10 reasons not to eat MREs
During the middle of the 20th century, the U.S. and other countries’ militaries began testing and developing small, self-contained meals that eventually became known as Meals Ready to Eat (MREs). Their advantages were that they could be eaten by soldiers “on the run” either cold or heated up, and had a relatively long shelf life. MREs remained a military-only product for quite a few years, but after Hurricane Katrina, a number of the companies that produced them started making them for civilian consumption as well.
MREs typically contain an entrée, side dish, cracker or bread, spread, dessert, candy, beverage, hot sauce or seasoning, a flameless ration heater, utensils and accessories. In order to maintain a shelf life of about six years, it was necessary to include a number of preservatives and additives. Nobody went around bragging about how good they tasted, but they were accepted for what they were – an alternative when fresh food was not available.
More recently, some people have discussed the viability of MREs as a survival food.
Check out the link below about MREs. The author provides us with some history on this product, and while giving us some of the downsides, paints an overall pretty picture of MREs.
http://broadmindedsurv.blogspot.com/2012/09/mres.html
I didn’t want to come right out and give you my opinion on MREs before you read the article because I didn’t want to influence you. But now I will. Simply put, MREs are a great choice for survivalists who DON’T want to survive. For anyone interested in vomiting and being constipated and generally unhealthy, they are an excellent option.
Following are my 10 reasons not to eat MREs:
- They are expensive. Per meal they are over $4 each and if you figure in shipping it’s even more.
- They don’t taste good.
- Their shelf life is shorter than freeze-dried and dehydrated food.
- They are heavy. Freeze-dried and dehydrated foods are lighter.
- They are bulky. Freeze-dried and dehydrated food is more compact.
- They are low in fiber. This is what leads to constipation by those who consume them.
- They are high in fat. This might be the best thing you can say about them, as everyone needs some fat.
- They are low on water, another thing that causes constipation.
- They have a high sodium content, which is unhealthy and results in thirst.
- They can be damaged by freezing, unlike freeze-dried and dehydrated foods.
I’d like to hear from you regarding any experiences you’ve had with MREs, either when you served in the military or as a civilian. How do you feel about them as a survival menu option?
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MRE’s should not be our only food stash. Their advantage is they are ready to eat. In a bug out situation they might be the difference between survival and the opposite. But for long term large scale disaster situation food supply, they are completely inadequate. They should be supplemental item, available for the appropriate contingencies. Just like in the military. They don’t serve MRE’s in the Pentagon cafeteria, do they?
Reading this AS I’m eating chili mac. Lol
After Hurricane Andrew, I went to Homestead FL as a Red Cross volunteer to assist with setting up communications. I organized food deliveries for the public. The Armory commander donated rain-soaked MREs to us to deliver to the public. For weeks after, cases of MREs were given back to us to give out again. Volunteers lived for weeks on those MREs. I found some a few decades later and they were still viable. Not my first choice now but they worked.
March 2016: I just found some MREs in my attic that I bought in 2002. Who knows how old they were then. I just ate an entire package, along with the drink and it was fine. Chicken Tetrazzini, beans, pound cake, grape jelly, a chocolate “energy” bar, and Apple Cider. I’m not sick and I’m not dead and if I was hungry, I’m sure it would have tasted much better still.
With the exception of the crackers, everything tasted great, and these are well over 14 years old. I’m sure the crackers didn’t taste very good when they were new.
MRE’S are not a peppers friend. The ideal food to stockpile is something with a minimum of 20 yr shelf life and there are several companies out there that do it. Two other very important items to stock pile are ammo and alcohol (i.e. Whisky, gin etc.) Ammo can be traded like money and is essentially needed to survive by keeping you and your family safe while keeping all your rations safe as well. Alcohol is essential as well as it can be used as an antiseptic, traded like currency, used to help get fired going and when all is lost go ahead and drink it.
When I first went into the military ( USAF and later USAR ) we had the old C-Rats. They were in tins and had to be opened with the P-38 opener that were issued along with the C-rats. The C-rats were terrible, probably because some of the rations we ate were manufactured during WWII ! I knew then that government rations were contracted out to the lowest bidder. MRE’s are no excption. I understand the premise by which they are justifably used. For long term survival? No way. I was taught foraging and game preparation during old school military courses and I belonged to the 1/20th SFG ( abn). The freeze dried foods I have used in backpacking the A.T. were delicious and tey were compact. My expert military opinion? If you need straight up calories for combat ops, ( short term) MRE’s are fine. For long term, get rid of them. They are more problems than they are helpful…and yes, before you say it, they beat starvation…but that’s not the point is it?
MREs are my main survival food. Yes, they’re high fat and low fiber but they’ll give you the nutrients and energy you need to survive. And they have quite a variety of entrees. I wouldn’t want to live on them for the rest of my life, but I could easily endure them for a month or two in a survival situation. I’m fortunate to live near a large Army post so I can often find two year old ones for $3 each, or less. They can also be purchased in military commissaries, but the price has risen to over $7 per meal.
Unless you are military..then you can “aquire” them. (;
I have no personal experience with MREs but from all I have read about them and other survival foods I think they along with home preserved (canned) foods and home and commercially prepared dehydrated foods all have a place in survival preparations.
WHERES THE BEST PLASE TO SHOP FOR THE FREEZE DRYED AND WHICH MRE,S ARE CHOICE?
THANKX IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP- SRF
Food for patriots.com, taste great.
Twenty five year SL. Great packagong. U won’t be disappointed!
A few years ago, I went with several other guys (and girls) to a small island in the western Pacific, to participate in a “Ham Radio” DX-pedition (Banaba Island).
We took an old rust bucket ship from Tarawa, out and back to the island. 4 days transit total and 2 weeks on the island. We got by mostly on MREs for the boat trip and our stay on the island. Most were very good. Some were European MREs and some were US, with the heaters. We were supplemented somewhat by some native veggies & fish, but mostly the MREs. I found them quite tasty & satisfying and stockpile some, nowadays, in our survival stash. Those Mountain Home “Chili Macs” from Walmart, are hard to beat. Of course, I could always order Frank’s (slyly recommended) super, freeze dried, survival packs, right Frank?
Subtlety isn’t really my strong suit, is it?
Frank, I have two son’s in the military. They are both in the marines and shared with me their experience with mre’s. The marine’s are burning a lot of calories in the field so, the mre’s are lodded with mega calories! Also, they taste terrible! But, the poor guys in the field are hungry enough to eat a horse so…they chow them down without complaint!
My hunting partner and I had to rely on MRE’s a number of years ago when we packed in for a sheep hunt. When we took off from the trailhead we forgot to pack our other food (it was in the cooler) in our backpacks. Fortunately I had thrown in several MRE’s into my pack as an afterthought. Were they good? not really. But along with some fish we caught they sustained us for a week in Colorado’s high country. Would I stockpile them for use when the SHTF? No, for all the reasons listed above. But in a pinch they can keep you going. Avoid the peanut butter; that will tie your guts up like Super Glue.
MRE’s aren’t gourmet food. Some taste better than others, but there’s a LOT of food in each one. Also if you look enough you can find great deals on them. (I currently pay roughly $40/case!) That said, freeze dried is better, but expensive. It’s lighter, and generally taste better. They hype about shelf life is sketchy at best when it comes about MRE shelf life. I’ve had old ones that taste just as fresh as current year stuff. I’ve yet to get one that is bad, and chances won’t ever. MREs are high in calories. They’re made this way for soldiers who need the calories and are burning them. If you’re at home on the couch this isn’t the best food for you and your family. Research your options and variety is the key.
Agreed, it supposed to be use for preparedness and emergency situations. I did try this company http://www.xmremeals.com and I can say taste just fine, actually they offer real military grade mres available to civilians
I enjoyed my MREs in the service and enjoy them at various times now as a civilian. I spent 3 years riding a bicycle around North America, and relied heavily on my supply of MREs. Never had a bad meal from my MREs
I liked the C rations. The ” John Wayne” bars were yummie. MRE meals were ok. LURPS were ok too.
I lived through the transition from C Rations to MREs and still think the C Rations were better. The original menus for MREs were much better than now. I ate C-rats in 69’ that were packaged in the late 40’s (Cheyenne mountain stock rotation I’m sure) and you could smell/taste the preservatives in the bread (cup cakes/muffins), but every thing else was pretty good. When the MREs came out in the early 80’s, they had a longer shelf life than now. In 06’ we took a group of Boy Scouts on a river trip and I fed them MREs that were packed in 90’. I would not trust them that old today. The three advantages to MREs are size, weight, and noise over C-rats (plus no can opener needed). MREs are not designed to be gourmet meals or for long-term survival. They are designed to give you the nourishment needed for an active body on a daily basis short term. I keep a couple of cases on hand for quick “get-up-go” situation and take some with me when in the woods or just on the road. They are great for what they were intended for.
My take on MRE’s, is that yea, some of them don’t taste very good, some do taste good, but when I go out on survival training with my family. They eat MRE’s along with me. Yea, MRE’s are not designed to keep you in a balanced diet, They are designed for a quick meal. If you do any survival training, you want to get as much natural food as you can, birds, snakes, grasshoppers, scorpions, cactus, plants, berries etc. I hike the chocolate mountains in the dessert in cal. I find all kinds of living things to eat. But i do prefer freeze dried. I know how to purify water if I need it. always carry a metal container for water. You need to know the area you’re in. My family also likes freeze dried, but in survival everything is on the menu.
in the marine corp, we had ‘c’ rats. for use in the field.
when you are hungry almost nything that you can get past your nose [that is the criteria for survival] if you get it past your nose it will not kill you. i have had MRE’s but not in the field, as an experiment at home. i have 2 of them in my truck , for br3ak down emerge4ncies. i did not like the texture but due to no food in house i ate it anyway
but cayenne pepper can make anything better. not my choice for long term nutrition. once in USMC i killed a sheep that was roaming around for my company, caught hell from LT. but we had one good meal in 27 days. i am sticking with freeze dried of dehydrated foods for my long term. hope it doesn’t happen but politics being what they are i don’t hold out much hope for our futures.
Been living on my families emergency supply of MREs somewhere around 7 or 8 months a year in aggregate,since July 31st 2006. With the occasional restaurant meal , as well as some freeze dried or dehydrated meals tossed in when available.
Although i realize as Americans we have a God given constitutionally protected right to bitch; i think some of you guys must still be living with mom, cuz you are some serious picky eaters.
Of course i have to admit, in 65 years i have never had a bad meal. Some i liked more than others but as long as i can wipe away the peanut butter(disgusting) and onions (give my left eye a migraine); i am good to go.
I think you are trying to push your own dried food items a little to much here. MRE’s have their place and are fine. Add other types of food storage items as well for long term but some of your statements made about MRE’s are just wrong.
Hormel makes MRE’s that are good tasting. I keep two in the glovebox during the winter in case of a snow emergency when you might be stuck on the road.
I served in the Army from 1970-78 in a variety of places as an Infantry man and a paratrooper. We would be out in the sticks for 4 to 5 months at a time and while MRE’s had not been made yet I did eat a lot of C-rats and LRRP-rats and I actually liked them. We were supposed to have a hot meal once a day but we were lucky if we got a hot meal once a week, but here I am forty years later and still alive. I guess it is like they say, What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.
i live in the desert ,so water is scarce. freeze dried needs water. mre’s don’t,except for the heaters that can use urtne to activate. the extra,s pouch in the mre,s has matches,coffee,sugar,TP,seasonings ,candy etc,these bags can be traded or given away.the strong outer bags can be used to boil water etc. you can store mre,s in lots of places till needed.hot sauce helps some times.i have over 20 cases stored for my family,and i rotate with new as needed.
During my 23 plus years of service in the U.S. Army I had plenty of experience with both C-Rats and MRE’s. In both cases some were good and some were bad. Back when I was a smoker I liked C-Rats more as they came with free cigarettes. My favorite MRE was, I believe, the Pork Patty. It’s been a long time since I’ve had any that I’m not sure what it was called. I can’t remember ever reconstituting MRE’s with hot water, I always ate them right out of the package. I never got sick from eating either type.
I worked for the SBA/ODA and, after Katrine, I was instructed to take a room in a hotel within the cordon. Restaurants were still closed and there was no safe water. My friends and I went to a store outside the cordon, to stock up on whatever food we could find that required no preparation, no cold storage, and no can openers. I found Vienna sausages and some odd cookies. Then someone offered us a couple of MRE’s. After three days of cookies and sausages, those MRE’s were delicious. Later, in a FEMA shelter (during Rita) we had a few more. The breakfasts were pretty bad, but some of the dinners were ok. Wouldn’t want to make these a staple long-term but, as an alternative to the really bad $12-hamburger served in the FEMA cafe, they were fine.
Back in 67-68 they were C-Rations and came in cans. Different animal than MRE’s. I’ve eaten “C-Rats”, 1st generation MRE’s and the later, “Improved Version” MRE’s. I even had some LRRP- Rations while in Vietnam. The LRRP-Rats were an early version of dehydrated food and designed for limited use by Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol personnel who had to travel light. To me, they were more a novelty than something I would care to eat over a long period of time.
My pick out of all of them would be the old tried and true C-Rats. They were heavy and bulky, thus the MRE’s were designed to replace them as they are lighter. I think the C-Rats had a longer shelf life because they were in cans…the MRE’s are wrapped in plastic and I suspect that eventually, the petroleum-based plastic will seep some nasty chemical into the food. The second generation MRE’s ARE an improvement over the earlier MRE’s in terms of taste and texture, but some of the selections still elicit the old gag-reflex.
I guess your preference would depend on your situation: If you have to be on the move, travel light, go with the high-calorie MRE’s. If you can remain in place, freeze-dried or goodies from your own garden.
A note here about gardens: I have purchased several livestock watering tubs. They can be purchased at feed stores. They come in heavy plastic and metal versions and various sizes and shapes. The metal ones are more expensive. I have places them in convenient spots around my back yard, drilled a few holes in the bottoms (to allow water to naturally drain), placed them up on cinder blocks (to keep critters out) and hooked them up to my drip system. This works well for me as I do not have a large backyard area for a conventional garden. The result is an array of various sized, large, “flower pots” that at certain times of the year are actually pleasantly attractive plants. You’ve gotta admit that fresh veggies trumps stuff in a plastic bag.
While in Nam (67-68) in the DMZ we had to relie on mre’s many days at a time. We all were shocked at the dates on them, many as far back as 1944. Even though they were not that good, they also was not that bad. The one with ham and fruit cocktail to me were my pick. They are what they are, a means to survival. Have to admit, have not eaten one since 1968.
You have been spotted. They didn’t have MRE’s during Vietnam, let alone going back to 19944. C-Rats were used during Vietnam ere.
About 12 years ago I bought MRE’s as a survival food. They sat in my cool dark basement about a year, box said shelf life of 12-15 yrs. Packed up my twin daughters and their 2 friends and went up to a rustic cabin in the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan. It was our treat to boil Union River water, drop in the MRE’s and chow down. We didn’t find them bad tasting, or influencing our body systems, and it was fun to open them up to see what it was we were eating as they weren’t labeled. It makes me wonder why we enjoyed it so much and read so much negativity here.
That’s my experience.
Meals Rejected by Ethiopians MREs
tried them all, wise foods taste like glue, often repackaged under different names.
only food that taste great: Mountain House, try a sample!
http://www.mountainhouse.com/
Funny how tastes very from one person to the next. I have been traveling an average of 50 weeks a year since my wife died in 2010, mostly on a bicycle, or hiking, but mostly wilderness areas.. But even in my van i have been eating my very old supply of MREs and some of the various dehydrated or freeze dried offerings. I prefer the MREs because they are packaged more conveniently. I can open one package and have a full three course meal without worrying about the rest being exposed and going bad. And they taste at least as good as Mountain house; which are my second choice because of availability.
I’ve eaten C rations and MRE’s and all I ever thought about was I was hungry. However when they taste like crap I just remembered it was the low bidder that made it. Freeze dried is the way to go and forage for edible plants.
While in Southeast Asia in 1970 in the field we had some c-rations air dropped
to us which we’re from the Korean War dated 1952. Canned pound cake was
dried out but otherwise were ok and we ate them. You’ll be amazed what you’ll
eat after three days without food!
Being a cook for 18 yrs in the Army I can tell you that the one MRE to stay away from is the Tuna Noodle Casserole. We sometimes opened at random different meals to make sure they were fit to eat. The Tuna package was bulging and before I could stop the specialist, He opened it and it blew up all over us. Not a smell you want to take home to the wife
MREs, and before that C Rations, were not designed to sustain troops indefinitely. While the services (I was in the USMC) treated packaged field rations as “food” the fact remains that they are for short term use in training or combat and that use of MREs is supposed to be broken up by use of prepared meals, although I can count on one hand the number of times that happened. The MRE is a high calorie, high fat, meal for purposes of providing energy NOT a balanced diet. MREs are biased towards carbohydrates. Strangely, they print “nutritional information” on them like items in the supermarket, as if anyone in the field cares about that. We always supplemented C rations (which at least had canned fruit) and later MREs with with other items to keep the digestive tract happy. Otherwise severe constipation was the result. Different people react to MREs in different ways; differences in gut bacteria and body chemistry, etc. The bottom line is nothing substitutes for fresh fruit and vegetables and your plan needs to include a source for these. You also need to try out whatever ration/food source you plan to depend on to ensure your system can tolerate it.
I spent 3 days backpacking in Joshua Tree with only MRE’s, and everything on your list is right on except I was sick and had the runs so bad, I had to go home early. The weight and the weight of extra water because the make your mouth dry and more thirsty. They were surprisingly good as far as taste/
As a soldier I lived on MREs several times in the last 25 years. Some tasted better than others, hot or cold. I agree they are heavy. Constipation is not a problem when you are exercising as much as a soldier. Water was never a problem. In desert storm we had 3-5 quart bottles per soldier per day. For the first 6-8 days I think they are great. We would open the bags and remove excess weight.
I agree with you. My BOB contains a large jar of peanut butter as a primary food source. It does weigh 2.5 lb, BUT it is over 5600 calories, contains fat, carbs, protien, and fiber, & enough salt to maintain electrolyte balance.. Requires neither heating or refrigeration, can eat on the run, Unbreakable plastic container fits nicely in a 32oz Nalgene bottle holder for easy access. Shelf life over a year, so easy to rotate. Also works well as bait for traps.
I also keep dehydrated soups/stews for those times when you have the luxury of building a fire and cooking a meal. And dehydrated apples which provide sugar for energy and soluble fiber (pectin). Also a good “eat-on-th-run” source of nutrition.
As you point out, MRE’s are OK to keep you alive and functioning if you are pinned down in a foxhole, but they are expensive, bulky, don’t taste good, and are something less than healthy. I can see where they make sense for the military which is tasked with providing nutrition to thousands of troops scattered over large geographic regions. And they are certainly better than having nothing to eat at all. But there are better alternatives for the kind of survival situations we are likely to face in the event of natural or man-made disasters. Just my opinion.
20 years in the Army with plenty of time in the field and at war. MRE’s are good when needed, but wouldn’t rely on them when I don’t have to. Brought my own spices to add.
They are better for active people not people sitting around. Then there are the ones that some don’t like, so they sit and don’t get eaten. Have also seen only a few things eaten out of them and the rest thrown away. Am prepared for a survival but am not using MRE’s.
I guess MRE”‘s had mnot been invnented in the mid-1960’s,when I flew with the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam. But we had plenty of WW 2 c-rats, packed in tin camns in those square brown boxes, complete with tiny can openers. My favorite was the spaghetti meal, but you usually did’nt get a choice. The fruit was always delicious, and even the bread tasted fresh despite 20-some years sealed in a can. From what I’ve read about MRE’s, we had it good back then.
Wayune
I think you’re incorret. They were available to civilians long before Katrina. My husband served 23 years in the military. MRE’s are an excellent choice. Not as good as fresh, but can sustain a person for years. Some of them do taste good.
HAVING SPENT 12 YEARS IN THE INFANTRY IN THE 80’S & 90’S I HAVE CONSUMED QUITE A FEW MREs. BEING IN THE RAPID DEPLOYMENT FORCE FOR 4 OF THOSE YEARS, AND BEING IN THE FIELD FOR 200 DAYS PER YEAR AVERAGE. WE LIVED ON NOTHING BUT MREs FOR UP TO 45 DAYS AT A TIME. THE 1ST GENERATION WERE NOT
THAT GOOD TASTE WISE, BUT THEY HAVE IMPROVED. THEY ARE GOOD FOR WHAT THEY ARE INTENDED FOR. MOST OF THE TIME WE ATE THEM COLD. MANY TIMES AT NIGHT, IN PITCH BLACK CONDITIONS, YOU DID NOT KNOW WHAT YOU HAD OPENED UNTIL YOU WERE EATING IT. THIS LEAD TO MRE BEING CALLED “MYSTERIES” IN THE ARMY THEN. I AM LIVING PROOF THAT THEY WILL NOT KILL YOU. MANY TIMES WE ATE THESE ON THE MOVE. OPEN ONE POUCH AT A TIME, EAT IT, OPEN THE NEXT ITEM.
SINCE WHEN IS BEING IN THE MILITARY SUPPOSED TO BE A STAY AT CLUB MED?
YOU EAT TO SURVIVE AND CONTINUE THE MISSION. AUGMENT THE MRE WITH ADDED
SPICES, MINUTE RICE, RAMEN NOODLES, WHATEVER DOES NOT TAKE UP MUCH SPACE AND DOESN’T WEIGH A TON. LEARN TO LIVE IN NOTHING BUT A RUCKSACK FOR
TWO MONTHS AND YOU WILL FIGURE IT OUT.
I had two mres served by the Army National Guard in 2002. They were quick,got hot,and tasted fine. They were like any other canned food. I don’t know nutrition value but I was full and my energy level was good. i didn’t require any extra water. i don’tknow if prolong use would cause problems. They were diffently better than the c and k rations I had in the Navy.
Hi Frank,
I have been getting your emails and your onfo for sa few months now, and I have to say there are alot of good stuff, excellent!
MRE’s when you are hungry you will eat almost anything… I have had no problems with them and I like them…
frezedrid food requres whater that is potable and heat mre rip it open and eat
wen did you fall and what did you hit youre head on must have ben hard
My personal experience with MREs is limited. A number of years ago, I saw some entrees on the shelves of an overstock store where I shop. I picked up several of the varieties that sounded more appealing to bring on a camping trip. The bottom line is that they are not something I would choose to eat. I would much rather can and dry my own food, and stock up on grocery store items. However, when facing the real possibility of starvation, calories are what count, more than nutrition or taste, so yes, I would eat MREs. They may make you sick, but sick is better than dead.
When I was in the military we had started of with k-rats / c-rats. I was happy when we got the MRE. The first one’s weren’t that great. But the 2nd set were a lot better. There were other items in them to help improve the taste. Like tobasco, gum didn’t seam to stay freash to long. But their was TP in the bag also, some through it was napkins. But they are for emergencey use if you don’t have any thing else. And there is a heating device in the package to make it hot. You just have to remember, you still need water. So you make the choise of haveing it hot or outside temperture, what ever that could be.
I have some MRE’s I would keep in my vehicle’s. If I were ever to break down. Which has happen in the past. Its nice to have something to eat. Because, I am a diabetic and when suger level gets low. I need to eat asap.
I ordered some samples from a major vendor, but when they got here, there were so many chemicals in them that I set them aside and started to dehydrate my own and store it and buy the freeze dried single ingredient items instead. I have control over the produce, I use commercial grade vacuum sealers and O2 absorbers. It isn’t perfect, and isn’t as easy as writing a check, but it sure makes cooking all year easier when you get used to using the ingredients in your cooking.
I was in Iraq for two years from 2004 – 2006. I ate MRE’s along with everyone else. They were a novelty for about 5 minutes. Then, I would have preferred to have eaten tree bark if there were trees available.
On one R&R, I brought an MRE to my parents who survived the Great Depression and ate sawdust and lard. (Talk about wanting to jump off of a bridge!) Anyway, they thought the MRE tasted like shit. First thing out of their mouths was a comment about the saltiness. I think they would have preferred the sawdust.
JMJ
my understanding is survival packs advertised as 25 yr shelf life-
also some survival are orgaic
? ? ?
In Iraq I ate quite a few mre’s. From experience they can make you sick after eating them for extended periods when they are the only food source. In Iraq, it was preferred to eat local tribal food from trusted sources. Although you took your chances and it being frowned upon, it was a break from mre monotony.
It was never intended that MRE’s be eaten forever or for extended periods. Plus they will not last long in hot direct sun environments. They should be heated using the heating pouches/bags whenever possible. The heaters come shipped with the mre pouches in the shipping box. There is one heater for every mre pouch and you can order the heaters separately. To not use a heater pouch can cause stomach distress. Granted you need a small amount of water for the iron powder based heaters. And in a desert wartime environment water could be scarce.
They are packed with supplemental nutrients but I don’t think the added chemicals will last the 10/8/5 year suggested shelf life. The food and preservatives might but not the nutritional additives.
Just remember, before preparing an MRE, to look around to see if there is some real food instead. Other than that, they aren’t any worse tasting than the C rations that I ate in the 70’s, that had been packed in the 40’s. The C rations were canned, so they were heavy and bulky, and the manufacturers made their calorie targets by including plenty of fat, so you had to heat them for palatability. If you were a real man, you even ate the ham and lima beans meal when you got stuck with it.
However, the idea that MREs are bad for you is pretty silly if the alternative is serious hunger. If things are going bad, you probably don’t have to worry about a few months of lousy diet anyway. And you aren’t going to be eating it for the years that it would take to have a major detrimental effect on your health, but you darn sure have to worry about getting the calories you need to keep surviving.
The ham and lima beans were my favorite. I was never short of them because nobody else wanted them. – Vietnam 1966.
MRE’s are fine. Why does your title suggest poisoning? Every
prepackaged item has a shelf life that consumers have to read
and be aware of. I think you are discrediting a great form of
needed food storage. When the famine comes from too much
regulation and lack of gas and funds to buy food; you may want
some MRE’s.
Follow the directions and they are not bad. I have a case of them as my last resort. Some are better than others. Don’t drink enough water and ANY food will give constipation, so I do not think it is fair to blame it on the food. MREs were never designed to be a backpacking food, so it is highly unfair to compare them and judge them against those foods. I have eaten them at many activities and have never had any complaints. As far as sodium and sulphates being unnatural, take a chemistry class: your lack of education is showing.
I have yet to purchase MRE’s but I did try them when my son, who had ordered some, brought them over for us both to try. They tasted OK, nothing outstanding but in an emergency, I believe they would do a satisfactory job.
The article summary above mentioned the sodium content and sodium/salt is what gives many foods flavor and at the same time it also acts as a preservative. Water is required anyway, just make sure you have WATER as your #1 item to stock or have available in any emergency and power outage. That’s a given…plain and simple.
I have decided to stock up on dehydrated packages of side dish and main dish items from the grocery store. I buy several dozen at $1. each when they go on sale. There is an ever increasing variety out there now and you can add your own…canned Tuna and Canned Chicken (6 packs at Sam’s) that make a nourishing meal when added to any of the rice or pasta items. I suggest that everyone try out recipes now to avoid any “surprises” in the taste department later on.
Check out all of the varieties of Canned Beans and canned fruit….and again, please avoid the sodium reduced varieties unless your doctor has ordered you to do so….your canned items will taste much better! I have always taken care of doing the food shopping for my family and it is always usually “in and out” in a hurry. I suggest that you take the whole family with you one day and make sure you go up and down ALL of the aisles. You will be amazed at the new items that are arriving. Be Prepared was and I think it is still the Girl Scout Motto. It has always been mine as well!
some i encountered in Saudi they were spoiled by the time they were issued-temp every day was 100+ probably shortened MRE life greatly.
When I served in the Army 1970 – 1972 we had K rations which I thought had good taste and did not constipate me. I have not tried the MRE’s but know they are over priced. It is simple to dehydrate your own home grown or store bought fresh food and them vacuum seal them for long shelf life and then you are also getting what you want to eat. Just remember to prepare all the food groups.
great to keep a couple in my truck for that desert trip when i didn’t bring a thing
In addition to being high in sodium, they contain “shelf life extenders” (AKA: preservatives) that are unhealthy. Many preservatives, even ones the FDA and USDA deem “harmless” and “natural” (for example: sodium phosphates) are not harmless or natural. Food additives can raise the overall sodium content of food and are carcinogenic.
Dear Frank,
YOU ARE RIGHT ON THE MONEY! Yes, I’ve eaten a ton of MRE’s, but as you say, they are not that taste. Some are okay, but most are nasty! I do pack a couple in my BOB when hunting, but only just in case I get stranded over night.
I much prefer “rolling my own” MRE’s of de-hy and freeze dried foods and discuss this in my book as well.
God Bless,
Orrin
MREs are at best borring. Unless you have a penchant for salt, starch, starch and more starch the variety leaves a lot to be desired. The quality of the ones that I have eaten, leads me to believe that I probably could do better dumpster diving behind the local greasy spoon. I was fortunate being in the navy, the chow was great and I didn’t have to worry about mres. Even though I was a member of the ships landing party and attached to the marine division aboard ship, we didn’t have mres. Lucky me…
A single MRE has enough calories for an entire day. They are not meant to be eaten in one meal. Also, they TELL you that you must drink plenty of water with the MREs. You carry the water separately in a canteen. The reason for the sodium is because they want you to drink and retain some water so you don’t become dehydrated. Follow the directions!!! Yes, some are better than others, but I never ate more than two or three parts of an MRE at a sitting, and drank plenty of water with it. I never had any problems with constipation. They were much easier to carry around than C-rations, and the BDU leg pocket was just the right size to tuck in an MRE.
Everything you say about MRE’s is true. However, if I am in a plane crash on a mountaintop in Peru, and it is a choice between MRE’s and going cannibal, I think the MRE’s are a good idea.
In fact, MRE once or twice a week might do no harm, as long as other food was available.
To try to survive on MRE’s only is a foolish idea.
MRE is a military acronym, applied to food that is cooked using a retort oven; it cooks in the container it was packed in.
One should be careful about the “new” military MRE’s…they MUST be stored at under 65 degrees; if not, then can in fact be rendered as semi-toxic, depending upon what it is. The problem we have now is that MOST of the “government surplus” stuff coming to market has been shipped over to some of the hottest climates in the world, and allowed to sit, uncovered and unprotected, on the tarmac in Iraq and Afghanistan. They become not palatable and unsuitable for eating quite rapidly, in that situation.
That said, I have never found the FRESH MRE’s to be objectionable, until I had some of the “Culturally correct” ones they made for the Saudi’s in Desert Dust I.
A VERY edible and quite tasty alternative to the Miltary versions are the Hormel and Dinty Moore microwaveable meals in the little white plastic tubs. They, too, are technically MRE’s since they are retort cooked. Hormel calls them “Compleats”. They are very good for bugout situations wherein one does not have the luxury of stopping and cooking for a meal or two; they can be warmed under a coat while hiking, or in a pot of hot water. These civilian units are not nearly so salt-laden. They have a decent medium shelf life, and are tasty enough that the kids eat them for lunches when too lazy to open a can.
MRE’s are not something I would ever, ever want to eat again. That’s one of the reasons I lost weight in the Army, they tasted horrible, and I had all the side effects you mentioned. I would much rather have dehydrated food.
So what is the best thing to bug out with thats light
I have the “joy” of eating them a few years back. I got a couple of them for a comping trip.
All I have to say is “brick butt” , not only are they heavy to pack but I will NEVER eat another MRE. After 2 meals I did not “evacuate” for 2 days. Tasted like some sort of over-salted greasy spoon hot lamp food at 7/11.
Dehydrated self prepped or Freeze dried for me.
I, for one, have never been in the service but have worked with the Boy Scouts for over 20 years and have eaten quite a few MRE’s in my day. I will admit, however, that some of them are nasty. I suppose that I have my favorites that I would eat a lot, ie: Chili Mac, Beef Stew, Spaghetti, Teriyaki Beef/Chicken, Pot Roast. There are some very good benefits to the military MRE’s. One is that you get a chemical heater in it. I’ve found that even the worst tasting entrees are “palatable” when heated. Then, when you’re done heating your meal (it takes about 15 – 20 mins.) you still have about an hour of warmth left in the heater to use as a Hand/Body warmer. Because the heater puts off hydrogen when activated with water (well, I won’t tell you what else it can be used for). When using the meals for hiking or survival packs I tend to open them up and remove the unwanted portions that make it heavy. A really good item in the packs is the coffee. I don’t drink the stuff so I keep it on hand for later barter. A lot of people like the small Tabasco bottle that comes with them. At about 2000 – 3000 calories per meal they are a great source of bulk. I’ve stocked them for use as a “stationary” meal to be used as a 1-per-person-per-day item, to be supplemented with other foods for the other meals of the day. Scenario: Let’s say that you have a “Bug-Out-Location” where you’re at and expecting others to arrive. You get word that some are a distance away and struggling (maybe they had to leave without all of their supplies). You can send out a “rescue” party with MRE’s to help rejuvenate them for the final leg of their trip. All in all I think that having some MRE’s in your supply is a good idea, if nothing else than to add some variation to your menu.
We have a few of them on hand in our house in town just to get to make it to our country place should the SHTF, they are not all that bad but I sure wouldn’t try to survive on them for any length of time. For true survival food we chose freeze dried and have found it to be quite good and alot cheaper than MREs.
When I was in the servise,I eat alot of tham. The only thing was good about is they cept me alive & most of all, was the cigarettes, that rearly was the only thing I liked. They were better then nothing. If it came down to it, today I would eat them. I would like to know what the 37 foods we can not live with out?
While I have never had the opportunity to eat a MRE, I am not surprised by the report, as government does poorly at most things,except weapons use.
During a state-side I was called upon to maintain a perimeter for an HH-53 crash prior to official investigation. I got thrown the basic MRE’s (Generation 1) and a sleeping bag.
During the night we would have local dogs(?) would come by. Now if you ever had MRE’s I am sure you ran into the totally nasty, no way to dress it up, Pork Pattie.
Dry or re-hy, the local dogs wouldn’t even eat them!