ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2018
EVERSAFE MRES
WHY MRES LAST SO LONG AND HOW TO TAKE CARE OF THEM FOR BEST RESULTS
WHY MRES LAST SO LONG
protein, carbohydrates, and
The original Meals Ready To Eat
fats, plus vitamins and minerals
were designed for use by the US
in sufficient quantities so that
military in times of war. For
no other food would be required,
that reason, they had to contain
even under the most extreme
lots of calories to sustain a
conditions. The meals would have
soldier in the field that might
to taste good, have their own
be carrying up to 80 lbs. of
heat supply, be nearly
gear and walking more than 12
indestructible under harsh
miles per day. There had to be a
conditions, and stay fresh for
full balance of nutrients,Â
as long as a soldier mightÂ
need them to. They also had to
Each MRE Will Contain About
be self-contained with all the
1,200 Calories
necessary utensils to eat them, and have extras included that a
These are not to be considered
soldier might also need on a
diet food, in fact, when a
regular basis like sunscreen,
soldier is out in the field far
water purification tablets, and
from camp, the military will
other items. That was a tall
have them eat two MREs per day
order to fulfill but several US
and then still feed them a
companies submitted bids and won
cooked meal if possible. They
contracts, and the MRE was
are supposed to burn through
born.Â
4,200 calories each day inÂ
total. That would be two MREs
the most common on the
that add up to 2,400 calories
battlefield these days.
and then a cooked meal with another 1,800 calories.
The Shelf Life Of An MRE Can Vary Depending On Conditions
Depending on the particular battle situation, the troops in
This is a very important point
the field might have either a
that everyone interested in
hot breakfast or a hot dinner.
buying MREs needs to learn. The
Since breakfast food is easier
basic Meal Ready To Eat has an
to carry and cook, that is
advertised shelf life of
3 years under normal conditions.
the Middle East have to be
If they're kept at an average of
rotated out quickly since the
50F that shelf life could extend
temperatures there commonly
up to 5 years total, but there
reach over 100F for weeks on
are reasons why you don't want
end. Plus, the warehouse that
to push that limit. Â
the meals could be stored in might even be hotter than the
On the other hand, at 120F it's
outside temperature. The reason
possible that an MRE will only
MREs last so long is that they
last about one month. Many of
are packaged without air in
the meals in battlefields inÂ
tough, thick, multi-layeredÂ
envelopes, and then they are
entire army sick all at once? Of
cooked at high temperature for
course, you're going to have
hours to make sure there are no
people watching over the food
live organisms inside.
supply, keeping it fresh and rotating out the old stock and
However, there are a few reasons
bringing in the new.
why you shouldn't push the limit on the shelf life of a meal. The
If you're buying the meals for
first is, if the time is close,
your own use, whether camping,
what happens if you eat the meal
hunting, or disaster
and get sick? Or if you haveÂ
preparedness, you'll also
want to watch the times and eat
Time/Temp Indicator
the meals before their expiration dates. You can
This was added to most of the
download a shelf-life chart off
products starting about 1997,
of the internet that lists the
mostly as a result of the Gulf
number of months each meal is
war and the high temperatures in
good based on the temperature
the area. The higher the
that it is stored at.
temperature, the faster the indicator changes color in order
Starting In The Late 1990's The
to help the warehouse managers
Cases Are Marked With AÂ
keep better control of theirÂ
stock. There are various
many of them have tested the
different indicators now, and
meals and found that they do
each one has instructions on
last much longer than the
what to look for to know for
specified times. This is, of
sure the MREs haven't been
course, as long as the tough
stored at an extreme temperature
outer package hasn't been torn
and ruined.
or punctured and any swelling would indicate that air had
If you visit any forums where
leaked inside. Even after seven
users of the meals exchange
years, people claim the meals
information, you'll note thatÂ
are still good but they startÂ
to lose their color, and the
track of how long the various
taste isn't quite as appetizing.
meals have been on hand. You can either take the oldest out and
If You're Storing The Meals For
eat them or take them camping,
A Disaster, You Should Rotate
hunting, hiking or on other
Them
adventures for the fun of it.
Start by keeping them in a cool,
As you use several of the older
dry place to get the longest
meals, just restock with newer
life possible. Then, get a chart
packages and keep going. You
that you keep nearby and keep
should also be storing other
foods at the same time, and you
Water is also an important
can get lists of dried foods
addition to any disaster relief
that will last nearly forever if
effort, you can go much longer
kept in a sealed glass jar or
without food than you can
other airtight containers. Some
without water. You should first
of the most popular items are
have plenty of gallons of water
dried beans of nearly all types,
stored, and then you should also
dried rice, oatmeal, many kinds
have an emergency water filter
of freeze dried foods are good
and water purification tablets
for more than 10 years when kept
as well. One thing that you
sealed and dry.
never know is exactly whatÂ
kind of disaster will strike and
specifications and the reviews
what you'll have to do in order
and make an informed decision.
to be saved. You might have to
There are also many previously
hike 30 miles to be rescued, and
deployed MREs for sale on the
you won't be able to carry
internet, you should make sure
enough water for a large group
their reviews are 100% good and
so purification tablets would be
then take the time to inspect
needed along the way.
them thoroughly when they arrive. There is always a small
You'll find new MREs available
chance that they've deployed in
online, so you can read theÂ
a hot environment and keptÂ
in a hotter warehouse, then rotated out and sold to a salvage buyer. If that scares you, you should really buy new all the time, store carefully, and rotate your stock to always have the freshest meals just in case.
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“IN A MAD WORLD, ONLY THE MAD ARE SANE. ” ~AKIRO KUROSAWA