MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat) Genuine U.S. Military Surplus Assorted Flavor (4-Pack)

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MREs are incredibly convenient in an emergency, but they may not be the best option for emergency food storage, depending on your situation. Pros a b c d Martin, Don (February 24, 2008). "Anatomy of an MRE". Neil Gunton . Retrieved October 6, 2009. [ permanent dead link] MREs are no home cooked meal, but in terms of utility and shelf life, they’re hard to beat, which is why they’re widely used by nearly every military around the world. They are many types (I’ll show you the most common and best MREs to buy below depending on your budget) and the quality varies greatly depending on the brand. Civilian MREs are meant to feed people in the aftermath of catastrophic events, like hurricanes or earthquakes, and they’re stored in mass by FEMA and the US government for just such an emergency. They’re not meant as a long-term food source, but rather as a stopgap to feed people for a few days until longer-term relief (or evacuation) is possible. Field Rations Go Gourmet". National Geographic. July 15, 2014. Archived from the original on August 22, 2022 . Retrieved March 16, 2023.

English: U.S. Army Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service noting Dr. Rauno A. Lampi's work on the creation and development of the MRE". February 3, 2017 – via Wikimedia Commons. a b Severson, Kim (April 7, 2003). "A lot of cooks in the MRE kitchen". San Francisco Chronicle. pp.A–20 . Retrieved February 11, 2007.

Meals ready to eat initially were used by NASA for our astronauts in the 1970’s. Today’s version of meals ready to eat started when the space program decided to enhance the eating experience by making it close to the normal meal that we eat here on earth. So in trying to get rid of the food stuff that was squeezed out of a tube and upgrade out of the freeze dried foods, our current meals ready to eat were born. The first American military ration established by a Congressional Resolution, during the Revolutionary War, consisted of enough food to feed a man for one day, mostly beef, peas, and rice. [3] During the Civil War, the U.S. military moved toward canned goods. Later, self-contained kits were issued as a whole ration and contained canned meat, bread, coffee, sugar and salt. During World War I, canned meats were replaced with lightweight preserved meats (salted or dried) to save weight and allow more rations to be carried by soldiers on foot. At the beginning of World War II, a number of new field rations were introduced, including the Mountain ration and the Jungle ration. Cost-cutting measures by Quartermaster Command officials during the latter part of World War II and the Korean War again saw the predominance of heavy canned C-rations issued to troops, regardless of operating environment or mission. [4] During World War II, over 100 million cans of Spam were sent to the Pacific. [5] The use of canned wet rations continued through the Vietnam War, with the improved MCI. It’s hard to motivate soldiers to risk their lives for sub-optimal rations, and these are really quite exceptional. The “meal” itself is very similar to the civilian option, though with more protein and actual meat, but the “extras” ensure that our armed forces have everything they need to operate in some of the harshest environments on the earth.

The thing is, even though MREs are surprisingly good, they’re not the best emergency food for civilians. There are times when the benefits outweigh the downsides, and I’ll walk you through the pros and cons of using MREs off the battlefield. Menu 3 - Raspberry Toasted Muesli with Milk/Steak Vegetables & Dumplings/Beef Burrito Style Filling with Rice/Cinnamon Cake When you’re preparing an MRE, you’re not actually “cooking” it, as the food is already fully cooked. All you’re doing is heating the food so it’s more enjoyable. A warm meal is much more satisfying than a cold one, but it can be eaten cold in a pinch. The Modular Operational Rations Enhancement (MORE) is issued as a supplement to meals for troops in extreme, demanding operational environments such as high-intensity training events. [53] [54]While holding the MRE and heater slightly above the fill lines on the pouch, pour water into the top of the bag until it reaches the fill line. (Around 30 ml or two tablespoons) The ingredients are all healthy, natural stuff, and there’s no soy present either! All of that’s a massive plus in my book. Good to Go Thai Curry Although the MRE has its roots firmly planted in the military it has become a popular item with the civilian population including preppers and survivalists. But they’re not the only ones. Families have begun to see the wisdom of keeping MREs on hand, to mitigate the effects of a hurricane, tornado, flood, blizzard or a half dozen other natural disasters.