MRES are the main self-contained, convenient and shelf stable foods that are ready to eat and easy to transport. MRES stand for Meals Ready To Eat. It is a YEARS meal that is complete to fill one’s hunger. MRE is a water resistant packaged food that can compete with the harsh and rough conditions of the battle field or the mountains. A MRE bag contains a full meal that consists of the variety of food and drinks. MREs come packaged in cases with 12 MREs per case. There are currently 24 different menus or varieties of MREs. Menus 1 to 12 are packaged in a case designated Case A and menus 13 to 24 are packaged in Case B.
History of MREs:
Wars have been destiny of all the nations. Over centuries, nations have been fighting it for a very long period of time. But for the army transportation of the food has always been an issue.
If you go to the North Carolina, there is a restored fort that was used as a warehouse to store foods during the civilian and Spanish- American war. The kitchen of the fort was used for the storage and the barrel was used as a main storage unit for the meat. In those times, meat was used to preserve with salt. The salt was thought to be effective against the bacteria at that time. It is true to some extent. Salt is also used as a preservative against spoilage.
But in 1980’s MRE was adopted by the Department of Defense in USA. The Department of Defense tests the foods of the MRE, if they suits best to the nutritional needs of the armed forces, then they select them as a standard food. Based on these tests of the DOD, several changes were made to MRES in1988.
Commercial candies were added to 4 menus, hot sauce was added to 4 menus, and cold beverage bases were added to all 12 menus. And in the next years, more changes were made to MRES. A joint board recommended to replace at least two menus in a year to improve adequacy, various entrees was changed, and various other parts (deserts, tea/coffee, etc.) were also changed.
Now in the present age, MRES are in the most advanced form. Almost 24 menus are updated and also they are battle tested. Today, the military mre wholesale shipping is also provided to the worldwide.