I know these aren't true military MRE's but I picked them up at the store anyway because they were only $1.50 ea. (u.s.). They are actually about the same size as an MRE and are supposed to be a full meal that just boils in water. It is very densly packed just like an MRE.
The exp. date is in 2009. I picked them up at a discount type store, the kind of place that takes older goods or train wreck extra's, etc., so the meal it self could have come out a number of years ago.
What makes me say "holy Shit!" is the amount of sodium in this thing. The recomended number of servings is 3 (150 calories), which we all know is b.s. Basically its a single meal of 450 cals. and enough sodium for your daily requirement.
It says it's from India, and there were about 10 or so varieties on the shelf.
Has anyone else encountered these?
Kind of like an MRE
Kind of like an MRE
- Attachments
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- Back of Box
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- Front of Box
Last edited by icarus on Wed May 30, 2007 8:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
I've seen some stuff like this in the store before. I guess you could consider it a "meal" ready to eat if you were a vegetarian, but to me, a bag of rice is more of a side dish than a whole meal. 
Maybe throw in a can of chicken or tuna (or spam!) and you could call it a rice casserole!
Then again, maybe a bag of cooked rice is better than a bag of nothing when you're hungry in an emergency.
Maybe throw in a can of chicken or tuna (or spam!) and you could call it a rice casserole!
Then again, maybe a bag of cooked rice is better than a bag of nothing when you're hungry in an emergency.
I will have to check some of the other choices, because I thought there were some pasta type choices as well. I don't know about meat though, as I would have grabbed that first.kman wrote:I've seen some stuff like this in the store before. I guess you could consider it a "meal" ready to eat if you were a vegetarian, but to me, a bag of rice is more of a side dish than a whole meal.
Then again, maybe a bag of cooked rice is better than a bag of nothing when you're hungry in an emergency.
I checked the web-site:
http://www.mtrfoods.com/index.htm
No meat. In fact, without reading the details of the ready to eat meals, I can't recognize any of the meal names (I guess if I lived in India it would be a different story . . . yes, I'm a pathetic American with limited meal vocabulary)
http://www.mtrfoods.com/index.htm
No meat. In fact, without reading the details of the ready to eat meals, I can't recognize any of the meal names (I guess if I lived in India it would be a different story . . . yes, I'm a pathetic American with limited meal vocabulary)
Re: Kind of like an MRE
There's a company called Tasty Bite that has had similar products in the retail market place for quite a while now. You can find them at places like Whole Foods Markets for $2.29. Additionally, Trader Joe's has some of the Tasty Bite selections under their own packaging for $1.99. TJ's also has three Tuna Curry selections in 7oz. retort packaging from Thailand for $1.39 each.
The 2009 Best By date would seem to indicate that it's probably of relatively recent production. Commercial retort foods usually have a BB date that's 1-2 years out. Retort packaging seems to be a pretty big industry in India these days, and Asia as a whole seems to have embraced the concept of retort packaging much more than it's acceptability in the U.S.
As for the sodium content, I've noticed that the Tasty Bite selections are also somewhat high, albeit not to that level. The amount of sodium is pretty consistent with what you will find in both retort and canned foods. Ever add up the sodium from a 15oz can of Chili, Pasta, or Beef Stew?
The sodium levels in MREs are up there and the military usually figures their sodium levels for garrison feeding in the 3000-6000 mg per day, much higher than the 2400mg RDA limit for the civilian population.
I think that particular dish is meant to be a side dish rather than a complete meal, though one could consume it as a meal if that was all you had. As Kman mentioned adding a can of meat would help complete the meal and boost it's protein level. Alternatively, you could couple it with one of their vegetarian pouches with the sauce for a meal that will feed two people.
The 2009 Best By date would seem to indicate that it's probably of relatively recent production. Commercial retort foods usually have a BB date that's 1-2 years out. Retort packaging seems to be a pretty big industry in India these days, and Asia as a whole seems to have embraced the concept of retort packaging much more than it's acceptability in the U.S.
As for the sodium content, I've noticed that the Tasty Bite selections are also somewhat high, albeit not to that level. The amount of sodium is pretty consistent with what you will find in both retort and canned foods. Ever add up the sodium from a 15oz can of Chili, Pasta, or Beef Stew?
The sodium levels in MREs are up there and the military usually figures their sodium levels for garrison feeding in the 3000-6000 mg per day, much higher than the 2400mg RDA limit for the civilian population.
I think that particular dish is meant to be a side dish rather than a complete meal, though one could consume it as a meal if that was all you had. As Kman mentioned adding a can of meat would help complete the meal and boost it's protein level. Alternatively, you could couple it with one of their vegetarian pouches with the sauce for a meal that will feed two people.
icarus wrote:I know these aren't true military MRE's but I picked them up at the store anyway because they were only $1.50 ea. (u.s.). They are actually about the same size as an MRE and are supposed to be a full meal that just boils in water. It is very densly packed just like an MRE.
The exp. date is in 2009. I picked them up at a discount type store, the kind of place that takes older goods or train wreck extra's, etc., so the meal it self could have come out a number of years ago.
What makes me say "holy Shit!" is the amount of sodium in this thing. The recomended number of servings is 3 (150 calories), which we all know is b.s. Basically its a single meal of 450 cals. and enough sodium for your daily requirement.
It says it's from India, and there were about 10 or so varieties on the shelf.
Has anyone else encountered these?
Looking at their webpage, I can say most of them are certainly meant to be eaten with rice. If you need any recommendations, I eat indian all the time and know most of whats on there, the wife and I used to eat quite a bit of canned indian food, so I'd like to check these out, I've tried the brand MCI was talking about and it's pretty bland.. I'd like to lookup that old post I had when I was talking to the guy in China who was making retort packed food, maybe we could get a group buy or something.
Yeah, they are lacking a little kick and adding some sort of hot sauce to it is usually necessary. I have a feeling they're kind of toned down for the Western market. In light of the recent revelations about what the Chinese are doing with pet food components, I'm just a little apprehensive about buying any processed food products that may have originated from China right now. Though I did recently pick up some retort items that were made in Taiwan (haven't tried them yet though.)BigMark wrote: I've tried the brand MCI was talking about and it's pretty bland.. I'd like to lookup that old post I had when I was talking to the guy in China who was making retort packed food, maybe we could get a group buy or something.
The Tasty Bites are from India. Seems that there are quite few retort processing plants going up in India, no doubt to feed all those hardworking folks who are too busy to cook with the influx of American jobs ... but I digress. 
I'm just concerned about the Taiwanese stuff because so many Taiwanese companies have plants operating in their arch-enemy China. Interesting to see that they don't let the mortally opposing political differences and values get in the way when it comes to making money.
I'm just concerned about the Taiwanese stuff because so many Taiwanese companies have plants operating in their arch-enemy China. Interesting to see that they don't let the mortally opposing political differences and values get in the way when it comes to making money.
kman wrote:I picked up a bunch of those Indian entrees last night at a Whole Foods Market - and also a can of bread. I'll take pics as soon as possible. And thanks for the warning, MCIera - now I'll also have to check to make sure they weren't made in China.
