The Numbers Don't Add Up

[keystone]

When taking out some new MREs for a trade, I came across one meal that just seems out of place. These are all military MREs which were acquired during the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav in September of last year. I know we received some unusual cases of commercial MREs (like Sopako with a variety of three meals per case) in the rush to get us food, but the military MREs we saw were standard - except for this one item. In addition to the MREs I have left over, a friend sent me an assortment of leftover meals that someone else didn't want. Most of the meals had been opened and stripped of their candy. I gladly took their remains, of course. Inside the opened cases, some of the meals were still sealed. Among the meals in these two opened cases there was "Marinara Sauce with Meatballs". "Meatballs with Marinara Sauce" was introduced in 2007 as menu #18, and also appeared in 2008 as menu #18. The meals mine came with were from cases packed in the summer of 2008. Only, this one is labeled "Menu 8 Marinara Sauce with Meatballs". This item has only recently appeared as Menu 8 in the 2009 MREs, but I got it in the late summer of 2008. The manufacturer is Ameriqual. On their meals, they emboss the date code on the outer package. This one sports a date code of 8199, consistent with when it was received. A slip up, perhaps?

[dirtbag]

Do-di-Doo-Do, Do-di-Doo-Do......
Twilight Zone time warp........

[kman]

One of the other guys in the forums found something simliar where it looked like they received an MRE from the 2008 menus in a 2007 case. I don't recall which thread it was but from what I gather, it sounds like stuff like this just happens occasionally. I actually just received a case of October 2008 MREs so I'll have to open it up and see which menus are inside.

[Bypah]

Maybe they are giving away the surplus, the old stock of MRE's.... In an earlier post in the FSR thread I mentioned that troops here (CONUS) are getting the "old" MRE's not the ones with the new logos..... I received some that are 2007's menus...or maybe older?????
The Twilight "MRE" zone.......

[kman]

Well bummer...I opened up my case of October 2008 MREs (packaged by Sopakco) and they were just the 2008 menus - no 2009 surprises for me.