Actually Jester2000, I too was concerned with the same thing as Cheers so I bluntly asked the owners of VVR why/how SOME of the food left behind by hikers was obviously winding up on shelves. I tried to see it from the perspective of both hikers and the VVR owners. I may have paraphrased a bit but the answer I gave above is what was told to me by the owner. I have since personally witnessed the owners on several ocassions adhering to what they told me.