How long is it safe to keep MRE’s

UPSguy · Nov 13, 2021

Hey so i’ve been getting conflicting info online… i understand there is an inspection date on REAl military MRE’s. But that doesn’t always tell you when they are made? How long is it safe for consuming after said dates? Thanks!

Oh, and if anybody has a good source on where to get a good deal on the real military ones that would be awesome too! Thanks!

Rich1911 · Nov 13, 2021

UPSguy said:
Hey so i’ve been getting conflicting info online… i understand there is an inspection date on REAl military MRE’s. But that doesn’t always tell you when they are made? How long is it safe for consuming after said dates? Thanks!

Oh, and if anybody has a good source on where to get a good deal on the real military ones that would be awesome too! Thanks!

Keep them in a cool dry place and they can last many years after the inspection date. The inspection date is 3 years past the production date.
I used to get good deals on them on Ebay by the case and then I would turn around and see the accessory packs, spoons and water heaters separately and get most of my money back...

UPSguy · Nov 13, 2021

Rich1911 said:
Keep them in a cool dry place and they can last many years after the inspection date. The inspection date is 3 years past the production date.
I used to get good deals on them on Ebay by the case and then I would turn around and see the accessory packs, spoons and water heaters separately and get most of my money back...

Awesome, thanks for the info! Yeah have seen some. Looks like a case at a time is best way to go. I’ve got some already but didn’t know how long they would lst. Good idea with parting them out! Thanks!

Trekker · Nov 13, 2021

So, check my understanding:

I have some MREs dated 2017 manufacture.
They have been stored in household reasonably (60s-70s) temperatures.
So, they should be good through 2022.

Beyond that, how do I tell if they are still good or not?
Open them one at a time, and give them a sniff test?

duckduckgoose · Nov 13, 2021

Trekker said:
Open them one at a time, and give them a sniff test?

that's pretty much how i operate with all food, the sniff test. obviously MREs are a long term food solution, but if you're going to long term store them, maybe just have a regular purchasing program.

Threeband · Nov 14, 2021

There are YouTube videos of people opening MREs, rations, bully beef, etc. from WWII and even WWI.

That which does not kill you makes you stronger.

MattTheGunslinger · Nov 14, 2021

In the late 90s I used to get the dark brown packaged MREs from the late 80s and early 90s. Only thing I ever found bad was a dried up bottle of Tabasco. I’ve had the newer tan packaged MREs several years after the inspection date and they’ve been good. Packaging style will tell you the decade it was made. Various MRE components will have a 4 digit date code on them to narrow it down further. 4030 for example would be the 30th day of 2014.

GunBum · Nov 14, 2021

This is not an endorsement of this activity, but….

My mom had some mid 80’s vintage MRE’s that I liberated from the army in the late 80’s / early 90’s. When we cleaned out her house and moved her to the retirement community, my son opened a couple and ate them. :sad20:

Him and his college buddies finished them off over several weeks. None of them died.

ToBeFree · Nov 14, 2021

Wait - they go bad?
I was always under the impression that they were in the same category as Twinkies! :sad20:

wilcam47 · Nov 14, 2021

Trekker said:
So, check my understanding:

I have some MREs dated 2017 manufacture.
They have been stored in household reasonably (60s-70s) temperatures.
So, they should be good through 2022.

Beyond that, how do I tell if they are still good or not?
Open them one at a time, and give them a sniff test?

If the pouch is bloated then throw it away. If it looks normal, prob affect the taste of whatever it is but thats really not great tasting product to begin with so you have that.

ohen cepel · Nov 14, 2021

There is a procedure to extend the shelf life date on them. The Vet Techs in the Army are responsible for inspecting them. May be able to find the policy/manual out there if you look.

Really though, they last a long time if stored right.

If you ever come across one and the bag is puffed up like a balloon do NOT open it unless you literally are starving to death as something (obviously) went bad in the bag. Maybe the rest is alright but again, unless you're dying, I would not open that one.

Redcobra · Nov 14, 2021

Heard they found some in King Tut's Tomb, and they were fine.

gamer_jim · Nov 14, 2021

This guy on YouTube does MRE reviews. He claims to have eaten hard-tack leftover from the civil war. One of his most popular video is of "pemmican and chocolate" from 1906.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I6Et1JkidnnbWgJFiMeHA/videos?view=0&sort=p&flow=grid

Huckleberry · Nov 14, 2021

When the MREs first were issued back in the 80s, we were told that the lasted 12 years in controlled warehouse storage.

But hot or freezing conex containers would cut their shelf life in half. Also the shelf live really referred to taste not food safety

The content packets are hermetically sealed with enough preservatives to turn them into the military's answer to the Twinkie and First Can of Spam.

Huckleberry · Nov 14, 2021

As for C-Rats if you have any Pound Cake, I show you how to make "Ranger Fudge"

I may have a can of Beans and Mutherf*ckers and Beanie Weenies somewhere in the garage to trade you.

teratos · Nov 14, 2021

When I was a Cub Scout in the 70’s, we ate WW2 c-rations. The pork and beans were fine.

Docster · Nov 14, 2021

What I've been doing over the last 10 years or so is testing one entree by age using the included heater. Some entrees have lost their appeal, others are fine. Have been accumulating MREs since 1981, have never seen an entree package bulging. I believe the vacuum packing wouldn't leave any room for bulging.

Peanut butter can be hit or miss but crackers, fruit, hot sauce and candy have never gone bad, yet.

Of course all the other contents such as the accessory pack, heater will last for decades

Wangbadan · Nov 14, 2021

I think they can last several hundred years. It’s in the name - ready to eat.

-big Wang

GutPile · Nov 14, 2021

There are youtube channels full of people testing WW1 and WW2 rations. I'd assume g2g unless signs of obvious bacterial infection. But I process roadkill at least once a year so don't take my advice on the matter of food saftey.

teratos · Nov 14, 2021

GutPile said:
There are youtube channels full of people testing WW1 and WW2 rations. I'd assume g2g unless signs of obvious bacterial infection. But I process roadkill at least once a year so don't take my advice on the matter of food saftey.

Yeah, I’ll eat road kill.

How long is it safe to keep MRE’s

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