14 year old MRE report

[G-forceJunkie]

While going through my emergency supplies today, I found two MREs that are about 14 years old. Best as I can remember, they came from a case I bought around 1997. They were milspec with heaters from Right Away Foods of McAllen, Texas. Stored indoors so figure 60-75 degrees the whole time. Here are the results of opening, smelling, and tasting:

Still good to eat:
Crackers (slight stale taste)
Oatmeal cookie
Chocolate covered oatmeal cookie
coco drink powder
citrus base beverage powder
peanutbutter (slight stale taste)
M&M's (slight odd taste)
Lifesavers hard candy

Tasted/smelled funny, would not eat:
Both entree's (spagetti & beef stew)
gram crackers

Gone rancid:
Cheese spread (for crackers)

So the overall report, there is still good some worthwile nutrition in old, expired MRE's

[cbaer5]

so basically all the junk food was good to go. I was hoping to hear you eat the entrees.

[Echidin]

Great to know! I have about 7 or 8 MREs that are probably pushing 12 years that I have been wondering about. Thanks for sharing.

[DannyInSoCal]

This could turn into a survivalist CalGuns-Fear-Factor video series...

[Jeepers]

i still have a couple of "c rations" somewhere around here i got in the late 70's and bet there still eatable and full of salt ....lol

[Cokebottle]

This could turn into a survivalist CalGuns-Fear-Factor video series...

There's some current MREs I wouldn't eat.

[G-forceJunkie]

When I broke open and tested the rest of the case about 5 years ago I did eat a few bits of the entrees. They tasted odd (strong chemical taste from the preservatives i guess.) Hotdogs tasted funny, bbq beef tasted funny, but nothing seemed like it was dangerious to eat. I didn't get sick off the few bites. Some of the candys had gone to the point the taste was too bad to eat.

so basically all the junk food was good to go. I was hoping to hear you eat the entrees.

[Cali-Shooter]

I guess safe to assume that taste-wise, MRE's really start to lose it once they hit 5 years or more old?

[chris]

i have some old MRE's in my house that are pushing it. but there is some stuff that you stated that don't go bad.

[problemchild]

Thanks for the 411


I can also add that a loaf of wonder bread will last 12 months in a hot garage.

We came back from hunting and left an opened loaf of wonder bread in a closed empty ice chest in the garage. Actually we forgot about it. A year later when we needed the ice chest again I opened it up to fill it with ice. There was the loaf of bread. I thought it would be a solid glob of green mold. When I opened the bag the bread was fine. No smell, still fresh, looked and felt fine. I almost tasted it but decided not to. I think that the bread would have been OK to eat.

[socal-shooter]

so i thought the mre's were to basically supposed to "never" get old and always be edible?

and how does one date how old mre's are? by the inspection date?

p.s whoa thats a trip problem child

[sevensix2x51]

pfft, I ate 4 brown-bag mre's in mexico, less than two years ago. I'm still alive. They were old when I bought them, but that was before they went to the tan bag. Figure that one out, they had to be pushing two decades. They definitely didn't taste good, but sometimes things don't turn out the way we plan, and we get stuck with our backup supplies.

I think I had ground beef with spiced sauce, chicken ala king, maybe some beef stew in there.

I should get some fresh ones, I bet they taste way better now...

[general_disarray_prk]

Great report - I miss MRE pound cake and milkshakes!

[WTSGDYBBR]

I went with several cal gunners to a weekend shoot and we ate several MRE not bad to eat when there not much food and your far away from home.

[thunderbolt]

Bet you can't eat that MRE cracker in 5 min without water...

I sometimes miss the old MRE's... Sometimes...