Military MRE vs. Commercial Meals

To start, for those who do not yet know about MRE Meals. Each Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) includes a water-activated flameless ration heater, an entrée, dessert, snack, beverage powders, and accessory pack. MRE meals were made to sustain soldiers with an average of 1300 calories per meal and make a great option for emergencies to general outdoor food. They are fully cooked and made to be eaten from the pouch as is or heated using the included MRE heater by just adding water.

Why buy a military meal that is older than a commercial meal? This is a good question, and it does depend on what you really want. The packaging on military issue meals is more durable than most packaged meals. These meals will always be packaged as a brown or tan color bag designed to help prevent light from getting in which will allow them to last a lot longer, helping the meals to hold up in the field. In reality however, a soldier will break their meal apart, so they are lighter and stuff more main items or snacks into their pack. Military MRE rations usually have more calories than a standard commercial meal so a soldier can eat 1 or 2 per day and survive. The components are also all in the same durable military packaging. If you’re looking for the real deal and a menu mix this is the way to go. They should also last you a long time cared for correctly.

They hold up to all conditions. Military issues Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) are made to stand up to extreme weather conditions, but they are not invincible. The cooler the storage condition is, the longer they will last. The average MRE shelf life lasts five years in 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If they are kept in cooler conditions, they can last well over 10 years and still be safe to eat. Since our soldiers are stationed mostly in the deserts area, these military MRE Meals are made to also hold up to very well in the heat. The shelf life will diminish greatly but will last enough for them to be used. There will be a 4-digit code such as 8047 on all MRE meals and boxes. This means for example that the MRE was made in 2008 on the 47th day of the year and there should be an inspection date of about 2/21.

The date on military MRE Meals also shows as an “inspection date” and not the “expiration date”, and they outlast most other 3-year commercial meals. The inspection date is five years after the meal was packed and is used to check if the packaging is still good. There is also a Red color dot or square on issue cases called a time and temperature indicator or TTI. If the case was compromised with heat, cold, or not safe to eat, it will start to change to a black circle.

Commercial made MRE meals are great for everyday use. They usually come in a clear packaging that you can find in some stores, and they do not need to stand up to combat field use. Commercial meals may also have a shorter shelf life of about 3 years; it does however depend on who you did get them from and what style they are. We only buy commercial meals from military contract companies although we may sell both military grade and commercial grade at a lower cost. Use this as a guide and not as a rule. For example, we do offer some BLUE Line MRE’s for emergency responders that are clear but are also good for 5 years due to how the components are packaged. We find that a lot of less quality or non-military style meals have normal snacks that are packaged the same as you would find in the grocery store. If you do not use them within date, you will find that most of the components are expired by the time you use the main meal. If you always start with a quality product and pay attention to the dates you can avoid this issue. If you’re buying MRE Meals to store at home in the event of an emergency or use a camp food commercial MRE Meals can be a good option. 

No matter what meal you choose, Military Meals Ready to Eat will be there when you need them the most and last for years to come. The expired M&M will even taste great.