# MRE Shelf life



## Apocalesquire (Dec 29, 2012)

I got a case of MRI's for the Y2K false alarm. Now that the real deal may be imminent, I'm wondering if they're still edible. They've been expired for several years per the box, but will they keep me and my wife alive without making us sick? Taste is irrelevant.


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

I just got some biscuit mix from 1963 and I will eat it. It may taste like crap but it is still safe as long as it has not been opened.


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

Check the individual packages.
if they look like they are balooning = inedible.

If not, a starving man would risk it.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

Normal shelf life is 3-5 years based on storage conditions. But to get to 5 or even longer the conditions needs to be ideal. And under poor conditions their lifespan can be under 1 year. Like BlueZ said, look at the bag itself and see how it looks. After that I would follow the same rule as I do with old canned goods. If it looks bad toss it. If it smells bad toss it. If the color is wrong toss it. If anything seems off toss it.

If they were for Y2K they could be 12-15 years old. In which case I am betting they are no good. If they taste bad they will likely make you sick. May I suggest you look at Augason Farm 30-day food buckets (freeze dried). They run around $80 each at Overtstock.com for a 30 day supply of food, but they have a shelf of like of 25-30 years. Freeze dried foods are much better for long term storage than MRE's.


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## mtexplorer (Dec 14, 2012)

In James Rawles' book, "How to survive the end of the world as we know it" there is valuable information on MRE shelf life that includes variables, i.e., storage temperature vs shelf life. The book itself is one of those should have in your library IMHO.

There an important difference between "manufacture date" and "sold or distributed date". 

On the web you can find info about how to decode the number/letters on the packaging to determine when and where the MRE's were package and by what plant who had the contract to assemble them for the gov

There are claims that if stored at 60* they is a possible shelf life of 15+ years. The longer the food is stored though, the more loss of nutritional value, might be filling but will have little caloric value to survive. 

Freeze dried is still premium but much more costly, but a good investment for what's coming

M


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## Apocalesquire (Dec 29, 2012)

Thanks for all the info. Very helpful.


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## mgcatfish (Jan 2, 2013)

I have a case in the garage from the mid 90s. I ate one. Cheese was bad. I ate it anyway. Not life threatening. Messed with digestive track. Other food was good to go. 

I eat MRE's from 6 years ago all of the time. They are fine. I think the cheese is the biggest "if". The colder they are kept the longer they are good. If the package looks good (not bubbled). They should be ok. I have eaten way too many of these in my lifetime so can smell "bad". But I can do that with most food and have an iron stomach. 

I would eat them depending on how they looked, smelled, tasted. But that's just me. My wife would never eat them. Lol

The reality is that the military has them for years sometimes before they are handed out.


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