MRE

[Mortblanc]

Not only are there differences between the contents and taste of each nation's rations there are also differences in amount contained.

U.S. MRE include a single meal and snacks, most other NATO nations include a full one day ration or three meals equivalent. Each contains foods unique to that culture but not so strange as to put off a hungry Brit soldier who is tossed a German or French ration.

There are many You-tube bits concerning the rations of each nation and most are very enlightening.

Shelf life on current rations is not a concern to me. I have long term rations and short term rations with the short term stuff good for a couple of years and the long term stuff good for a decade. I am not worried about 25-30 year stuff, I don't have 25-30 ears left! Besides, just before the Y2K thing I had to dispose of my first 30 year food supply purchase.

I would have lived fine without long term stores from 1970-2000 and I will probably not need it for the next 30 years if I last that long.

Modern military rations do not need to last eternally. 2-5 years yes, they have a long trip to take and a long time from production to use point, and they can expect some exposure to elements and bad handling along the way, but not a decade.

Our acquisition and supply system is such that if your MRE expires before you see another one you have lost the war and are probably dead anyway. They are made for war fighters, not long term preppers. Saying that, if you like them and have access to quality products there is no reason to not have them among your preps.

Not a single thing in CH list is a complete turn off for keeping MREs. That is especially true for that comment on "high in sugars and fat" and high sodium content. WTH, they are for use in a survival situation where you need all the sugar, fat, electrolytes and calories you can find! They are not intended to be part of a heart healthy diet for a diabetic with leukemia!

The bulk is also not an issue. They are intended to be a one day or one meal supply with another truck arriving tomorrow or the next day with more. When they are being used the MRE is "stripped; removed from the nitrogen filled pillow pack and even taken from the individual small boxes and scattered about ones person for easy transport and access. The snacks go into the jacket pockets, the entrees go into the backpack.

Rations are always going to be a complaint. I am sure Alexander's troops complained about the strange foods offered in each area they conquered, I have read the complaints of the Roman troops as well as from most of the wars between then and now.

One thing I remember reading was the response of a family to the letter sent home in WW2 from an American GI complaining about the quality and taste of the canned meat rations they were issued. His next "care package" contained a can of the newly marketed meat called SPAM as a gift from home with a letter telling how much the family was enjoying this delicacy prepared in all sorts of ways. SPAM was the ration he had been complaining about!