military mre question

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - military mre question

Posted: 6/16/2013 9:44:32 PM EDT

So if I buy military mre's off of ebay the "test date" what is this is this the experation date or how long would one test dated 8-2014 be good for

Posted: 6/16/2013 11:29:54 PM EDT

[#1]

I think that they're called a 'pack date' and an 'inspection date'.

Here:

"MRE Cases

All MRE cases have some sort of date code on them that you can use to determine when they were packaged. A typical case will have both a packed date and an inspection date. The inspection date on MREs is usually three years after the packed date.

Sometimes you'll have a nice date packed such "03/09/01" which you know to mean March 9, 2001. However, some cases will use a different form such as "1068". In this case, the first number "1" stands for the year (2001) and the next three numbers indicate which day of the year (365 days in a year) it was packed. So "068" would be day 68 of the year 2001...or March 9, 2001."

http://www.mreinfo.com/us/mre/mre-date-codes.html

Chris

Posted: 6/17/2013 1:41:31 AM EDT

[#2]

To answer your question...

The test/inspect date is 36 months after the date of manufacture.

How long it will last depends on how well it was stored since it left the factory.

I would not trust any eBay MREs for survival purposes. Perhaps for taste testing to figure out what menu items you like, but definitely not for actual emergency use.

Posted: 6/17/2013 7:40:46 AM EDT

[#3]

If you wouldnt trust ebay mres then where do or would you get them. I would love to buy two cases of them

Posted: 6/17/2013 8:27:08 AM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
If you wouldnt trust ebay mres then where do or would you get them. I would love to buy two cases of them

PX/BX

Posted: 6/17/2013 10:02:14 AM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:

Quoted:
If you wouldnt trust ebay mres then where do or would you get them. I would love to buy two cases of them

PX/BX

I've never seen a Px carry them, despite rumors on the net to the contrary. This is in 4 different states.

Posted: 6/17/2013 1:47:20 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:

Quoted:
If you wouldnt trust ebay mres then where do or would you get them. I would love to buy two cases of them

PX/BX

I've never seen a Px carry them, despite rumors on the net to the contrary. This is in 4 different states.

They are nearly expired in the "discount" or "cost saver" aisles of the commissary. $7-8 a piece.

Posted: 6/17/2013 3:52:36 PM EDT

[#7]

Search vendors of dehydrated/emergency foods, and some will sell brand-new MRE-equivalents. USGI MREs are not legal to sell unless surplussed, and by then are of somewhat questionable value. However, the civvy equivalents are brand-new, and of greater variety. Another search term would be "retort packaged foods", "retort" being the key term.

Like most food items, the temperature in which they item has been stored is critical to its shelf life, and nutritional value. The lower the temp, the better, generally speaking. Most vendors surplussing MREs have no idea under what conditions the item was stored, and so sell them off at a considerable discount. Truth be told, and IMHO, I wouldn't consider surplussed MREs OK for eating unless the production date was less than 5 years from current date. Some iron-gutted types might disagree.

Just my opinion, most surplussed military MREs are over-priced, giving their inderterminate storage conditions. In this case, the buyer is really buying a pig in a poke.

Posted: 6/17/2013 4:20:06 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
Search vendors of dehydrated/emergency foods, and some will sell brand-new MRE-equivalents. USGI MREs are not legal to sell unless surplussed, and by then are of somewhat questionable value. However, the civvy equivalents are brand-new, and of greater variety. Another search term would be "retort packaged foods", "retort" being the key term.

Like most food items, the temperature in which they item has been stored is critical to its shelf life, and nutritional value. The lower the temp, the better, generally speaking. Most vendors surplussing MREs have no idea under what conditions the item was stored, and so sell them off at a considerable discount. Truth be told, and IMHO, I wouldn't consider surplussed MREs OK for eating unless the production date was less than 5 years from current date. Some iron-gutted types might disagree.

Just my opinion, most surplussed military MREs are over-priced, giving their inderterminate storage conditions. In this case, the buyer is really buying a pig in a poke.

This.

I think most people can put together a cheaper, more nutritious and 'known storage condition' equivalent for a fraction of the cost.

TRG

Posted: 6/19/2013 1:01:48 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:

Quoted:
If you wouldnt trust ebay mres then where do or would you get them. I would love to buy two cases of them

PX/BX

I've never seen a Px carry them, despite rumors on the net to the contrary. This is in 4 different states.

$8 at USAFA last time I was there.

Posted: 6/20/2013 9:04:06 AM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:

Quoted:
If you wouldnt trust ebay mres then where do or would you get them. I would love to buy two cases of them

PX/BX

I've never seen a Px carry them, despite rumors on the net to the contrary. This is in 4 different states.

Used to pick them up regularly at the BX at March. My sister still picks up a case occasionally to keep as stores at home. This is first-hand, not a rumor.

To the OP: Listen to Raf and TRG.

Posted: 6/20/2013 9:57:40 AM EDT

[#11]

The ones I saw at the PX were nearly at the inspection date and the price was the same as newly packed ones on the internet.
Not a deal for me.

Posted: 6/20/2013 12:01:55 PM EDT

[#12]

I bought mine here: http://www.armygear.net/ag/store/00231.html

As others have discussed, the are surplus, not new.

Posted: 6/20/2013 4:00:33 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
The ones I saw at the PX were nearly at the inspection date and the price was the same as newly packed ones on the internet.
Not a deal for me.

I wouldn't buy them like that either. The BX at March stocked new date codes, not "old" stock - to me that's a rip-off.

Posted: 6/24/2013 9:01:55 AM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:

Quoted:
If you wouldnt trust ebay mres then where do or would you get them. I would love to buy two cases of them

PX/BX

I've never seen a Px carry them, despite rumors on the net to the contrary. This is in 4 different states.

Used to pick them up regularly at the BX at March. My sister still picks up a case occasionally to keep as stores at home. This is first-hand, not a rumor.

To the OP: Listen to Raf and TRG.

Nothing at Little Creek, and I walked the aisles twice today. So you can listen to Raf and TRG all you want, but your local place may not stock them.

Posted: 6/25/2013 5:57:54 AM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:

Quoted:
If you wouldnt trust ebay mres then where do or would you get them. I would love to buy two cases of them

PX/BX

I've never seen a Px carry them, despite rumors on the net to the contrary. This is in 4 different states.

Used to pick them up regularly at the BX at March. My sister still picks up a case occasionally to keep as stores at home. This is first-hand, not a rumor.

To the OP: Listen to Raf and TRG.

Nothing at Little Creek, and I walked the aisles twice today. So you can listen to Raf and TRG all you want, but your local place may not stock them.

At Ft. Hood, I always saw them at the Commissary, not the PX.

Posted: 6/25/2013 8:16:10 AM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

Quoted:
If you wouldnt trust ebay mres then where do or would you get them. I would love to buy two cases of them

PX/BX

I've never seen a Px carry them, despite rumors on the net to the contrary. This is in 4 different states.

Used to pick them up regularly at the BX at March. My sister still picks up a case occasionally to keep as stores at home. This is first-hand, not a rumor.

To the OP: Listen to Raf and TRG.

Nothing at Little Creek, and I walked the aisles twice today. So you can listen to Raf and TRG all you want, but your local place may not stock them.

That wasn't intended as a slight - if you read their posts they have nothing to do with availability on base, and everything to do with their suitability. I advised the OP to listen to those two based on sound advice about the choice of MRE's as preps. Also, MRE's are indeed available on some installations and more than a few of us here have purchased them in person. Sorry if you took that wrong...just facts.

Posted: 6/25/2013 9:13:45 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:

Quoted:
If you wouldnt trust ebay mres then where do or would you get them. I would love to buy two cases of them

PX/BX

I've never seen a Px carry them, despite rumors on the net to the contrary. This is in 4 different states.

Commissary at JRB Ft Worth has shopping carts full of them as soon as you walk in the door.

Posted: 6/26/2013 1:42:47 AM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:

Quoted:
If you wouldnt trust ebay mres then where do or would you get them. I would love to buy two cases of them

PX/BX

I've never seen a Px carry them, despite rumors on the net to the contrary. This is in 4 different states.

Used to pick them up regularly at the BX at March. My sister still picks up a case occasionally to keep as stores at home. This is first-hand, not a rumor.

To the OP: Listen to Raf and TRG.

Nothing at Little Creek, and I walked the aisles twice today. So you can listen to Raf and TRG all you want, but your local place may not stock them.

That wasn't intended as a slight - if you read their posts they have nothing to do with availability on base, and everything to do with their suitability. I advised the OP to listen to those two based on sound advice about the choice of MRE's as preps. Also, MRE's are indeed available on some installations and more than a few of us here have purchased them in person. Sorry if you took that wrong...just facts.

Fair enoug. Mi did in fact, take it like you were calling me out. errornet strikes again!

Posted: 6/26/2013 7:45:43 AM EDT

[#19]

Fair enoug. Mi did in fact, take it like you were calling me out. errornet strikes again!

Yes sir, when I read your reply I went back and re-read my post and thought damn, that didn't sound right. Figured I better 'splain myself!

There's no doubt that availability will vary from post to post, and if they're stocked, it can be at the BX/PX or the commissary. While I do keep a lot of MRE's on hand (actually eat them regularly

), I don't keep them in my vehicles - I keep MH pouches and Mainstay in the truck and Jeep.

Posted: 6/27/2013 3:50:43 AM EDT

[#20]

Nothing at Little Creek, and I walked the aisles twice today. So you can listen to Raf and TRG all you want, but your local place may not stock them.

I used to buy them by the case for a local BSA troop at the Bragg commissary. Even if the loose ones weren't on the commissary floor I would talk to manager and he would order as many cases as I wanted for me. They weren't cheep though. About $80 a case, IIRC and this was in the early '90s.

Posted: 6/30/2013 10:58:39 PM EDT

[#21]

i have MRE's from 1993... they are still good... i store them in the basement...

Posted: 7/5/2013 6:53:10 PM EDT

[#22]

Bragg still sells them, $88 a case.... then there is this little magical bit of info

Does the commissary sell MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat)?

Commissaries can order MREs from the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia/Defense Logistics Agency. Please contact your store director to ask about placing a special order for these products.

Found that on commissaries.com Also confirmed it with one of the stockers at the South Post Commissary on Bragg. Apparently I am not the only one who buys them new.

Posted: 7/6/2013 11:01:11 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
i have MRE's from 1993... they are still good... i store them in the basement...

I'd upgrade those just to get some of the more recent entre options.......20 years, even stored well, is pushing it for an MRE

Posted: 7/6/2013 2:46:16 PM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:

Quoted:
If you wouldnt trust ebay mres then where do or would you get them. I would love to buy two cases of them

PX/BX

I've never seen a Px carry them, despite rumors on the net to the contrary. This is in 4 different states.

Used to pick them up regularly at the BX at March. My sister still picks up a case occasionally to keep as stores at home. This is first-hand, not a rumor.

To the OP: Listen to Raf and TRG.

Nothing at Little Creek, and I walked the aisles twice today. So you can listen to Raf and TRG all you want, but your local place may not stock them.

Apparently they come and go. It's been awhile since I've been there, but I've seen them at the Creek. ETA: at the commissary.

Posted: 7/13/2013 7:25:33 AM EDT

[#25]

If the MRE still appears to be vacuum sealed, i.e. the cover appears to be sucked in with no air inside, then it is generally safe to eat. If the cover is bulged out like it is full of air, it is contaminated with bacteria. I've eaten some of the original freeze dried MREs in the dark brown package 10 yrs after the supposed expiration date with no ill effects. YMMV.

MREs can be found at the commissary not the PX. At Ft. Sill, I've only seen individual MREs, no cases.

Posted: 7/28/2013 6:27:29 AM EDT

[#26]

Quote History

Quoted:
If the MRE still appears to be vacuum sealed, i.e. the cover appears to be sucked in with no air inside, then it is generally safe to eat. If the cover is bulged out like it is full of air, it is contaminated with bacteria. I've eaten some of the original freeze dried MREs in the dark brown package 10 yrs after the supposed expiration date with no ill effects. YMMV.

MREs can be found at the commissary not the PX. At Ft. Sill, I've only seen individual MREs, no cases.

View Quote

I just ate a couple of MRE's that I had stored in a barrel in a storage unit since 1998. The temp was not controlled and I can't imagine the temp swings these things went through.

I ate the Chicken strips in salsa with apple slices in spiced sauce and the usual accompaniments. Tasted fine. The chicken was a little grainy but still like chicken, the apple slices were still like apples, but a little on the soft side.

Everything else (cookie, crackers, orange drank, all fine) the strawberry jam was looking like water and paste so I didn't eat that.

I'm going to keep these around (about 15 more meals) another 5 years in a climate controlled location with no fear.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - military mre question

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