Pushing the Edge of the Retort Envelope

I was in the cellar puttering in the bunker last week  and came across two cardboard  cases of MREs.  A treasure trove of twenty-four individual Meals Ready to Eat – resting in their retort packaging and assembled into individually-packed reheatable meals with all of the accoutrements. 

I don't want any of my readers to think that I am some sort of survivalist or prepper personality.  I just like to "Be Prepared".  Boy Scout Motto after-all.  In any event I haven't experienced a food-deficient event in the passing dozen years since I left these cases in my bunker.  Truthfully, I have even more food when you add-up what is in the pantry four freezers and all of the shelf-stable home-canned garden goodness I've processed.  Less likely a prepper and more likely a disorganized accumulator. But I digress.

MRE packages don't have an expiration date stamped on them in the sense of a day, month, and year.  Instead they have a manufacture date.  As a consequence, unless the seal is broken on the packaging, MREs can last for about five years beyond their date of manufacture but they may lose taste and nutritional value after long periods of time. 

On each box I had scribbled in permanent marker:  Expires 2012-2014. Sure, I know that is ambiguous, nevertheless these meals are definitely past their factory expiration date - possibly by seven years.   Nevertheless, MREs can last for a long period of time and remain toothsome if stored under the proper conditions.  These have been stored in a cool, dry and very dark place.  They might not only be edible they may actually be wholesome and tasty.  That is not to imply that this is some sort of zombie food - but it has a long self-life under ideal circumstances. 

Freeze-dried food will last for 30+ years but this stuff is Ready-To-Eat.   I’ve researched on the internet people eating MREs much older than these – including rations going back to the Gulf Wars, Vietnam, Korea and WWII.  Once you get back to anything predating the 1980s food that is not freeze-dried and vacuum-sealed can become pretty sketchy.  But I’ve not read of anybody actually being poisoned by this stuff – at least on the internet.  

I opened the meal packaging and found this.... 

Closer Look?  Click on the Image

 

Chicken noodle stew with vegetables, applesauce, enriched orange-flavored drink (vitamin C added), nut raisin mix, oatmeal cookie, flameless ration heater and accessory pack. 

Nothing is bloated, swollen or leaking.  After thinking about it for a week I think I’m going to eat it.   

And see what happens.

Stay-tuned.....