FAQ

Almost all products are certified Kosher by Blue Ribbon Kosher. See the Kosher symbol on the product detail page or view the

When you place an order, your card issuing bank receives an authorization request for that charge. They confirm the card number is valid and verify if there are available funds to cover the requested amount. If the funds are available, they will reserve the funds for this transaction and send this information to our payment processor. A security check then confirms the billing information on the order matches the information on file with your issuing bank. If the address, zip code, and card code do not match what is on file, the transaction will be declined. Even though the transaction has been declined, the hold on the authorized funds will remain until your card issuing bank removes the authorization. Most card issuing banks will remove authorizations within 3-7 days if they are not claimed for settlement. This can be mistaken for an actual charge, but is part of the temporary hold. A declined transaction will not complete as a charge transaction on your credit/debit card statement.

Our website has security measures to prevent fraud. You must enter the correct credit card CVV code. Also, your billing address must match the address on your billing statement. The staff at North Bay does not see your credit card number and does not approve or disapprove credit card transactions — that process is handled by secure and encrypted communication between merchant banks. If you are declined, please try again and/or contact your credit card provider.

Yes, the check out process allows you to enter multiple shipping addresses and specify gift messages. Here's how to send 2 or more gift boxes or any combination of products as gifts to friends and family:

• Place 2 or more products in your cart. Then view cart and select "Checkout with Multiple Addresses."
• Please complete login or register as a new customer.
• Enter all recipient names and addresses using the enter new address button.
• After entering all addresses, use the drop down boxes to select which items ship to which addresses.
• Then select update quantity and addresses and continue to shipping information and select shipping method.
• Below shipping selection, select the box for gift messages and enter your gift message for each address. Messages will be enclosed in each gift box. This all takes place in step 4 of check out
• Then complete check out by entering your credit card information. Your gift order will be wrapped in tissue paper, packaged in a white box, labeled as a gift, and shipped within one business day.

Yes, we keep the website current, however, market prices and box sizes can change on short notice (very rare). But we would certainly discuss any such situation with you before filling your order.

Occasionally we email promotion codes or post them on this website. Please sign up for our news and email specials by entering your email address in the Keep in Touch box on the left side of the screen.

No — our products are not subject to sulfering and sulfite dipping. These treatments are often used to prevent long term darkening but have been linked to asthmatic reactions in a small portion of the asthmatic population. We have a small number of products where color retention is a concern. These products will use a natural and safe addition, such as the 0.6% lemon juice added to freeze dried apples — such ingredient additions are disclosed.

 The nutritional value of our products are quite favorable, almost as good as fresh, and definitely better than canned. Nutritional data will vary by variety — each of our product detail pages have Nutritional Facts.

Retail customers should select the Forgot Your Password link located under the email address field on the retail site's login page. If you have a wholesale account but have forgotten your wholesale login or password, please contact us by email and request a password reset. Wholesale customers cannot use the retail site's Forgot Your Password link to reset their password for the wholesale site.

Our organic products are GMO free, as this is a component of organic certification. For our other products, our partner processors have assured us of no genetically modified crops but we do not perform verifications of this. Therefore we do not label conventional products as GMO Free.

 This is a ratio used by manufacturers to determine how much fresh product is needed, including cores, tops, etc, to make a finished dried product. For example, fresh equivalent tomatoes would be the weight of whole and intact fresh tomatoes, before removal of cores and stems, needed to make one pound of diced dried tomatoes. Thus, the fresh equivalent ratio is always higher than the rehydration ratio, since there is weight loss in trimming away the tops, stems, cores, etc. This ratio is generally not published - however, the rehydration ratios are often available.

This is a weight ratio of dried product to a rehydrated equivalence of fresh prepared product. For example, air dried tomato flakes have a rehydration ratio of 1:4. This means 1 lb of air dried tomato flakes, when rehydrated, is equal to approximately 4 lbs of fresh chopped tomatoes. Please see our product detail pages for these ratios. Rehydration Ratio and Fresh Weight Replacement Ratio are the same thing, but differ from the “Fresh Equivalent Ratio” (see below).

Our air dried vegetables, often generically called dehydrated vegetables, are made by subjecting vegetables to heat, resulting in water evaporation. The physical size of the vegetables are reduced. Our air dried products are not designed to be ready to eat without cooking. The air dried vegetables hydrate faster with hot liquid and often remain intact (versus crumbling apart), making them ideal for cooking applications such as homemade soups, casseroles, and dips.

Freeze dried food is placed in a refrigerated vacuum, where, without thawing, it is dehydrated — ice disappears in the form of escaping water vapor. Cell structure remains intact, which results in excellent retention of flavor, color, shape, and nutritional value. Our freeze dried food is ready to eat as is, can be hydrated quickly, or used in making drinks (smoothies or beer) or cooked applications (confectionery or omelets). Please note we do not offer fruit which is simply "dried," but not "freeze dried." Fruit which is dried but not freeze dried tends to cost less, has a higher moisture content, and usually contains a substantial amount of added sweetener as a preservative.

Our products are not sweetened or preserved through the addition of natural or artificial sweeteners. This means no added white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, honey, maple syrup, date sugar, maple sugar, agave, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, whole cane sugar (Sucanat), sucralose (Splenda), Stevia, Truvia, Aspartame (Equal or NutraSweet), or Saccharin. 

Yes, please call us at 1-800-348-0164 or 715-372-5031 between 8 - 3:30 pm CST. You may have to leave a message, especially around lunch time, but we will always return your call, usually within 45 minutes. Please note online order discounts are not applicable to phone orders.

 Each product has guidelines listed in the Cooking Tips tab of the product detail page. We issue best by dates, which means the product should be used within this time for optimum freshness. This is generally 12 to 24 months assuming the product is kept sealed and away from sunlight, heat, and humidity. From a food safety perspective, our products are dry with low water activity and we do not issue expiration dates. Our retail sized products are in high quality resealable zipper pouches. You can extend product freshness with a household vacuum packaging machine and/or other techniques. Custom packaging information and supplies for long term food storage are available at Sorbent Systems, which has online ordering of custom bags, moisture absorbers, oxygen absorbers, heat sealers, and vacuum sealers.

Most of the moisture is removed from the food, which inhibits bacteria, yeast, and mold growth. North Bay Trading only offers dried food. We have a great selection of wild rice, dry soup mixes, beans, freeze dried fruits, freeze dried vegetables, and air dried vegetables which can be stored in your cupboard for a long time.

We have found that a few customers using Google Chrome for their browser cannot login unless they use Incognito mode. To use Incognito mode, select New Incognito Window from the drop down settings button found in the upper right corner of Google Chrome.

Yes, click this logo and scroll down to Organic Operations. Then click on "Organic Integrity Database". Put North Bay Trading Co.  into the search.