FEMA Expired MREs?

[Travis B]

Looks like NC was given some expired MREs during Hurricane Matthew. Is it normal that FEMA hands out expired MREs? Looks like someone messed up and left some info in the description that they were supposed to take out.


Link to expired MRE for sale listing. (https://www.ncstatesurplus.com/ssp/public/PubClsfiedDisplayItem.aspx?x=2XpBWy8scCdWFv90512wyB0FepdT1MTOUcwHxcdsRgm3nYPlRM9V96B3XZPJ8Ww5eug%2fnw9qdVgfLefEHaaLIPCb5MR1KisTAZK2ia6x4syfwID73QqOSQ3R8ELqR6fN%2bt9I%2bxdkdcHTgpUgOuKT0nS29xrsyce%2bX6tzC%2bE5VF0vLcUw6%2fu8tghOONIugOI6l8SCE%2f1dRXhmMtMhRADqGqB%2f9RgrGWKjzgw%2bFcGZ%2fsCDpjFioApjvvnyiBXgSqFEpBvUdicDR4e2AiyQ6O6ITOzaD6Uu6PzKw7m25ubX%2b7BEyW4vmG%2fpQj6AF3Q36MNhVtIQi1nshnh7R3JDh1%2fSEa6%2bpq2wiN5%2fbwDW1Yl8btrz1Kd3PxKGtg%3d%3d)

[Eurodriver]

*DO NOT PUT THIS IN THE BID DESCRIPTION->(Pallets. Lot 2290. 28 pallets leftover from FEMA Hurricane Matthews ISB-RRF. Meals originally expired 10/1/16. FEMA had inspected and extended use by date to Feb 2017.

lol @ bold

[Averageman]

I'm pretty sure they can have MRE's inspected for quality and then issue them anyway.
Had they done so, I wouldn't take issue with eating them myself.

[williejc]

Marines during the Vietnam War were sometimes issued WW2 C rations when everybody else got current rations. So there seems to be some history on the government issuing old items. But, as a former health inspector, I learned that expiration dates have everything to do with taste quality. A few years back, fed rules required that expired baby food not be sold. States followed the fed model. I never learned about any other item requiring disposal because of expired dates.

Avoid can food items with creases or dents and consider swollen cans(from gas)to be bombs with poison(botulism).

[Spurholder]

Marines during the Vietnam War were sometimes issued WW2 C rations when everybody else got current rations. So there seems to be some history on the government issuing old items. But, as a former health inspector, I learned that expiration dates have everything to do with taste quality. A few years back, fed rules required that expired baby food not be sold. States followed the fed model. I never learned about any other item requiring disposal because of expired dates.


Avoid can food items with creases or dents and consider swollen cans(from gas)to be bombs with poison(botulism).

Basic training 1984. We were short one meal, and some supply guy handed one of my buddies an honest to goodness Vietnam era ration in a cardboard box (no smokes inside though). He liked it better than the MRE Omelet.

[Spurholder]

I'm pretty sure they can have MRE's inspected for quality and then issue them anyway.
Had they done so, I wouldn't take issue with eating them myself.

Yep - happens all the time.

[Kain]

Marines during the Vietnam War were sometimes issued WW2 C rations when everybody else got current rations. So there seems to be some history on the government issuing old items. But, as a former health inspector, I learned that expiration dates have everything to do with taste quality. A few years back, fed rules required that expired baby food not be sold. States followed the fed model. I never learned about any other item requiring disposal because of expired dates.

Avoid can food items with creases or dents and consider swollen cans(from gas)to be bombs with poison(botulism).

My old man was in Nam, Navy. He talked about loading frozen steaks on the ship that were dated 1945, before he was born. They ate them just fine.

[Bubba FAL]

As a Boy Scout in the mid 70s, we ate a bunch of surplus C-rations. Many of them were at least Korean War vintage. Didn't kill us, but, yeah, we knew not to mess with swollen or dented cans.

[SeriousStudent]

I did not realize there was such a thing as an unexpired MRE.

[Averageman]

The C-Rations weren't really that bad and for the first ten years likely much better tasting than the MRE's.
Occasionally after the stock of C-Rations were gone and we were getting a steady supply of MRE's a case of old C-Rats would appear. I will never forget a guy setting a can of Beans and Franks on the Abrams exhaust. At 900 degrees they cooked pretty fast, apparently he was a MRE guy and rather surprised when the can exploded covering him in flaming hot Beans and Franks.

I've actually read that as long as the packet wasn't swollen and they had been kept in a climate controlled environment MRE's will last far past their expiration date.

[moonshot]

Not sure if this a pertinent to this thread, but I've been going thru my older Mountain House packets. I've eaten several this past month with "best used by" dates of early 2013.

They were dry when opened, and tasted great. So far, no ill effects.

[T2C]

The C-Rations weren't really that bad and for the first ten years likely much better tasting than the MRE's.
Occasionally after the stock of C-Rations were gone and we were getting a steady supply of MRE's a case of old C-Rats would appear. I will never forget a guy setting a can of Beans and Franks on the Abrams exhaust. At 900 degrees they cooked pretty fast, apparently he was a MRE guy and rather surprised when the can exploded covering him in flaming hot Beans and Franks.

I've actually read that as long as the packet wasn't swollen and they had been kept in a climate controlled environment MRE's will last far past their expiration date.

I would have paid $30 to see that. :haha:

[ST911]

MRE shelf life?
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?45410-MRE-shelf-life


I have a pallet of MREs that had been in Dubai or Qatar for many years, then reimported to the states. They undoubtedly saw high temps there, and freezing temps here. I used some earlier this winter and they were still intact, with taste and food quality consistent with other MREs more recent.

A pallet of bottled water seeing the same time overseas and reimported did not fare as well. It had a very stale taste and was a bit unpleasant, but was found to be safe when samples were tested.

6 years later, that pallet of MREs is now nearly gone and has stayed edible.

[contax_shooter]

Part of me wants to believe jalapeno cheese spread and wheat snack bread will outlast the Chernobyl radiation.

[_Stormin_]

Part of me wants to believe jalapeno cheese spread and wheat snack bread will outlast the Chernobyl radiation.ZERO DOUBT!!

[3 AE]

FYI, Here's a link to a forum that discusses MREs and other military rations from the USA and foreign countries. Pretty interesting to those who are into it. Members there are always taste testing "older" rations. As far as I can tell, no one has gotten seriously ill or have passed on to the next life! I use the First Strike Ration (FSR) menus as a template to put together "Commercial" versions for emergency use. Keep several in the car and at home. Many of the items are available from internet sources and for the most part have a three year shelf life under "normal" conditions.

http://www.mreinfo.com/forums/

[Averageman]

I believe on another site I read about someone testing some expired MRE's that were ten years out of date. Of course if it looked hokey they discarded swollen of damaged packets, none the less more than half of the meal was still palatable. Considering the calorie count, you're still going to have plenty to burn even if you throw 1/3 of it away.

[JC5188]

Marines during the Vietnam War were sometimes issued WW2 C rations when everybody else got current rations. So there seems to be some history on the government issuing old items. But, as a former health inspector, I learned that expiration dates have everything to do with taste quality. A few years back, fed rules required that expired baby food not be sold. States followed the fed model. I never learned about any other item requiring disposal because of expired dates.

Avoid can food items with creases or dents and consider swollen cans(from gas)to be bombs with poison(botulism).

As a former restaurant GM, in a previous life, I can say this is absolutely correct. Dates on food are directly related to food quality.

Food SAFETY is directly related to how it is held (temp) and cooked (time at temp).

And stay away from swollen cans as williejc said.


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