MREInfo.com

I purchased a case of MREs that have had obvious exposure to moisture as the outer box is water stained and has some mildew odor and signs of mold. The seller and photo did not represent them as such. What are the chances that the MREs have been damaged. The box was sealed and red indicator still shows bullseye. Insp Date is 5-2007. Packets themselves don't show any signs of damage or exposure. Any rule of thumb on this? Thanks. Porc.

Hi Porcupine - welcome to the forums!

It's just my opinion, but I'd guess that the MREs inside are just fine. Since you don't know what kind of water/conditions the box was in, it'd be a *real good* idea to dispose of the box and clean off the individual MRE bags. Also, when you finally open up the MRE bags, don't do anything like open up the crackers, take them out, and put them on top of the bag. Just keep the actual food away from any surfaces that might have been exposed to the water/mildew and you should be fine.

And as always...if any of the pouches are swelling, punctured, or damaged - or if the food doesn't smell right - don't eat it.

And be sure to leave the asshat who sold them to you negative feedback for misrepresenting the auction.

"Asshat" seems to be the word of the day lol, it's a good one...

I do hope this isn't a case of what we were discussing just after the hurricane, about the MRE cases that were dropped into the new orleans water But I'd also think the contents would have been protected by the outer bag. One would think ebayers wouldn't send those across the world, or at the very least advise potential buyers... oh wait, they'd make less money that way!

Does the red indicator have any real significance? I'd like to buy some of these directly from the manufacturer, then I wouldn't be paying for them twice, if you know what I mean.

Yes, the red indicator (TTI or Time and Temperature Indicator) does have significance. It's suppose to indicate how long and how much temperature the case has been exposed to. There's more info on it here:

http://www.mreinfo.com/mre-longevity.html

Good luck buying MREs directly from the manufacturer. Unless you're a US government or military entity, you won't be able to buy the military version of MREs from the manufacturers. You can buy the civilian versions:

http://www.mreinfo.com/sopakco-mres.html

buy they'll probably cost as much or more than the military ebay MREs.

Dispose the box, the MREs are more than likely fine. It won't hurt to get a spray bottle with 1:1 water/bleach and spray down everything to disinfect.

Thanks for the feedback. It is much appreciated.