Why MREs Last So Long And How To Take Care Of Them For Best Results

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