Last Updated on September 13, 2020 by
Today’s food item always has a lot of questions surrounding it and I am going to attempt to help you understand the good, the bad, and the ugly of the infamous MRE.
When I first learned about this food that is a staple to the different branches of the military, I did all I could to find out as much as I could about this mystery food. So if you’re looking to buy a case of MREs, then you’ve come to the right place.
Today I will answer several questions and will also do a review on the different meals-ready-to-eat (MREs) on the market. I personally did some taste testing on some of these MREs, so you will also get the chance to review that short video as well.
So with that said, let’s go ahead and find the best MREs on the market today and learn a little bit more about them.
What Is An MRE?
So, what is an MRE? The MRE (Meal, Ready to Eat) is a completely self-contained complete meal. One MRE is one complete meal. The packaging of an MRE has a rugged design and is made to withstand rough conditions and exposure to the elements.
Inside every MRE bag are a single entree and a variety of other food and drink items. MREs come packaged in cases with 12 MREs per case. There are currently 24 different “menus” or varieties of MREs. Menus 1-12 are packaged in a case designated Case A and menus 13-24 are packaged in Case B.
Not only are MREs designed to provide maximum calories and nutrition to keep soldiers strong, but they were also designed to bring back the comforts of a home-cooked meal.
Meal flavors such as mac and cheese and pasta with marina sauce are designed to emotionally remind the soldiers of home and bring them a sense of comfort when out in the field. This is just as important as anything when designing the MRE.
What's In An MRE Kit?
There are some changes that take place every year within the military issued MREs, but in general, you can find the following items in an MRE pouch:
- Entree – the main course, such as spaghetti or beef stew
- Side dish – rice, corn, fruit, or mashed potatoes, etc.
- Cracker or bread
- Spread – peanut butter, jelly, or cheese spread
- Dessert – cookies or pound cakes
- Candy – M&Ms, Skittles, or Tootsie Rolls
- Beverages – Gatorade-like mixes, cocoa, dairy shakes, coffee, tea
- Hot sauce or seasoning – in some MREs
- Flameless Ration Heater – to heat the entree
- Accessories – spoon, matches, creamer, sugar, salt, chewing gum, toilet paper, etc.
Brief History Of The MRE
It’s amazing how much the MRE (meals-ready-to-eat) have changed in the past 50 years. There are two types of Meals-Ready-To-Eat or “field rations” that are available today – Civilian MREs and Military MREs. The difference is in the manufacturers that produce them and the rules behind distribution.
History of civilian MREs
Civilian MREs were only produced by two companies – Sopacko and Warnick- before the year 2000. But when the Y2K scare hit, the public started demanding more and more of these emergency food supplies.
Because of this demand, several “homemade” private sellers started putting some of these MREs together and selling them to the public. Essentially these private sellers were taking pieces of the Civilian MREs and putting them together as “complete” meal kits.
But once everything settled down a bit, and the public realized the world wasn’t going to end, the MRE market took a tumble. Sopacko’s “M-Packed” brand line and Wornick’s “Mil-Spec” brand essentially left the market. But Sopacko had one line of Civilian MREs that remained – the “Sure Pak-12”.
The “Sure-Pak-12” was the last brand left on the market up until 2005, when natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina hit, and the demand for MREs was back to its highest levels.
At that point, Ameriqual, Sopacko, and Wornick started producing Civilian MREs that are still available today. Below you will find a list of the Civilian MRE manufacturers:
- Ameriqual (APack)
- Coyote Camp Fireline Chow
- Meal Kit Supply MREs
- MREstar MREs
- Sopacko Sure-Pack MREs
- Wornick Eversafe MREs
History of Military MREs
The MRE was picked up as the Department of Defense combat ration in 1975. A mass-scale production test began in 1978 with delivery in 1981. MRE I (1981) was the first date of pack.
There were several field tests that took place to see how it would serve the soldiers out in the field in terms of nutrients and flavor. The first tests started back in 1983 where the soldiers at that time ate the MREs for 34 days straight.
Another test was done in 1986, and this time there was an increase in the consumption and calories of the MRE. Based on these tests, a large number of changes were made to MREs starting with the 1988 MREs.
Nine of the 12 entrees were replaced with new ones and the entree size was changed from 5oz. to 8oz. Commercial candies were added to 4 menus, hot sauce was added to 4 menus, and cold beverage bases were added to all 12 menus.
Several changes were made in ’94 and ’96 and they continue to change to this day. You can read more about the history of the meal changes here.
Founded in 1987, AmeriQual, headquartered in Evansville, In., is the largest provider of Meals, Ready-to-Eat to the U.S. military today.
Best MREs To Buy
In this section below you can find some of the best MREs to buy. They will vary by manufacturer, packaged date, size, and flavors. When it comes to food, a lot of the items are subjective depending on your own taste preferences.
Best Civilian MREs
In today’s time, you can buy Civilian MREs from almost anywhere including Amazon. Below is a list of the best Civilian MREs that on the market.
MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat) Genuine U.S. Military Surplus Assorted Flavor (4-Pack)
- Long shelf life when stored per manufacturer’s directions. 2016 or newer Inspection Date.
- Genuine US War Fighter Rations are the ultimate survivalist, Prepper & outdoor enthusiast Meal.
Western Frontier MRE 2019 Inspection Date Case, 12 Meals with 2019 Inspection Date, 2016 Pack Date
- Menu A or Menu B will be Selected at Random by Amazon. Meals include a variety of Asian, Mexican, Italian, traditional, and vegetarian cuisine.
- Includes a large assortment of snacks, deserts, coffee, cappuccino, milk shakes, and beverage base powders.
Captain Dave's 12 Military MRE Entrees,Meals Ready to Eat, MREs Case
- Entrees only — NOT COMPLETE MEALS
- Menu selection varies, but includes at least six different main dishes
- Includes a selection of chicken and beef dishes
- Each entree weighs approximately 8 ounces
- Fresh, recent production
MRE (Meals Ready-to-Eat Box A, Genuine U.S. Military Surplus, Menus 1-12 by Rothco
- Genuine US War Fighter Rations – 12 different Meals per Case.
- Ideal for hunting, camping, hiking, fishing, boating, and emergency food supply.
- Includes flameless ration heaters for a hot meal anywhere you go. Long, Stable Shelf Life.
XMRE (Meals Ready to Eat) 2019 Pack Date - 2024 Best By Date - Single Menu (Pepperoni Pizza)
- Fully Cooked – No need to add water
- Not Freeze Dried – Moisture, gravy and sauces are retained in their natural form
- Ready-to-Eat – Ready right from the pouch
- Home-Style Taste – Military Grade Food Ration – Made in the USA
- Long Shelf Life – 5 Years from the pack date – 2019 Pack Dates ***Components may vary based on availability at the time of production***
Are MREs Nutritious?
Each MRE provides an average of 1,250 calories (13% protein, 36% fat, and 51% carbohydrates) and 1/3 of the Military Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamins and minerals. A full day’s worth of meals would consist of three MREs.
Soldiers can choose from up to 24 entrees, and more than an additional 150 items in the MRE chain. The above photo shows the entire entree ingredients and nutrient value. But remember, the MRE kit also includes a side dish, candy, drink mix and a few other items.
Can You Freeze MREs?
If you want to freeze the MREs you have purchased you can do that, but it’s not recommended. The MREs are already designed to last 3-5 years packaged as they are and have been known to last much longer.
When it comes to freezing the big concern is that the packaging may become more brittle and easier to puncture. As mentioned above, most manufacturers will give you an official shelf-life of five years, but it is highly dependent on the temperature you store the MREs.
Freezing an MRE pouch does not destroy the food inside, but repeated freezing increases the chance that the stretching and stressing of the pouch will cause a break on a layer of the laminated pouch. These pouches are made to withstand 1,000 flexes, but repetitive freezing does increase the failure rate by a small fraction of a percent.
If you can refrain from freezing altogether, please do!
How Long Do MREs Last?
When it comes to how long MREs last, there is the “official” answer and then there is the “real-life experience” answer.
Officially, MREs are said to last anywhere between 3-5 years. But many MREs have been eaten after 10 to 15 years and tasted just fine.
When it comes to how long an lasts, MREs are a little different and don’t have an expiration date listed on the case, but rather they have an “inspection” date instead. Temperature will also play a large role in how long an MRE will last. The best temperature to store them at is around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This will ensure that they last up to 5 years.
Another important component of shelf-life is the Time-Temperature Indicator (TTI). It consists of an outer dark circle and an inner light circle. The TTI was designed to help the inspectors determine whether or not the MREs were still good. If the inner circle is lighter than the darker circle, the MRE is still good.
MRE Inspection Date Codes
There are a few ways to find out how old a case, or even a single MRE packet, is. If you are buying a case, you will notice a packed date and an inspection date directly on the outside of the case. The inspection date on the MRE case is typically around three years after the packaged date.
Inspection Dates On Individual MRE items
Almost every item that goes into an MRE packet has an inspection code date on it in the form of “1101”. When you open your MRE pouch, you should be able to determine when each individual item was packaged.
“1048” – The first number “1” signifies the year. In this case, 2001. Then the 048 refers to the day of the year it was packaged. Therefore, this item was packed on the 48th day out of the 365 days in a single year.
“1101” – This item in the MRE kit was packaged on the 101th day of in 2001.
The reason it’s important to know these dates is because you won’t be able to tell when the individual MRE was packaged because they don’t stamp the outside of the entire pouch. Therefore, you have to open the meal kit and inspect each individual item to determine the packaged date.
Can You Eat MREs Every Day?
The military and the entire United States Department of Defense recommends eating MREs, no more than a few days in a row. If you are insisting on testing this out, they highly recommend never eating MREs for more than 21 days in a row.
To make sure these numbers are correct, the Defense Department constantly does studies on the stamina of the human body against the unthinkable case of the 21-day MRE diet. I wouldn’t want to be the person who volunteers for this study because MREs can wreak havoc on your digestive system as we will look at below.
What Can Happen To Your Digestive System?
If you’ve been wondering what can happen if you eat too many MREs, let’s just say it’s not a good idea and can cause very serious illness. Some of these illnesses include Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Celiac’s Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and Cancer, to name just a few.
On top of this, you may have heard that MREs cause constipation too. You can read an article that documented a civilian that ate nothing but MREs for 21 days. It was an awful experience, to say the least, and the person who volunteered for the test was sure happy when it was over.
Now that you know what you’re dealing with, make sure that you use MREs only as a supplement to your long-term food preparations. You should also have on hand some emergency ration bars as well as survival food kits so that you can rotate these types of food throughout the emergency situation.
When Are MREs not safe to eat?
The first thing to understand is that if your MRE is bloated and smells rancid then it has expired and it can’t be eaten. If you have an MRE that’s 20-30 years old, it may or may not be safe to eat. You have to take that risk on your own terms.
The worst thing you can do is eat MREs more than you should. That’s when it gets dangerous. So please limit your consumption to MREs.
Final Thoughts
MREs are a wonderful addition to your food preparation. If they are good enough for the military, they are good enough for the prepping community! Just make sure you know that you shouldn’t eat them for more than a few days in a row.
Store them in a cool dry place and your MREs should last you for 5 years and beyond.