During the times of war, it was close to impossible for soldiers to cook food, especially during critical times of battle. Cooking would mean that there is fire involved, and fire means smoke, which can give away the location of the soldiers. This problem of the military was resolved by the invention of the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE). MREs are packed meals that are ready to be consumed directly from the pack. They are complete meals packaged to withstand rough and extreme conditions.
Inside each MRE pack, the following foods with enough calories to give energy throughout the day are available for consumption:
- Entrée
- Side dish
- Snacks
- Spread
- Dessert
- Candy
- Drinks
- Seasoning
- Flameless Ration Heater
- Accessories
MREs were initially made for military forces. But since the year 2000, there have been companies who started producing MREs for civilians to consume. MREs are sold in boxes and in bulk where it contains enough meals to last months or even a year for one person. It also has a shelf life of 5 years, which is why people are inclined to invest in them. The causes that inspired civilian MRE production are:
• Emergency – with catastrophic calamities happening here and there, MREs guarantee that you have something to eat even with a power outage or when supplies from your local grocery store become depleted
• Camping / Hiking / Hunting – hiking and hunting require hours of traveling by foot. You wouldn’t want to carry heavy baggage as you reach your destination, which makes MREs the perfect solution for your hunger
With the increase of demand in civilian MREs, there have been debates if they are a better option than military MREs. And we’d like to say yes – they are the better option if you are looking to purchase them. Here are some of the reasons why we think that you should buy civilian MREs than military MREs:
- Quality – you are guaranteed quality meals when you order civilian MREs. You can order the menu you want directly from the suppliers, or through stores that have menu labels
- Source – sources of civilian MREs are registered in the state and are approved by the regulators. With civilian MREs, you know exactly where your cases of MREs come from
- Security – with civilian MREs, you know exactly what are on the packets of meals because you get to choose your own menu. This secures you from risks of food poisoning and eating something that is actually bad for your health
- Safe – civilian MREs are much safer than military MREs because you are assured that they are not bad counterfeits from China. Civilian MREs are sold by credible suppliers and can be bought in actual stores
These civilian MREs are currently the top brands for civilians MRE, and they are not so hard to find! You can buy these from online stores such as The Epicenter, The Ready Store, Survival Food, or eBay, as well as in Brick and Mortar Stores that specialize in Army/Navy surplus stores. Usually, there are enough stocks for everyone to take their hands on:
Sopakco Sure-Pak 12 – Sopakco specializes in pasta and vegetables; however, they have fewer calories per pack. They have several menus for you to choose from, which are very affordable.
Wornick Eversafe – Wornick Eversafe MREs are more expensive by at least $10 than its alternatives, but they offer the most calories per case and per pack.
MREStar – the most affordable among the choices, but has lesser calories per pack and per case than its alternatives. MREStar offers 3 different menus with beef and BBQ chicken as the choices for its main entrée.
Ameriqual APack – the good thing about Ameriqual is they’re on the more affordable side, and they also give you a free flameless heater that is activated by salt water.
Meal Kit Supply – offers the most number of unique entrees among all the choices with enough calories per pack. However, Meal Kit Supply tends to cost more than its alternatives, and the flameless heater is available for an additional cost.
It is always a good idea to be survival ready for a disaster. With climate change and other disastrous things happening in the world right now, it is always better to be safe than sorry!