What is the realistic shelf life of an MRE?Civilian or military.
Is the MRE still good?How long do these things last?There are official answers and practical answers.We will get down to some more practical answes like taste-tests after I run through the official answers.
How long MREs last depends on how long they are kept at.They should last at least 1 month when stored at 120 degrees.They could last 5 years at 10 C.As of 2010, this is the most current time and temperature chart.
MRE's "Time and Temperature" chart can be found on the internet.When the MREs first came out, they projected up to 130 months of storage at 60 F.The first MREs had a number of freeze-dried components.The shelf lives of military and civilian MREs have changed because they no longer use freeze-dried components.
The time and temperature indicator on the outside of the box has been included in MRE cases since 1997.There is an outer dark circle and an inner light circle.The MREs are supposed to be good if the inner circle is still lighter than the outside circle.The official info on the TTIs can be found here.
3 years at normal temperatures is the average for MRE freshness.I have heard 10 years if they are stored in cool conditions.That is the official information.
The darn things last a long time.As long as the individual MRE components are undamaged.They should still be eaten.Some people say that an MRE will retain its nutrition even if it loses its flavor or becomes unappetizing.Some people will say the nutrition value goes down over time.Pick your opinion.Don't base your nutrition on 10-year old MREs if you want to be safe.You are probably ok for occasional eating and camping.
How do they taste?I have eaten everything from one month old MREs to 11 year olds.I haven't been brave enough to try the Omlette with ham, but I have tried the 11 year old ham slice and potato casserole.If you like those kinds of foods, they were delicious.The ham slice was tender and nice.I have never eaten a can of corned beef hash like that.All the MRE entree I have tried have been good, no bad tastes or off-flavors.