Reliable Sources for MREs

[Jasonanddeonna]

My youngest son is very interested in adding MREs to our food storage and for variety. What are some reliable sources to buy military surplus MREs made by the main companies that provide them (Sopakco, Ameriqual, or Wornik)? Are there other companies that do well with MREs, calories, nutrition, etc.?

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[Andy54Hawken]

Ahhh...Good old Meals Refusing to Evacuate..Err...Meals Refused by Ethiopians...I mean..Might Require Emergency...
I'd say the Army was always reliable to get us MRE's...but then I'd be lying....
Andy

 

[Longwalkhome]

Are you going to really eat them?

 

[Knobgoblin]

Make friends with active duty personnel, be good in the kitchen, have your friends over for dinner a lot.

Then just let them know that you wouldn't mind having a stash of menu #10 .

And Paracord, mags , surefire batteries...

 

[oremike]

I get mine from The Epi-Center https://theepicenter.com/mre-meals-ready-to-eat/mre-full-meal-cases.html
Looks like they are out of the full cases but have lots of the individual packets.

 

[GWS]

Try Major Surplus and Supply

 

[3MTA3]

Safecastle sometimes has good deals on these and other preparedness focused foods. https://www.safecastle.com/

Also, they have periodic smokin deals on Berkey filtration systems

 

[Stomper]

Ahhh...Good old Meals Refusing to Evacuate..Err...Meals Refused by Ethiopians...I mean..Might Require Emergency...
I'd say the Army was always reliable to get us MRE's...but then I'd be lying....
Andy

No part of a lie on the refusing to evacuate…… imagine only pooping once every two weeks, for two months straight!

 

[Old Dog]

If you know someone who has commissary privileges on your nearest military base, *some* (can't speak to all) commissaries sell MREs individually or by the case. Unlike the exchanges, which do not charge state sales taxes, the commissaries do have a 5% surcharge, but are still way cheaper than buying this stuff off-base, or ordering on-line and paying shipping, etc.

Advantage to buying these products from a military-affiliated organization is that you're not subject to getting stuff that was packaged a few years ago and is getting close to its expiration dates, you can check the dates on the case or the individual pouches.

 

[Member 53328]

The veggie omelet is spot on. I suggest keeping an eye out for that flavor….. haha.

 

[RedRover]

My youngest son is very interested in adding MREs to our food storage and for variety. What are some reliable sources to buy military surplus MREs made by the main companies that provide them (Sopakco, Ameriqual, or Wornik)? Are there other companies that do well with MREs, calories, nutrition, etc.?

You can buy them by the case off of places like eBay. This is often where one will find the best price.

Make sure to check the inspection date, and the TTI time/temperature indicator sticker on them.
It should look like this:


If the inner circle is darker than the outer circle, they're moving past shelf-life stage.

The Inspection Date references 3 years past the packing date. If stored properly, the MRE ought to still be good for a few years after this. They usually can stay edible(albeit stale and some parts funky) between 5-10 years.

Keep in mind that MREs were designed for a particular use in mind. (Somewhat) lightweight packages of food to sustain a soldier out on short missions. Many opt to break them down to smaller parts to pack better. They were not designed to be eaten for days on end. They are often extremely high in sodium, and repeated consecutive meals are known to facilitate stoppage.

They may work fine as a supplement to one's emergency food supply, but only as a single occasional component to other availabe options.

As a long-term storage plan, they aren't so great. They eventually go bad, and while people have been known to eat 20, or even 30 year old MREs and lived to tell about... Yeah. No thanks.

One would be better off having the bulk of their emergency food supply being freeze-dried Mylar-packed meals, or #10 cans. These can last upwards of 30+ years, negating any concerns about needing to rotate MREs, or other lesser-lived shelf stable foods.

There are various companies that make and offer freeze-dried meals/foods.

I would avoid the ones that use words like 'Patriot' (or the like) in the title; that are marketed towards inexperienced preppers. They're usually garbage tasting and a rip-off.

Most people swear by Mountain House(Made in Oregon). Count me as one of those people. They taste pretty decent, and while one needs a jet-boil, they make for a good meal out in the woods.

 

[ma96782]

Hummmmm.......
Location Listed As : The Edge of Sanity

Yeah.......plenty of MREs are available at the corner store.

But if you're looking to have some shipped?

Rrrright......LOL.

Aloha, Mark

 

[Jasonanddeonna]

I get mine from The Epi-Center https://theepicenter.com/mre-meals-ready-to-eat/mre-full-meal-cases.html
Looks like they are out of the full cases but have lots of the individual packets.

Yep, first place I checked as they are local for me.

 

[Yarome]

The veggie omelet is spot on. I suggest keeping an eye out for that flavor….. haha.

You've got a bit of a mean streak goin on, don't ya...

 

[Yarome]

Yep, first place I checked as they are local for me.

About the only place I ever buy from for many a year. Support Oregon local business, good people and great pricing. Personally, I like "build your own" menus with single selections by the case (typically at a discount) over full meal cases, which is where they excel, IMHO.

They are also great about requests and notifying you once they lay hands on it.

 

[patrikky]

With the prices through the roof on Complete MRE's right now I would just buy the entrees. 18 entrees for $66 on amazon right now.
I have opened some real old MRE's and while the chocolate bars have turned to dust and the cheese is a different color the main entrees was still palatable.

 

[CountryGent]

They may work fine as a supplement to one's emergency food supply, but only as a single occasional component to other availabe options.

As a long-term storage plan, they aren't so great. They eventually go bad, and while people have been known to eat 20, or even 30 year old MREs and lived to tell about... Yeah. No thanks.

^. This. As an easy to move/store/whatever supplemental food storage, sure, and we keep some for that reason. But as a primary source, no thanks, for a variety of reasons.

As to the original question, Emergency Essentials sells something MRE-ish. And they are widely available on Amazon.

 

[GWS]

The veggie omelet is spot on. I suggest keeping an eye out for that flavor….. haha.

I am positive the ham omelet was some guy eating a ham omelet then regurgitating it into a pouch and sealing it. The worst meal ever. I threw mine on the rocks near my campsite and watched. A coyote came by, sniffed it and vomited, Two Sasquatch ambled nearby it, grabbed their noses and ran away and finally a UFO landed where 3 Grays picked it up with tongs, stuck it in their engine compartment and flew off like a bat out of hell till their ship blew up about 4 miles downrange
I got the heck out of there after that. I didn't want a cloud of toxic ham omelet smoke wafting over me...

 

[Member 53328]

I am positive the ham omelet was some guy eating a ham omelet then regurgitating it into a pouch and sealing it. The worst meal ever. I threw mine on the rocks near my campsite and watched. A coyote came by, sniffed it and vomited, Two Sasquatch ambled nearby it, grabbed their noses and ran away and finally a UFO landed where 3 Grays picked it up with tongs, stuck it in their engine compartment and flew off like a bat out of hell till their ship blew up about 4 miles downrange
I got the heck out of there after that. I didn't want a cloud of toxic ham omelet smoke wafting over me...

It was all sarcasm. Haha. I'd rather die with an empty stomach than intake the veggie omelet.

 

[Yarome]

It was all sarcasm. Haha. I'd rather die with an empty stomach than intake the veggie omelet.

So was my comment.

Trying to trick some unsuspecting fellow NWFA member into putting something that foul in his mouth.... for SHAME!