MRE - Meals Ready to Eat

Due to the many recent disasters we have experienced, people want to store emergency food to be prepared. One of the most popular is MRE (meals ready to eat). These are military style rations. Commercial MRE is also now available. I have done some research on MRE and freeze dried food to weigh the pros and cons of these two alternatives to see which is best suited to preparing for a disaster. The main reason MRE's are so popular is that the do not require water to re-hydrate and are ready instantly. MRE paks also can be heated with special heater pads so you can have a nice hot meal. Don't heat them with an open flame, the plastic in the pouch will melt and ruin the food. MREs have a nice variety of food but the MRE main course and side dish foods taste like most food out of a can. Freeze Dried Food on the other hand requires water to re-hydrate. For most of the United States access to water even in an disaster is something that you can also prepare for (more later) so this inconvenience can be easily overcome. The good news is freeze dried food can be "gourmet" quality to the level of some high quality great tasting frozen dinners now available. The most important area to consider however when comparing MRE packs to freeze dried food is shelf life. According to the U.S. Department of Defense if stored in a cool (below 70 degrees F) dry place MRE's will last up to 5 years. However at 90 degrees they will last less than 3 years and at 120 degrees only 1 month! Freeze dried food on the other hand can last up to 30 years. (Mountain House #10 cans). So you need to ask yourself what you think is the chance of having a disaster in the next 5 years versus the next 30? If you buy MRE's and forget about them they could be inedible come the time you and your family really need them. If you want to store an emergency food supply for your family that will last 4 months does it make sense to invest so much in something you hopefully will have to through out in just 5 years? The best answer to your emergency meal ration needs is freeze dried food. With shelf life of up to 30 years you can stock up and be sure you will have quality food available years down the road. Freeze dried food means you will not need to throw out inferior food supplies every year that go bad. You can purchase a wide variety of food reserve paks that can feed a family of 4 from 3 days to 3 months. The FDA recommended daily calorie intake is 2500-3000 for adult males and 2200 calories per day for adult females. Some cheap discounts offer far less calories and are not really deals at all so you need to be careful and know exactly what you are getting when you buy freeze dried meals. Kevin Taylor is a freelance writer and webmaster based in Toronto, Canada. Web: Order MRE