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Maybe ... MREs don't have an expiration date, but they do have a manufacture date. They are supposed to be good stored at 80F for at least three years. Of course if stored in a cool dry place, the timeline can be extended. if the package is intact and not swollen it's likely OK. It is worth noting that the main meal and the candy will last longer that the cheese spread, PB etc. It should go without saying if it smells or tastes "off," toss it.
Not for nothing, we were still eating WWII vintage C rats when I was in.
Not for nothing, we were still eating WWII vintage C rats when I was in.
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SPC Paul Eiden
SPC Robert Coventry - I was in 62 to 65 and we would heat our c's on the truck exhaust manifold and have a hot lunch or dinner.
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SMSgt Lawrence McCarter
SPC Paul Eiden - In 1968-69 when i was in Vietnam that is also how We heated our C Rations.
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TSgt (Join to see)
In 70 my favorite was called a LRRP ration which was a dehydrated Beef Stew. I ate it like potatoe chips and hydrated with a drink of water. In small portions.
Other favorites were the C-rat apricotes and the pound cake.
Always stached the mountain yard bars in the top of my ruck foir a back up.
I wonder what a 4 pack of C-rat smokes would be worth to a collecter? Or was it a 5 pack?
Other favorites were the C-rat apricotes and the pound cake.
Always stached the mountain yard bars in the top of my ruck foir a back up.
I wonder what a 4 pack of C-rat smokes would be worth to a collecter? Or was it a 5 pack?
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CSM Thomas Ray
TSgt (Join to see) - We were issued LRRP rations in Viet Nam in 70 and it was: Beef Stew, Chili with bullets, Chicken Stew, Beef with Rice, a nice change from the C rats. The only problem was during the dry season and having enough water, so mostly used them during the Monsoon season. We usually heated them with heat tabs or C4
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I was in basic in 1997. Our MREs featured M&Ms with an Olympic themed wrapper....
The 1984 LA Olympics.
If the MRE was stored properly, you should be OK.
The 1984 LA Olympics.
If the MRE was stored properly, you should be OK.
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SSG Elyzabeth Cromer
SFC (Join to see) in 1995 we had the freeze dried fruit. It was similar to the "space" ice cream that was sold around the time of the Apollo missions. When I got to my unit the MREs were so much better.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
SSG Elyzabeth Cromer I LOVED the freeze dried strawberries. Saw off a corner and pop it in your mouth and just let it sit on your tongue. It would just dissolve into deliciousness.
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10
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Meet me at McDonalds and I'll buy you a quarter pounder with cheese. Throw that shit away.
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10
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If You Eat It, One Of Three Things Could Happen
You Could Turn Into A Sasquatch !
You Could Be Immune To Covid !
You Could Be Okay !
Not A Choice I Would Make For Southwest Beef with Black Beans
You Could Turn Into A Sasquatch !
You Could Be Immune To Covid !
You Could Be Okay !
Not A Choice I Would Make For Southwest Beef with Black Beans
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LCpl (Join to see)
Go ahead and try it. My old Gunny sgt told us "if it doesn't kill you, it will make you stronger". We were issued sea rats that were packaged in WW2. That was 2decades.
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SPC James Neidig
LCpl (Join to see)
When I Was At Parris Island In 79 we Were Eating WW2 C-Rats , We Were Still Eating Them When I Got Discharged In 85 ,
They Had The 5 Pack Of Lucky Strike Cigarettes Or A Small Plug Of Cannon Ball Chew ,
BTW I Don’t Like The Southwest Beef With Black Beans, Lol .
When I Was At Parris Island In 79 we Were Eating WW2 C-Rats , We Were Still Eating Them When I Got Discharged In 85 ,
They Had The 5 Pack Of Lucky Strike Cigarettes Or A Small Plug Of Cannon Ball Chew ,
BTW I Don’t Like The Southwest Beef With Black Beans, Lol .
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LCpl (Join to see)
SPC James Neidig - Ive got you by almost 20 years, but not from PI. I was Hollywood. Dropped from a Ch34 chopper on the beachhead, missed dryland by 50ft go figure. Plenty of room for a LZ, but they were in a hurry I recon. Long story short. We recovered the Cuisine in boxes, no p38s, had to use our Kbar to open the cans. Truth B Told.......I hated BLACK BEANS AND BEEF. Thanks for listening. Simper Fi.
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https://www.mreinfo.com/mres/mre-shelf-life/
I've got some REALLY old stuff in a box in my basement ... haven't gotten around to chucking them out (some of these are from the 80s/90s), but everything I keep coming across is ... well, maybe but maybe not.
While it is rare for bacteria to grow inside of a sealed MRE - it's possible - rare, but possible. If there is any damage to it, I wouldn't even consider it. If you have any doubt (smell, texture, color) - get rid of it.
A modified 'caveat emptor' applies ... comedenti cave - eater beware, or 'eat at your own risk'.
I've got some REALLY old stuff in a box in my basement ... haven't gotten around to chucking them out (some of these are from the 80s/90s), but everything I keep coming across is ... well, maybe but maybe not.
While it is rare for bacteria to grow inside of a sealed MRE - it's possible - rare, but possible. If there is any damage to it, I wouldn't even consider it. If you have any doubt (smell, texture, color) - get rid of it.
A modified 'caveat emptor' applies ... comedenti cave - eater beware, or 'eat at your own risk'.
You have an MRE and you're wondering, is this thing still edible? Or, how long do MREs last? Here's all the shelf life information you need.
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SSG Bill McCoy
Yep, and as someone else noted, if they're swollen or smell bad, toss 'em. Otherwise, they should be fine; especially if you heat them to at least 140 degrees F.
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SSG Elyzabeth Cromer
The writer of the attachment says they have never been brave enough to try a five year old omelet with ham MRE? Very few are willing to eat it when it is fresh...
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CANNED goods are virtually without an exprie date ... only a "best by" date. I imagine MRE's are the same ... they'd only lose what (little) taste they have.
In Nam we had C-Rats (canned stuff that was actually pretty good, at least compared to MRE's!) that were from the Korean era.
In Nam we had C-Rats (canned stuff that was actually pretty good, at least compared to MRE's!) that were from the Korean era.
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LCpl (Join to see)
SSG Bill McCoy - Dont remember peaches. They must have been issued to the ARMY, or AF. Maybe not the Air Force
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SPC Vonnie Jones
Love beans and weiner with I think peaches! Thank God I always gave the lucky strikes and camels to someone else
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Sgt Bill Hallman
'68 thru 70. Nam. C Rats. 1940's
The cigarettes burned like fuses.
The chocolate bars shrank to little white pills.
Damn, I loved those "crackers".
Peaches...so rare. Worth like gold.
The ?pork? was pink lard. Pretty sure.
Our 10 man teams, just dump the ?meat? all in one pot, add couple bottles of the free Tabasco Sauce they gave us, bust up the crackers, add a little water, heat it up. Good eatin!!!
The cigarettes burned like fuses.
The chocolate bars shrank to little white pills.
Damn, I loved those "crackers".
Peaches...so rare. Worth like gold.
The ?pork? was pink lard. Pretty sure.
Our 10 man teams, just dump the ?meat? all in one pot, add couple bottles of the free Tabasco Sauce they gave us, bust up the crackers, add a little water, heat it up. Good eatin!!!
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While in Vietnam, 1969, most of the C-Rations we ate daily were left over from WW2, If I remember, the newer ones had better canned fruit and the peanut butter from Dotham Alabama was much better.
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SGT Carl Blas
No wonder some C-Rat cases were deferent, never knew that, thanks.
Most C-Rats in the field didn't have fruit cocktail, or Pound cake, but if you found it, it was premium. But, I always traded it with the cigarettes I saved, just for that occasion. Lol, they thought I was doing them a favor.
Most C-Rats in the field didn't have fruit cocktail, or Pound cake, but if you found it, it was premium. But, I always traded it with the cigarettes I saved, just for that occasion. Lol, they thought I was doing them a favor.
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SP5 George Butts
It was common for troops to brake up Claymore Mines and use a chunk of the C-4 to heat up the canned C-Rations or water to shave. I looked it up and found out a Claymore Mine cost about $200 back then.
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LCpl (Join to see)
SP5 George Butts - H&S Bat. had c4 stocked, but not for us. Get C4 started, add on top some volcano ash, give it a few min. and it will warm your bones as well.
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I don't know about MREs but in the Marines in Vietnam we had C-rations from the 1940s to eat.
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I'd eat it. Back in the 60s, I ate C-rations that were packaged in the 40s and I'm still above ground.
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SP5 George Butts
SGT Carl Blas - HaHa I haven't heard of MD 20-20 in years! A Jewish guy from New York in my unit said his mother would give the kids a tablespoon full of it every day in the winter for good health.
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LCpl (Join to see)
SP5 George Butts - My mom did the same with us, and she was a Methodist, so it was not a religious thing.
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6
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Possibly. It ultimately depend on its condition and the condition it was stored in. There are plenty of YouTube channels dedicated to this very thing. I’ve watched guys eat rations from Vietnam and older but it depends on a lot of factors.
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