Old MRE's any good?

Ihave a question. I just acquired a case of unopened MRE"S that are 7 years old. Are they any good or should I toss them? They were sitting in my parents garage in Phoenix Az all this time. Pretty hot here. Maybe someone here knows.

Make sure the food packages aren't swollen or leaking, and you should be good to go. I'm not sure how long they were originally suppose to last.

reply to post by amatrine


Toss them.

They should have an expiration date on the front of the packets, but after 7 years, they are no good (especially if they have been stored in less than optimum conditions).

Under optimum conditions, they are only meant to last 2 to 3 years at the most.

[edit on 4/20/2009 by skeptic1]

2-3 yr shelf life? I have to disagree bro...Ive eaten MRE's 2x's that old.
There is too much information out there that disagrees with that statement? Is this fact or opinion?

www.safetycentral.com...

that link will give you some information on MRE's and shelf life and how temps affect it.



[edit on 21-4-2009 by kaferwerks]

Originally posted by kaferwerks
2-3 yr shelf life? I have to disagree bro...Ive eaten MRE's 2x's that old. 10 years atleast...This isn't my opinion it is fact.

Yes but how were they stored? The average temperature in Pheonix is pretty high so Im say they are garbage at this point.

it isnt worth getting sick over anyway. since you dont Have to eat them...why chance it. Odds are they wouldve been good

I used to be Supply (3043) in the USMC. We'd destroy the MREs once they were 7 years old. Well, the 3051's used to do it anyway. I don't recall anything inside ever being good. The candy, crackers, cakes etc.. were always old and inedible. I'm not sure about the other food, I never looked at it.

Here you go...




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# 9 MRE is still the best..!

If you have any cheese tortillini MREs send them to me.

If you are iffy on if they are good or not pull one out and cook it. If it smells ok (for an MRE) take a taste. If you don't puke then they are probably ok.

Don't try it with the black bean burrito MRE though, you would puke even if it was packaged yesterday. The days I got issued the burrito I knew it would be a very sad dinner for me.

my fav orite was the dehydrated beef patty but that went away in the early 90's....why did they have to mess with a good thing?

Toss that stuff. MREs don't store all that long because they contain moisture in the can, and if they are stored in a hot or freezing environment I wouldn't think they would last a year.

Compare MREs to freeze dried canned foods as a example. If freeze dried canned food is stored in a dry environment at between 40-60 degrees Fahrenheit, they'll last for 25 or more years. If stored at 70 degrees, it may be good for 10 years or so .. maybe a bit longer depending upon the product.

MREs are not a very good long term emergency food stock. And, they taste horrible too. MREs don't store much better than your grocery store canned foods.

If you want to keep an emergency supply of food on hand, consider freeze dried food packed in oxygen free cans. Oregon Freeze Dry makes some of the best freeze dried food products you can buy, and they are a pleasure to eat compared to MREs (barf!). The cans I've purchased this year have all been manufactured in Oct-Dec 2008 and are marked best used before 2033, if stored properly, and they are. Don't store that stuff in your home during the summer unless it's air conditioned, and if not, plan to use the stuff within 5-7 years.

[edit on 21-4-2009 by Divinorumus]

**my favorite was the dehydrated beef patty but that went away in the early 90's....why did they have to mess with a good thing?**

wasn't that a dehydrated pork patty? with the applesauce?

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OP: heck, those things weren't even 'good' 7 years ago . . . toss 'em.

My favorite MRE was the Chicken stew.. Although the beef stew was a close 2nd.. The M&M's were always stale..

For about 3 of those years they sat in a freezer, but yeah think I will toss them.