http://cgi.ebay.com/MRE-MREs-British-NA ... 0103869225
and the seller's explanation sheds a little light on the whole deal with the British rations that were handed out/not handed out after Hurricane Katrina:
Here's something you don't see too often; this is a current-issue British 24 hour MRE. Unlike our MREs which provide a single meal, this box is stuffed with entrees, soups, biscuits, desserts, chocolate and their version of an accessory pack to keep their guys going 24 hours. And it's good, too!
These are also historical and there's an interesting story behind them. After Katrina, the Brits donated tons of these to the relief effort. FEMA decreed that they couldn't be distributed because the British beef didn't meet US standards for Mad Cow disease and demanded that they all be incinerated. Never mind that US troops in Iraq are eating these very same rations, as British troops are eating our MREs in shared logistics!!! There was a diplomatic stink about it and the story made the news at the time.
After Katrina I volunteered to help bring food convoys down to the Gulf Coast and one depot was giving us these to eat. They had huge piles of them. When we left, they gave me a couple of cases. The next time we brought a convoy, after the news story, every last one of them was gone. Well, we've eaten a lot of them and no one seems any madder than they were before and I still keep a couple in my truck for emergencies. Nonetheless, I am selling this strictly as a collectible. 2003 dated and you don't have to pay shipping from England to get it! Bidding starts at a buck and shipping is a flat $7 in the US 48. You are bidding on one unopened 24 Hr. British military food box as seen in the photos. Good luck!
