MREInfo.com

1987 cookie bar, chocolate covered. Looks perfectly new. Could not eat it right out of the package. Had a chemical essence about it after opening, left me wheezy. Not being one to waste food, I left it to aerate in the refrigerator for a couple days. It's far more palatable now and the cookie and chocolate flavor are evident. Is this just the effect of being in the pouch for so long?

Odd, I have never experienced this smell? Perhaps it is just subjective?

Perhaps. It's perfectly edible. I'm going to finish it. I also ate the old school salted crackers and peanut butter from this mre, as well as the grape drink mix, dried peaches, and the coffee, instant, type 1. That was all perfectly good. Haven't gotten to the entree yet, will boil it and proceed cautiously. I have 6 more of the 1987 mre's as well as 8 1992 mre' s.

Ground beef in spiced sauce from this 1987 mre, unbelievably perfect. Passed visual, smell and taste tests. Nothing off about it. Even the grape powdered drink mix in the paper envelope was still in its original form with no clumping and mixed just fine. I opened this mre from this lot I purchased to evaluate the whole lot. They were from the same case. There's a couple menus 1 and 3 which will undoubtedly be fine as they are freeze dried entrees, the last year for those I believe.

It's always cool seeing how well these things can be preserved. Glad your MRE was entirely edible and I hope the rest of the case follows suit.