So what is the REAL shelf life of an MRE?

F

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Dec 20, 2004
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Yes I know what the manufacturer says, that they deteriorate after about five years or sooner if not stored somewhere stable.

How long do they really remain edible though? I have a few that I realized must be about ten years old. The entrees seem intact with no bulging, etc. I am almost morbidly curious enough to try one and see before tossing them.
 
If they say it can last five years, I'd be surprised if it ever went bad lol same thing with canned food, it has an expiration date but how does something like raviolis go bad? I bet 90% of the stuff in that can is preservatives. I say go for it and if you crap you brains out, I will delete this post so you can't blame it on me...
 
I have whole cases left over from Katrina. Guess what? I still have them, and plan on using in an emergency. The contents at least have other things that are usable(heating pack, dried rations etc)
 
The ones I have are the remains of a case that was given by my sister-in-law's ex, who was in the Air Guard. Those MREs lasted longer than he did lol!

Most of the time they were stashed in a dark closet in a dry basement. For the past two years, they have been in the trunk of my car (a much nastier environment).

JParisi48 - I am almost curious enough to eat one in the interest of science. I ought to quote your post so you can't have plausible deniability!
 
My son and I had a couple that were left over from hurricane Ike, and went out of date on Dec. 2010. We took them, to have one quick, easy, bland meal on a camp out last month. Neither of us had to make a mad dash for the dark wooded area with a shovel and lime... Just sayin'. Worst case, have some Imodium on hand! Montezuma's revenge is no fun. Good luck, might be curious for an update, depending... Lol
 
If stored below 60*F they last much longer, than say, at 80*F +. I finished off our Y2K canned goods in 2008 with no issues at all. Stored in cool/ish basement, dehumidifier working.
 
TwinStick said:
If stored below 60*F they last much longer, than say, at 80*F +. I finished off our Y2K canned goods in 2008 with no issues at all. Stored in cool/ish basement, dehumidifier working.
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Yes I was in the Army for 20 years, keep them out of high heat and direct sunlight and they will last for a good 3 years maybe longer. Try to buy them close to new as possible and store in a cool, dark place.
 
I have picked & choose through a few 15 pulse years old. I can tell you the m& m were fine.
 
I ate one a few months back that I had in my SAR stuff for around 8-9 years. I had gotten it from a friend who had been storing it. I tried to determine its age afterward, but I couldn't find a record of the menu item "#7 Red beans and rice" online. Edible and not too bad taste-wise, but gave me incredible gas. I'm told that's just a normal side effect of MRE's. :D

Added: I do recall that the heater didn't work. Not even a little. I had to warm it over the fire.
 
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Came across a thread where someone described eating a 20yr old beef patty MRE recently. I think they had one or two side dish packages that were discarded due to swelling and the dessert was edible but the worst tasting item in the MRE if I remember right.

OK, I went ahead and googled to find the link and here it is:
http://foodstorageandsurvival.com/really-old-nasty-mres/

I also found dozens of other stories of people eating parts of MREs from 20-29 years old with varying degrees of success. One guy said his 20yr old tuna with noodles would have made him puke just trying to eat it from the smell. And apparently the cheese sauce is the first thing to go in all of the old MREs...

Another interesting link... This guy has been eating 1990 dated MREs and reporting on it since 2002... He reported no change in taste or flavor as old as 13yrs... By 18yrs, the cheese sauce was gone, the peanut butter was a protein bar, and the food while edible ad some notable taste issues. Interestingly, he also cached a full MRE and some individual menu items in a bucket buried 20" underground and ate those for his 20yr test. The items in the full MRE apparently held up better than his 18yr old MRE as far as taste.
http://mscg.yuku.com/topic/5382
 
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Make sure you just use good sense.

Obviously most of us don't know in what conditions the MREs were stored in before we got them -- they could have been sitting on a pallet on the middle of a flight line in 120 degree heat for a month, in which case their expected life is significantly reduced than if they were in a controlled climate warehouse. The date codes are simple to use, I usually plan for 3-4 years before I cycle them with newer MREs.
 
On a whim, I tried eating an MRE that was 12 years old (I bought some for Y2K) and while they were definitely on the side of "nasty" tasting, they were still edible.

They've been kept cool and no rough handling to damage the bags.
 
I ate an MRE of unknown vintage once, years ago, and will never do so again if it can be avoided.
 
LOL, While i was in the Army 81-84, in basic, we still had C-rations. I looked at the bottom of mine & it was dated 1957. I was BORN in 1963. I quickly looked at the bottom of others while they were not looking. Found one dated 1979 & asked if he wanted to trade. He looked at the kind mine was & said sure ! NO WAY was i eating something made before i was born. He liked it & was none the wiser. :D
 
TwinStick said:
LOL, While i was in the Army 81-84, in basic, we still had C-rations. I looked at the bottom of mine & it was dated 1957. I was BORN in 1963. I quickly looked at the bottom of others while they were not looking. Found one dated 1979 & asked if he wanted to trade. He looked at the kind mine was & said sure ! NO WAY was i eating something made before i was born. He liked it & was none the wiser. :D
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I was over in germany. when we where out in the field we would kill for them. eating them is better than going hungry.
 
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