MREInfo.com

I'm not sure that anyone has mentioned this for awhile, but I'm curious for theories/ideas as to why American MREs seem to have a longer shelf-life than most other countries' rations represented in the forums and on the website MREinfo.com I mean, it seems like most countries have the technology to make rations with longer shelf life, but I'm sure there are perfectly logical reasons for the considerable differences in many of the rations. Just curious for ideas.

Cost? I'm absolutely certain that the US orders more MREs than any other country, so they have the volume metric helping keep costs (relatively) low. That's supposed to be some of the logic behind things like the TOTM, they cost quite a bit lower per unit and have a lower overall shelf life, but incorporate many common MRE components mixed with commercial ones in a lighter-duty package.

During cold war times, rations were made to be stores up to years and decades. German Rations had an officially shelf life of 20 years. Since the cold war is over, there is no need any more for this long term storage. They replaced the items with mostly "regular" ones (shelf life 3.5 years).

One big reason why MREs lasts this long is that little oxygen absorber bags. No oxygen - no spoil. Even germs need oxygen to life. To avoid non-oxygen germs (botulism), they get e.g. pasteurized. I never had any entree that was spoiled - as long as the pouch was OK.

housil wrote:During cold war times, rations were made to be stores up to years and decades. German Rations had an officially shelf life of 20 years. Since the cold war is over, there is no need any more for this long term storage. They replaced the items with mostly "regular" ones (shelf life 3.5 years).

Very good point about the Cold War and how rations were viewed.