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MRE Shelf Life

Fairlane66Fairlane66 Member Posts: 338 ✭✭
in General Discussion
Does anyone know the shelf life of MREs?  I have several that are probably 15 years old.  The packaging is intact and they've been stored in a cool, dry environment.  There's nothing printed on the packaging about predicted shelf life.  Wondering if they're good for emergency situations or should I pitch them in the trash.
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Comments

  • hillbillehillbille Member Posts: 14,463 ✭✭✭✭
    If its an emergency, a REAL emergency would it matter? you would eat them anyway.........
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  • Horse Plains DrifterHorse Plains Drifter Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 40,253 ***** Forums Admin
    They are freeze dried, and vacuum sealed. As long as the vacuum is intact, I would not hesitate to hang on them for 50 years. I remember as a kid eating 20+ year old WWII C-rats. 
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  • nononsensenononsense Member Posts: 10,928 ✭✭✭✭
    MREs are meant to stand up to extreme weather conditions, but they're not invincible. The cooler the storage condition, the longer they last. The average MRE shelf life lasts five years in 75 degrees F. If kept in cooler conditions, they can last well over 10 years and still be safe to eat. However, you should note that an MRE will only last about a month if stored in 120 degrees F.

    MRE Inspection Expiration Date

    The date on an MREs is the “inspection date” rather than an expiry date. The inspection date is typically three to five years after the meal was packed. It’s used as a reminder for you to check that the meal’s packaging is in sound, that there are no signs that the meal is going off. But, if you are in a rush and all you have to eat is a five year old MRE, then use your sight and sense of smell to make a judgement call about whether it is safe to eat.


    Best.




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  • Rocky RaabRocky Raab Member Posts: 14,510 ✭✭✭✭
    Nononsense is spot on. I'd not trust a 15-yo MRE except in the direst circumstances - which the MRE might make even more dire. Frozen ones have been shown to be safe and edible 20 years after production, but anything less than deep frozen is dicey.
    MREs are NOT freeze dried. They are retort pouched fully cooked and (as the name itself says) Ready to Eat. There are some rations that are freeze dried, but not MREs. For long-term storage, it is MUCH better and safer to go with foods from Mountain House or similar, which ARE freeze dried and have 20+ year shelf life.

    I may be a bit crazy - but I didn't drive myself.
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  • nmyersnmyers Member Posts: 16,892 ✭✭✭✭
    You can reliably expect MRE's that are 5, 10, 15, or even 20 years old to taste the same as when they were new:  like cardboard.  I will die of starvation before I consume another MRE.
    Oh, I enjoy eating C-rats, especially after I secure the can to my engine block to heat it.
    Neal
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  • Rocky RaabRocky Raab Member Posts: 14,510 ✭✭✭✭
    How long ago was your last one, Neal? They truly are better now. Well...a bit better. An occasional one is pretty good. If I had to live on them for a week, that opinion would probably change.
    I may be a bit crazy - but I didn't drive myself.
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  • Sam06Sam06 Member Posts: 21,244 ✭✭✭✭
    It depends on the temp they are stored.  In hot climate certain MRE's would go bad faster.  I remember when I was stationed in Panama the Chicken a la King MRE was almost always bad.  In Iraq and Afghanistan I never had a bad MRE but I suspect we were eating them at a higher rate and they didn't sit around too long.

    This might help
    MRE Shelf Life Chart

    RLTW

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