MRE shelf life?

[M4Fundi]

I have MREs (lots of them) from 1999.

Keep'm? Eat'm? or Dump'm?

[Ak44]

I think they are good for 8 years in optimal conditions. I would strip them open and see what is salvageable.

[Outlander Systems]

It's dependent upon storage temperatures.

If I'm not mistaken, 70° is the temperature that the packaged shelf-life is calculated upon.

The higher it goes, the shorter the life, the lower it goes, the longer the life.

[Outlander Systems]

From Jim Rawles' "How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It"

"My old friend who has a survival blog profile under the pseudonym, Mr. Tango, had a round of correspondence with the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center, in Natick, Massachusetts, on the potential storage life of MREs. Like all other storage foods, MREs must be stored at low temperatures to maximize their shelf life. The data that they sent him was surprising. Here is the gist of it.

MRE Storage Life:

120° 1 Month
110° 5 Months
100° 22 Months (1.8 Years)
90° 55 Months (4.6 Years)
80° 76 Moths (6.3 Years)
70° 100 Months (8.3 Years)
60° 130 Months (10.8 Years)

The figures above are based on date of pack, rather than inspection date.

MREs near the end of their shelf life are considered safe to eat if:

1) They are palatable to the taste.
2) They do not show any signs of spoilage (such as swollen pouches).
3) They have been stored at moderate temperatures (70°F and below).

Not enough data has yet been collected on storage below 60°F; however, projections are that the 130-month figure will be extended.

Time and temperature have a cumulative effect. For example, storage at 100°F for 11 months and then moved to 70°F, you would lose 1.2 of the 70°F storage live.

Avoid fluctuating temperatures in and out of freezing level. "

[M4Fundi]

Thanks, thats good info.

Half are stored in MT below 70 degrees & the other half are stored in Malaysia and probably need tossin to the locals. :p

[ST911]

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.

[SPARTAN HOPLITE ARMS]

I imagine it would be a tough time finding some now but, any ideas where one can get a few boxes of new and legit MRE's for a reasonable price?

[Greg509]

Check out mre depot


http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-270/MRE-Military-USGI-Meal/Detail

[TahoeLT]

I've had an MRE go bad, and believe me, you'll know it. I carried it around in my ruck for at least a day, wondering what the weird smell was coming from...finally figured it out when we stopped for chow. It smelled through the packaging--I hadn't even opened the main pouch yet!

The main pouch may have a little pressure to it, but if it's actually poofy there's something spoiled in there.

[JB2000]

When packaged, MREs are "food grade sterile." If the packaging is not compromised they won't make you sick. That doesn't say anything for taste, texture, or nutrition.

[hickuleas]

I started buying MRE's in bulk years ago. I haven't thrown any away. They may have lost some nutritional value but figure i can mix in with newer ones. Store most of mine in a root cellar.

[KS Trekker]

I've had an MRE go bad, and believe me, you'll know it. I carried it around in my ruck for at least a day, wondering what the weird smell was coming from...finally figured it out when we stopped for chow. It smelled through the packaging--I hadn't even opened the main pouch yet!

The main pouch may have a little pressure to it, but if it's actually poofy there's something spoiled in there.

I've had MRE entrees that were either a bad lot or past their expiration puff up. If the bag looks bloated or smells funny, don't chance it, chuck it.

[M4Fundi]

Thanks

[mopar]

I got some from 1992 anyone want them?:)

[citizensoldier16]

I have about 10 cases with a packaged date of 1998. Just opened one up today and ate everything...Boneless pork chop with Jamaican style sauce and noodles. I didn't use the heater and just dunked them in hot water for a while which worked well.

Pork chop: Tasted good actually. No funky tastes or smells. The noodles were slightly soggy, but it didn't affect flavor.
Apples in sauce: not too bad...could be a little sweeter.
Vegetable crackers: still like I remember them. They always tasted stale.
Cheese sauce: not bad...still tasted like cheeze-whiz. I ate about half of it.
Pound cake: yellow, not discolored at all. Kinda stuck to the roof of my mouth, but it was okay.
Cherry drink: hard to screw up red sugar. It mixed just fine and was pretty good.
Instant coffee: Throw it at locals, or put a pinch between your gums for a quick wake-up fix.
Tabasco: appeared brown instead of red...haven't tried it yet.

All in all, it was a good meal. Plenty of calories and I actually felt full at the end. I think I'll keep them around and would have no problem eating them if necessary.

[znztivguy]

might still have some from 1999 but am afraid to even try to eat them. Plus the salt content must be really high. Don't know if I should give them away or not lol

[tommy5.56]

I just got 3 pallets of the Sure-Pak 12 with 2006 code. Anybody want some? :-D

[ForTehNguyen]

for old stuff I would watch the foods containing dairy products and the protein drinks might have lost nutritional value