MRE Shelf Life

[rj3438]

Does anyone have any experience with MRE's past their shelf life? I've read three to seven years is best case for shelf life. I have some that are about 20 years old. Anyone have experience that says these might still be good? Any way to tell if they are bad?

[ar15_dude]

I too have some old ones...

I'd say we should open them up, look them over (color, consistency, smell, taste). Then either 1) throw them away or 2) use the components of the MRE that are still good immediately.

My guess is that they are NOT suitable for human consumption (except for the coffee).

[ATM]

Originally Posted by ar15_dude

My guess is that they are NOT suitable for human consumption (except for the coffee).

I've had MRE coffee. Snort it up your nose if you need a jolt but it was NEVER suitable for human consumption

[Bubbajms]

I've had cold-weather MREs that were over 10 years old and I'm still kickin..

["ThatGuy"]

my dad has some left over c rations that hes had since he went thru ranger school. i think their for more of a keepsake to remind him how bad they sucked haha

as far as those MRE's youve had for 20 years. . . throw them in the dumpster haha

[cosermann]

MRE shelf life is based on storage temps and the effects are cumulative. There's a chart out there on the net somewhere that the US Army's Natick Researsh Lab developed some time ago. My understanding is that the data was based on palatability. So, if you're asking if they're "good" or "bad" from a taste perspective, they're probably pretty funky by now.

But, if you're asking whether they're "good" or "bad from a safe-to-eat perspective, that's another matter. I haven't seen any data on that other than the general truth that the safety and nutrition of the product extends way beyond where the taste breaks down.

MRE Storage Chart / Shelf life

[kedie]

When I was in the Army, I ate some MRE that had to have been made when Jesus was a Corporal.

[TheDude]

Originally Posted by kedie

When I was in the Army, I ate some MRE that had to have been made when Jesus was a Corporal.

No kidding, the ones I had were at least 10yrs.

[rhino]

Since they're sterile inside, I doubt if it would hurt you to eat old MREs. The shelf life is related to how long what is inside will resemble actual food. At some point, it's going to just be a less than palatable blend of mush. Only one way to find out!

I actually have some MRE tortellini in the basement from before "Y2K." Maybe I'll give 'em a try before I pitch 'em.

[CarmelHP]

I've eaten 10+ years old MREs that were still pretty good and they were not ideally stored. At 20 years I would be scared.