I bought an MRE seven years ago but never tried it or even opened it to see what was inside, it simply sat in my bug out bag until now.  While reading One Second After (a fictional doomsday story) I learned that there were goodies inside the pouches and it peaked my interest.  MRE stands for a Meal, Ready to Eat.  The military provides MREs to soldiers to sustain and nourish them in times of combat.  They are loaded with calories and many are rumored to be tasty.  As you can see from the picture above they are labeled “Beef Stew”, “Pork Sausage with Gravy”, “Beef Roast with Vegetables” etc.   There’s no indication on the pouch that there is more inside than what is labeled on the pouch.  So this article is dedicated to the others out there that have never had the pleasure of discovering what is inside an MRE.

Opening an MRE

Opening an MRE was easier than I thought it would be.  The plastic is thick and looks tough.  Upon first glance I thought I would need a knife to open it.  Upon further inspection, the pouch is designed to open using a peelable seal so with a little dexterity and and some force the seal gave way fairly easy on one and took a little more effort on opening a second.

What’s in an MRE?

As you can see in the picture above there is more in this MRE than just Pork Sausage with Gravy.  Here are the contents in case you are having a hard time reading what is in the picture.

1. Biscuit
2. Pork Sausage Gravy
3. Wheat Snack Bread
4. Cheese Spread with Jalapenos for the Wheat Bread
5. Lemon- Lime Beverage
6. Granola
7. Raisins
8. Flameless Heater to Heat the Sausage Gravy & Coffee
9. Beverage Bag to Mix the Lemon- Lime Beverage or Coffee
10. Coffee, Creamer, Sugar, Hot Sauce, Salt, Napkin, Moist Towelette, Gum, and a Spoon

– – – – – – – –

Spicy Penne Pasta
1. Cranberries
2. Crackers
3. Peanut Butter Spread
4. Spice Pound Cake
5. Penne with Vegetable Sausage
6. Flameless Heater to Heat the Pasta & Spiced Cider
7. Beverage Bag to Mix the Lemon-Lime Beverage  or Spiced Cider
8.  Lemon- Lime Beverage
9. Spiced Cider, Creamer, Sugar, Hot Sauce, Salt, Napkin, Moist Towelette, Gum, and a Spoon

How to Prepare MREs

To prepare most of the MRE contents its as easy as opening the plastic covering and eating.  There are few exceptions, some contents you may need a utensil to spread cheese or peanut butter, there is usually at least one of the contents that can be warmed using the flameless heater.  We loved that we were able to have a warm meal in about 10 minutes with no electricity required.  The flameless heater lasted about 25 minutes so just enough time to warm the gravy & coffee.  We could have eaten everything out of the plastic it came in but it was much more convenient to use a camping cookset.  Click here to see a YouTube video that shows you step-by-step how to use the flameless heater.

Do MREs Taste Good?

I recruited my mother-in-law and husband to get multiple opinions on how the MREs tasted.

1# Pork Sausage with Gravy – It is 3 1/2 years old.  We were all pleasantly surprised with the yummy flavor of each item.  On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate all the contents a 6 and for comparison would rate a value meal at a fast food chain a 5.  I enjoyed the biscuit and gravy.  My husband thought the jalapeno cheese spread was the clear winner.  My mother-in-law was surprised with how fresh everything tasted (packaged in July 2011).  We all agreed that it tastes better and is more filling than a value meal at a fast food chain and can be cheaper too!

2# Spicy Penne Pasta – It is almost 8 years old.  We all agreed that we would happily eat the pasta if there was no other food available but it was NOT yummy.  On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give the pasta a 2, the spice pound cake a 4, and the crackers and peanut butter a 6.  The pasta and the spice pound cake had what seemed like a chemical after taste.  The peanut butter over crackers were good and the cranberries were very sweet.  It’s probably important to know the shelf-life because it most likely will affect the taste of the MRE.

What is the Shelf-life of an MRE?

The shelf-life of an MRE is suggested to be 5 years if stored at 50°F.  However the box the MRE’s were shipped in states the following on the side of the shipping box:
“This product has been held under controlled temperature and humidity conditions and should NOT be considered over age because of date of pack and the date of pack should not be the controlling factor in determining issuance and utilization of the product”.

To determine it’s expiration date, you first need to locate the “Date Packaged”.  You will notice a four digit number on the packaging below.  The military uses a Julian Date Code.  The first number is the year so 1 stands for 2011.  The other three numbers are the date so in the first example the 194 day in the year 2011, or July 13, 2011.  You can find a Julian Date Code Calculator at mealkitsupply.com.  There are several places you can find the date:

1. At the Bottom of the Shipping Box

2. Embossed on the MRE Package

 3. On Any of the Contents in the Package

What You Need to Know When Purchasing

• Flameless heaters are not always sold with the MREs so check the fine-print.
• Find out the “Date Packaged” before purchasing to make sure you are getting fresh MREs.  The case I most recently bought at a good price was almost four years old (too close to the suggested expiration).
•  Buying MREs by the case not only can save you money but also comes with Time & Temperature Indicator to let you know it’s been stored properly.  Click here for an illustration on how it works.
• Not all MREs are military issued.  There are several companies that make them.
• There is little fiber in MREs so living off of them long-term can cause digestive issues like constipation.

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