Page 1 of 1
Numbers on back side
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 1:43 pm
by housil
They startet in 2004 printing the production code on the back side of each pouch:
Is it for 2004 only (didn´t had a newer one yet.) or is it since 2004 for every year?!
I got some MRE from ebay, the seller say´s they are all inspec. date 2009.
Non of them is having a number on the back side:
He also sent me:
No 8 Beef Patty (replaced 2005)
No 4 CCC (replaced 2004)
No 11 Pasta w/ vegetable (replaced 2005)
If there is the prod. code
since 2004 on the bag, he cheatet me and I will "kick his a**" - but I need to know for sure

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 1:58 pm
by kman
I have yet to figure out when/why they put the datecodes on the back of the pouches. I recently opened up a 2007 case of MREs. 2 of the 12 MREs had the code on the back and the others didn't - and these were all supposedly from the same batch.
I think the bags since 2004 should have either an imprinted datecode near or on one of the seals on the bag - or it'll have the big datecode printed on the back.
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 3:09 pm
by German_EPA
on the newer ones the code is melted/printed in the lower welded joint.
sometimes its really clear to read - very often its nearly impossible to figure out the date.
2004 how you said
2005 is sometimes difficult to read in the welded joint
2006 i dont know
2007 its very clear melted in the welded joint
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 3:11 pm
by German_EPA
and with the older ones you can figure it out by reading: "flamesless ration heaters are ....." sometimes its missing - sometimes it was written bigger, and so on
learning by doing.
thats the way i got my 2002/2003 mres
but the best tip to check when it was produced is kmans MENU-PAGE
http://www.mreinfo.com/us/mre/mre-menus.html
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2008 10:26 pm
by kman
German, EPA - good catch on the FRH text...I had forgotten about that. According to what I recently put up on the MRE Bag Design page:
http://www.mreinfo.com/us/mre/mre-bag-design.html
it looks like that text first appeared in 2001. Does that sound right?
Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 6:45 am
by German_EPA
i dont know - my newest "oldest" is was 2002/2003