About MREs

Emergency Meals from Outer Space

The Big Breakthrough was the Pouch!

MRE Shelf Life

The Full Moisture Pouch is the Best Meal Time Solution for...

MRE Full Meals - Definition

MRE True Adventures

Emergency Meals from Outer Space!

MREs were born on Earth, but grew up on Apollo flights to the moon, in Skylab floating workshops and on every US space Shuttle flight from Enterprise to challenger.

In the 1970's, retort pouches (the popular name for thermostabilized, laminated food pouches named after the retort steam cooker) were put to their first real test by the U.S. Space Program. They were looking for delicious, easy to prepare, "normal" food that wouldn't increase human stress the way that freeze dried and "toothpaste tube food" sometimes did.

More than any other technology, retort pouches have satisfied the program's needs. And so, over 30 years ago, retort pouches found a home at NASA where all their unusual characteristics were much appreciated. They have been successfully feeding astronauts on the moon and in flight ever since.

In the 1980's, the US military research labs took the lead in its use and development. The new pouches enabled the Defense Department to upgrade its entire field ration program to retort pouches from the earlier, less workable technologies of canning and freeze drying.

Over the past 20 years, the same research labs which invented them have continually upgraded the taste and nutritional profile of the pouched meals.

Also over the past 20 years, our military has come to depend on the MRE Full Meal kits for most of their operations. Hundreds of millions of MRE Full Meals have been produced and eaten. They have gone to Grenada, to the war on drugs, to fight forest fires in Alaska and to bring relief after hurricanes. They fed Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Afghanistan and so on.
While all this was happening, Resourceful Foods Co. and its successor, Long Life Food Depot LLC, opened and continually upgraded a clearing house for MRE pouches -contract overruns from the MRE ration program. In recent years, this has expanded into a full fledged "Smorgasbord" of MRE style, full moisture pouched food.

The Big Breakthrough was the Pouch!

Its three special layers allow the food to be sealed and then cooked evenly (because of the thin pouch) and never exposed to the air again until opened. Thus, the food is actually sterilized in the pouch and then blocked from future contamination. The result is almost unbelievable shelf life and food which retains its natural moisture and juice (i.e. is not freeze dried or dehydrated!)

Here is the breakdown of the breakthrough pouch:

OUTER LAYER: A tough polyester film which provides protection for the middle layer and is an excellent printing surface.

MIDDLE LAYER: The key to the pouch’s shelf stability, aluminum foil, the most effective and economical barrier to moisture, light and oxygen. The result: No refrigeration or freezing will ever be required.

INNER LAYER: Next to your product is a very special polypropylene film. It is compatible with the widest variety of foods so that no “canned” or other unwanted taste is added to the food. It also ensures an exceptionally strong heat seal.

MRE Shelf Life

A main concern in the development and testing of rations for our armed forces has always been SHELF LIFE. An amazing amount of research has been done in the development of the retort pouch and the MRE to determine the exact length of time and the exact conditions under which it is safe to store the entrees and the side dishes.

The main thing we have to work with is the shelf life chart (shown below) compiled by the Army's Natick Research labs. This gives a very good overview and summary of all the findings gathered from all the testing of MRE products. However, it leaves many questions unanswered. Here are additional facts and observations we have gathered about MRE shelf life:

1) The shelf life ratings shown in the chart below were determined by taste panels, panels of "average" people, mostly office personnel at the Natick labs. Their opinions were combined to determine when a particular component or, in this case, the entire MRE ration, was no longer acceptable.

2) The shelf life determinations were made solely on the basis of taste, as it was discovered that acceptable nutritional content and basic product safety would extend way beyond the point where taste degradation would occur. This means that MREs would be safe and give a high degree of food value long after the official expiration of the products as determined by taste.

3) MRE pouches have been tested and redesigned where necessary according to standards much more strict than for commercial food. They must be able to stand up to abuse tests such as obstacle course traversals in field clothing pockets, storage outdoors anywhere in the world, shipping under extremely rough circumstances, 100% survival of parachute drops, 75% survival of free-fall air drops, severe repetitive vibration (1 hour at 1 G vibration), 7,920 individual pouch drops from 20 inches, and individual pouches being subjected to a static load of 200 lbs for 3 minutes.

4) Freezing an MRE retort pouch does not destroy the food inside, but repeated freezing increases the chances that the stretching and stressing of the pouch will cause a break in a layer of the laminated pouch. These pouches are made to withstand 1,000 flexes, but repetitive freezing does increase the failure rate by a small fraction of a percent.

MRE Storage Life Chart

The Full Moisture Pouch is the Best Meal Time Solution for...

Ready to Eat individual serving pouches are the correct mealtime solution for Emergency Preparedness, Camping, Hunting and all outdoor activities! Our full moisture “flexible can” pouchs won’t slow you down!

In 1980, the U.S. Military followed the lead of the U.S. Space program in recognizing the workability of a brand new technology. They used it to overhaul their food rations with the main result of delicious, long-lasting Meat & Non-Meat dinners complete with moisture, gravy and sauce.

The big breakthrough was the POUCH. Its three special layers (link to photo of pouch) allow the food to be sealed and then cooked inside and never exposed to the air again until opened.

The resulting taste and texture beats the heck out of the LPR’s (Long Range Patrol Rations - dehydrated and freeze dried rations used during the Viet Nam era) and the C-rations (the famous canned rations from World War II).

The big difference is the TASTE. But look at what else the MRE pouches give:

• Shelf Life 5-10 years!*
• NOT FREEZE DRIED! Moisture, gravy and sauce are retained in natural form.
• Ready to eat. Hot in 5 minutes with boiling water! (contaminated and/or dirty water has worked when it never touched the food).
• The food can be eaten cold in an emergency (contents were fully cooked
  in the sealed pouch!).
• Specially developed for maximum nutrition (an average of 55% meat compared with 35% normally).

Try some of these MRE pouches to see if they aren’t the best tasting, yet least expensive camping and hunting foods available.

See storage life chart

MRE Full Meals - Definition

“MREs” is the abbreviation for “Meals Ready to Eat.”

In 1980, the US Military followed the lead of the US Space Program in adopting a brand new technology! They used it to totally overhaul their food ration program. The result was a nifty little food kit with lots of pieces – now famous around the world as the “MRE Full Meal”.

The big breakthrough was the pouch! The main dish (entrée), the side dishes and most of the other components of MRE Full Meals were sealed in these new 3-layered pouches.

The 3 layers, made of aluminum and plastic, allow the food to be sterilized for a long shelf life with no refrigeration or freezing ever needed!

The full moisture food inside the pouch (not dehydrated or freeze-dried) requires no addition of water or any other preparation, so it is literally a “meal, ready to eat.”

Over the years since 1980, all real MRE Full Meals have come packaged 12 meals per case, with each meal made up of the following basic elements or components. Ours do too.

1. Main Dish pouch
2. Side Dish pouch
3. Crackers or Bread pouch
4. Spread pouch
5. Beverage Base pouch
6. Dessert pouch
7. Accessory packet
8. Outer thick poly bag
9. Extra strong cardboard container

We build our MRE Full Meals with all the Basics…and we refuse to compromise on these basic parts, unless a large order requests it.

Please beware of “cut down” MRE Full Meals, those with missing pieces. Many of our competitors sell them.

We offer full quality MRE Full Meals. We carefully design and pack them ourselves, from all the true MRE components direct from the government contractors who produce them for the US Military. We are able to access all the wide selections shown in our On-Line Catalog (linked in the left side navigation of this website).

For example, we NEVER give you the same side dish in every meal, like some competitors, or restaurant soup crackers in thin cellophane and fast food jelly pouches, like other competitors.

Also, we don’t simply leave out a standard component, such as Crackers and Spreads, like other competitors.

Our mission is NOT TO CUT our MRE Full Meals, but to offer the full compliment of components provided by the original, PLUS some extras whenever possible, like a long strong spoon and hot sauce in every meal.

This is how we define the world famous MRE Full Meal.

MRE True Adventures

Many of our customers have written or called us with their experiences with MREs in life or death situations. Some of these emergencies were Nature-made and some were man-made.

We always hope that the man-made emergencies have prepared our customer for the real ones!

One of our customers goes to Alaska every year and lives in a cave with MREs, for the purpose of just seeing if he can survive a week!

One recent shopper is a 72 year old backpacker taking MREs high into the Colorado mountains.

One young male customer races with MREs down rushing rivers.

But then, as we have all witnessed over and over in Hurricanes Andrew to Katrina, and from Earthquakes to Tsunamis, MREs have done an excellent job in saving thousands of lives around the United States and around the world!

Whether your Emergency is a hurricane, tornado, flood or earthquake or a self-created one like the hunt, the fishing trip or the sporting expedition, MREs will solve your emergency food needs like nothing else.

Convenient and long-lasting, MREs are always ready to go!

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