACKS are the equivalent of 450g rehydrated weight. A VALUE PACK, is a meal typically including aeither a SIDE of Basmati Rice, Mashed Potato or Couscous pre-mixed or is simply an EXTRA LARGE MEAL offering enough for 2 to share or for 1 very hungry adventurer! VALUE PACKS are designed with CONVENIENCE and VALUE.
Serving sizes and serving recommendations vary from country to country and from male to female, old to young, active to not so active etc. Forever Fresh's VALUE PACKS are based on the equivalent (rehydrated) weight of 400-450g.
When in doubt, we recommend taking more food than too little, noting that the meals are super light and long lasting - so one will not notice their weight and those meals brought back, will be ready for one's next adventure.
We use the Golden Ratio, a harmonious naturally occuring relationship between two parts, simply stated (in terms of mix of meal to side) as 61.8% Meal to 38.2% Side.
As SERVING sizes are subjective and vary from person to person, we no longer indicate a fixed number of SERVINGS on our labels. Instead, we indicate the VOLUME of food expressed in REHYDRATED WEIGHT (in grams).
Typically a VALUE PACK (ranging from 400g to 450g Rehydrated) will be suitable for two (or a very hungry person)!
NET WEIGHT is the total weight of the food, excluding the packaging or the included Oxygen Absorber.
REHYDRATED WEIGHT refers to the weight of the Product once the recommended amount of water has been added to the Product.
Freeze dried meals are ultralight and generally weigh only up to one-quarter of the fresh equivalent. This means that on average a 400-450g meal would weigh in at approx. 100g.
VALUE PACKS range from 400g to 450g (Rehydrated weight) depending on product.
Freeze dried meals are known to be good for up to 25 years. This is very much dependent on 3 things (protection against moisture, oxygen and light – in that order). To achieve the best shelf life (bearing in mind that freeze dried foods are shelf stable at room temperature and thus don’t need refrigeration), we use a combination of high barrier pouches as well as inserting an Oxygen Absorber into each meal. The combination of these two elements supports the long shelf-life, however as we have not been in business for 25 years, we are not able to claim this (at this stage in any event).
Current shelf-life per product is as follows:
- Standard Pouches have a shelf-life of 3 YEARS
No, they are shelf stable at room temperature, however we advise you to store them in a dry cool space. Once opened, you can increase its shelf life by refrigerating it but it’s not essential.
Yes, in certain of our products we may include an Oxygen Absorber to assist in keeping your product fresher for longer. Although certified food-safe - Do not eat.
Note that these may become warm when exposed to oxygen (i.e. once the pouch is opened) - This is perfectly normal and they are doing exactly what they are designed to do; i.e. absorb oxygen, with heat being the by-product of the chemical reaction taking place.
The freeze drying process is incredibly gentle and lets the food retain its original shape and flavour as well as much as 98% of its nutrients.
No, nothing else but the pure ingredient!
Where possible we aim for organic suppliers. Where organic produce is unavailable, our strict sourcing protocol sees us choosing those suppliers that follow best farming practices.
We do not support any kind of GMO processes.
In terms of our Single Ingredients, Snacks and Pantry Items, these are generally Gluten Free, since we use only all-natural raw fruit and vegetables.
For our Outdoor and Adventure Meal range, each product has detailed Nutritional Information, including (where applicable) Gluten and Allergens information.
Should we add products that are not Gluten Free, this would be highlighted under the product’s page.
The website is secured with SSL standard website encryption and our payment gateway providers provide their own encryption safety protocols for your protection.
Our website prices are inclusive of VAT. Our VAT Registration number is: 4210295384.
No – we only take online orders
By placing your order through our website, you will receive an email confirming your order.
In addition to email updates, you can log into the website and check on your order as it moves through the different stages.
Yes, we do from time to time, these will appear on our website under specials
We don’t at this stage, but we are happy to consider it once there is a need for it.
If you are interested to stock our products, you can look to get further information on our Wholesale partner program as well as registering here.
Yes, let us know what kind of volumes you are talking about and we will come back to you with a quote.
We accept credit card payments as well as instant EFT directly via our check-out process on our website.
No – this is not possible
Yes, we offer instant EFT payments upon check-out – should you not wish to use a credit card.
We offer free shipping (within main South African metropolitan areas) on orders over a certain value.
The current value is on orders that exceed R1,000.00
Please consult our main website page for current order value qualifying amounts.
For orders under under the free shipping qualification, the website shall provide a real-time quotation.
We provide door to door courier shipping regionally throughout South Africa.
You will receive a notification that your parcel has left our premises and you will be able to track it until it arrives at its destination.
No – we use courier services and they cannot deliver to PO Boxes.
Yes, upon checkout, simply select the local collection option. All orders need to be paid in advance prior to collection and you will need to get a confirmation email from us that your order is ready for collection first.
Shipping will take place approximately 3-5 working days after your payment has been confirmed. Bulk orders may require additional time.
Although we are registered and have an export license, certain countries will have specific import requirements and certifications and/or restrictions. Please contact us to discuss.
We will quote shipping separately on bulk orders.
Qualified refunds will be processed on conclusion of an investigation into any lost parcel. We will revert back asap.
Unfortunately, we don’t take products back due to the fact that it is a food product and there is a safety aspect that prohibits us from being able to accept the products back.
Contact us immediately so we can look into it and we will revert back to you asap.