some unknown Ration Items

[sw342pd]

Hi folks,

I`ve got some items and don`t know how old they are - anyway from which country - maybe some items are non US rations!
So maybe I`ll make a taste test with documentation - or if someone collets that stuff - PM me please, will give it away.
Sorry, but I`ve no idea from wich year these items are! Maybe someone can help me please?

sw342pd

Here we go:

Muesli Bag - named with NATURAL BO 172 000711 09:00, and MUESLI 12-1 100gm - I have two of these and the second has this difference: BO263 001011 07:47 - country?? Year?

Fruitcake - US? the number on it is 3048 5 - Question how old might it be?

Orange Nut Cake, green cardboard box with 2106 10 Z on it - Manufactured by Sterling! Any idea how old it is?

Maple Nut Cake - should be a newer part - packed for Sp-PAK-Co, Code: SPC9289A01A2H - somebody wrote Apr. 93 on it! That does not match the code! Is it 1989 or 1999??

Cooked beef patty dehydrated - made by right away foods - no date code! How old might it be?

Two Cheese tins, one hickory smoke Code 80172 and one plain Code 80126 - both made by Real Fresh Inc. CA - Year??

Fuel, Compressed, Trioxane - FSN 9110-263-9865 - do you think this is an actual item?

[mjwise]

Fruitcake is DoP 1983. (It was in Menu #9 of MRE I-V) It was off the MRE menus by 1988.

Orange nut cake is DoP 1982 - again, long gone from the MRE menu by 1992.

Maple nut cake is DoP 1989. The balance of the nut cake production ended around 1993 and was replaced with the pound cakes then.

My guess is those cheese spreads are DoP 1978, but I don't know for sure.

[sw342pd]

Thanks - I`m unsure if I should open or keep them - what do you think?
I don`t know, how they are stored in the meantime - so a taste test could be bad...

Otherwise, I`m always interested in checking how the rations last and I`m not a collector.
So - if somebody needs something of the stuff for collecting purposes - I will give it to him - otherwise I`ll check and open it soon...

[mjwise]

I would not bother with the cheese spreads - they are going to be well past disgusting by now.

The nut cakes MAY be okay. Some people report rancid nuts, and others report cakes as fresh as the day they were made. I think there would be a few people on this forum very interested in the nut cakes and the fruitcake if you don't want them.

[cavguy]

The Museli looks to be from a Australian ration pack CR1M possibly menu D from 2007-2008. I would eat the nut cakes/fruit cake. You can do an experiment on the cheese spread open it up and post your findings!

[Name_not_found]

Fuel, Compressed, Trioxane - FSN 9110-263-9865 - do you think this is an actual item?

Yes this is a real item, long story short here is a link

http://olive-drab.com/od_rations_cantee ... _fuels.php

The fumes on these are nasty, but i think they work better than hexamine (weak and slow) and are safer than the gel (cant see it burning and gets everywhere).

Its easy to light, (one spark) and once lit its not going out, even in intense winds.

They are becoming hard to find

[mreheater72]

Hi,

here are some vintage US MRE cake reviews, usually they are still edible :

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4486

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3759

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4604

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4436

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4312

The vintage US MRE COOKED BEEF PATTY is packed about 1983, maybe you can eat it, I still have not tried it the last years .

The US MCI (Meal, Combat, Individual) Cheese is definitely packed 1978 and it is definitely not edible any more .

So long mreheater72

[sw342pd]

Thank you guys - very informationally! Never thought that there are so many collectors and "specialists" on MRE food!
And beside there is someone who asks me to give him the stuff - I will not open it and send it to him! Gratulations Ken!

cheers,
sw342pd

[rationtin440]

Hello sw342pd! At one time during the 1980s, there were food safety issues involving the inner pouch which contained the entree itself, the "last line of defense" if you will. Specifically they involved tiny pin-holes caused during the manufacturing process, and there were cases of food-poisoning from the turkey diced w/gravy (ask me how I know, ) and, unfortunately, the cooked beef patty, among other things. My advice to you would be to get rid of the beef patty and if the cakes smell "off" do the same. I hope this helps and if anyone in forums has more info on these mfg defects during the 80s please share with all of us, because my memory misses details these days.