As an army ration, that means it can last for quite a while in the right conditions. All these features make for an attractive product for storage outside the army. MREs can have a decent shelf life, and their ready to eat state makes them great for use while camping, hunting, or emergency situations where power and access to food become limited.
The packages are easy to open, and a careless tear can render one inedible. Most of all, MREs are very sensitive to temperature, so their storage conditions affect how long one can last.
This time frame is the same that the military rotates and replaces MRE stock in as well. Keep an eye out for outdated diagrams that no longer apply to current MRE manufacturing standards.
Unlike most other food products , MREs do not come with a printed-on expiration date. Since the storage temperature makes the shelf life fluctuate, MREs instead come with a number that indicates the time of manufacture. It would be simple to figure out when your MRE is usable if the date was in a simple day month year format, but this is not the case.
In fact, as you look over your pouch, you may find several different codes and numbers. Instead, you need the four-digit code. The would then apply to the th day of the year, June Likewise, would be December 31, , while would be January 7, Since the average shelf life of an MRE is five years, you need to add five to the manufacturer year to get your approximate expiration date.
One thing to be wary of is that manufacture dates only indicate the last digit of the year. In the above example, an MRE with may instead be from June 19, , or instead of Some MREs come with an indicator of freshness on the package. The symbol changes based on the level of temperatures the MRE package has experienced to serve as an accurate readout. MREs are a medium-long term emergency food option. If you have limited clean water, then this allows you to prioritize that water for drinking.
For more see our post about how to cook MREs. There are various places you can buy MREs, from online distributors to shady dealers. Check out our guide on making your own survival MREs for instructions.
Learn New Preppers Guide Calculators. Read More. As Referenced By. The shelf life of an MRE majorly depends on the storage temperature conditions. MREs stored in low temperatures are likely to stay in mint conditions for up to 10 years, while those stored in higher temperatures are edible for only a few months.
You can quickly determine and MREs shelf life through the use of shelf life charts found on the internet. Determining how long an MRE lasts depends on its taste and edibility over time. An MRE declines in nutritional value and flavor over time. An MRE will lose flavor and remain in good condition for human consumption. The quality makes it ideal for long term usage like in the military.
Most MRE consumers have found them edible even after years when stored in the right conditions.
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