The Value of the MRE

MRE meal stands for ready-to-eat meal and connotates its exact purpose. These are meals that can be grabbed and eaten in a hurry.

These meals were originally produced for use by the military and are still in use. Unlike other military ‘quick’ foods that were canned or prepackaged, these meals are cooked and moist.

This reduces the reliance on water, which is not always available in many combat situations. It also reduces the time and the need to construct a fire to cook the meal, which are also often limited resources in the field.

However, these packets are now available to purchase by civilians as well. Whether or not this is a considered to be a good thing is somewhat of a controversial topic.

Civilians are finding that these meals have a fantastic shelf life which makes them ideal for developing food storage in preparation of a disaster. In fact, when a disaster strikes, MRE’s are one of the first things on hand but they quickly run out.

There is often too much demand and simply not enough of the MRE’s on hand. The packaging of the MRE has had something of an interesting evolution.

The original packaging of the military meals was in a tin can. However, these became cumbersome and added too much weight. Then, the can became a flexible aluminum pouch Viagra Professional that looked like a can.

This allowed for the meals to be packaged more easily. These flexible pouches became even more flexible until they resemble plastic packaging with the same silver look of a can which is used for the MRE today.

This packaging gave the MRE the nickname “the flexible can”. However, this is not the only nickname the MRE has earned. Improvements have been made to the MRE’s since they were first made, but they were nothing Levitra Professional to be desired in the beginning.

Some of the troops tagged the names “Mr. E”(mystery), “Meals Rejected by Everyone”, “Meals, Rarely Edible”, “Meals Rejected by the Enemy”, “Morsels, Regurgitated, Eviscerated”, “Meal, Ready to Excrete”, “Materials Resembling Edibles”, and “Meals Rejected by Ethiopians”. They became very creative with these nasty tasting meals.

A few of the meals even earned their own nicknames. For example, the frankfurter meal was often referred to as the “four fingers of death.”

MRE’s in general were also called “Three Lies for the Price of One.” This name stuck because troops believed that it was not a meal, it was not ready, and you could not eat it.

As a result of these strong feelings and reports from nutrition experts and doctors explaining that the troops were not receiving the amount of calories or proper daily vitamins that they desperately needed. These things were especially important to the troops because they are often in highly stressful and physically demanding situations.

The officials then decided to make changes to the MRE to make them more palatable and appealing. These changes included additions to the menu and added accessories such as salt and pepper.

It was discovered that the shiny metal packaging could reflect light and give away the position of the troops. As a result, the packaging of the MRE was changed to be produced in brown and green colors to help those in field stay hidden.

The pouch is very durable and there are several ways to heat the food. Many of the packages include a chemical reaction that can heat the food.

These are called Water-Activated Flameless MRE Heaters. The unopened pouch can also be placed in a warm pan of water for five to ten minutes.

The pouch can also be laid in direct sunlight, placed inside a shirt, or laid on another warm surface to be warmed up. The packaging can also be opened and the food poured into a pot and heated conventionally.

These foods can last for a very long time depending on the temperature at which it is stored. MRE’s which are stored at temperatures about 100 degree Fahrenheit usually last about 22 months on the shelf.

Meanwhile, the MRE’s which are stored at temperatures 60 degrees Fahrenheit or below will have a storage life of more than 130 months. This is a very long time and this makes the MRE a very desirable component of home food storage and preparation for disaster.

An increasing number of companies are realizing the desire the civilians have for this product and are trying to capitalize on the demand. MRE’s are great investment for everyone.

Author Bio: Tommy Greene is an accomplished expert in family preparedness and has been giving seminars for over 15 years. He recommends that everyone haveMRE Meals in their emergency food storage.

Contact Info:
Tommy Greene
TommyGreene09@gmail.com
(http://www.foodinsurance.com/freeze_dried_food/mre_comparison.php)

Category: Food and Drink
Keywords: MRE Meals

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