All you "Survivalists" that stocked up on Gun's, Ammunition, MRE's, Etc. in 1999 for Y2K, keep in mind, that properly stored, they only have a shelf life of about 5 years. I regularily use mine when I tent camp in the
"Achafalaya Basin" every year with my wife.

My buddy said he ate 10 year old MREs when he was in the Guard.  That "5-year" stuff is just a bunch of hooey dreamed up to get you to buy more MREs.  Or so he said.

He must have been eating the "Scrambled Egg" MRE's. Ha ! That's the ones I hate most.

Question:

In the back pf my Blazer I keep what I call my "Survival Pack".

In case I roll my Blazer in some open field, earthquake, flood etc...

In it I keep canned water from the military, first aid kit, and some MRE's..

Well, how long will my MRE's last in the back of my Blazer when I park it for the day in the hot 115 degree California sun?

Can't remember where I was, but we got a batch of "Shelf-Life-Expired" MREs once.  Since it was all we had, we ate 'em.  No worse than any of the others I've had.

Eddie

    My friend Doug
ate a corned beef hash out
in the field at Camp Pendleton.
I had the skettie w/ meatsauce.
Both MREs were from the same box
and we started eating at the same time.

    Fifteen minutes later, I was eating dullish looking M&Ms while relaxing on my cot.

He was sitting on our milk crate w/ a toilet seat bolted onto it,
furiously pissing out of his ass.

MREs are rated for their shelf life based on controlled atmosphere storage (slightly cooler than room temperature and very dry). When their time is due, they are insepcted randomly -- if they are good, they get a new date (have you ever eaten an MRE with the masking tape lid?).

If you get a bad MRE, you will know it.

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I usually go by the reinspection date and the storage makes a heck of a difference. have a few cases of 2003 and 2004 that I will use this hunting season but have alot of 2001 reinspection dates also and do not have a problem eating them also as they were stored in a nice cool dry basement since they were issued.
the only difference that I see is the candy as I know when I open up a very new bag they are just like buying it in the store and some of the one's that are a little older are a little on the stale side but edible.
the gi's and gaurd units are still getting dates that are just now coming up for reinspection. it just depends on what they give you. search and rescue one week will be issued stuff with dates of 2001 and then the next month 2004 and then the month after 2001 again go figure. if you live in colorado I can get you a few cases of the 2001 stuff for $30 a case and if you buy 5 $140 ahh!!!!! hunting season is coming no more cold sandwiches.

what I do when hunting for lunch in the field is to carry a small bottled water and poor the drink packet into it and mix it up. if you don't drink it all its good for sipping later. then while my meal is heating up in the heating pouch I go for the crackers and which ever spread comes with it. then the meal and second course at the same time. and then put the fruit bar and candy bar in my pocket for a snack later. they are alot more tasty ones than a few years ago. kinda hooked on the veggie ones. jon  

My vote would be never. Have YOU ever seen an MRE with an expiration date?

After perusal of storage data, a medical officer can "extend" the shelf life past the five year mark.

Buyers beware.  I've gotten food poisoning twice from MREs.  Once in '84 from one sold at a gunshow, and another in '89 at Camp Pendleton.  Darn near killed me both times.