What Are Meals Ready To Eat?
April 11th, 2010 -- Posted in meals | No Comments »As the name implies, meals ready to eat (MRE) are foods that are already available for consumption. Big deal, you say, as pizza or any other type of takeout is a “meal ready to eat”. However, these are packaged food designed to have a long shelf life. They are also designed to require very little preparation work. Therefore, these meals are perfect for emergency survival preparation such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters. These rations will be able to sustain individuals for a period of time until longterm relief aid comes.
The term “meals ready to eat” certainly seems generic enough and only implies that food has already been prepared. However, as already discussed, there’s a longevity period associated with MREs. It is meant to have a shelf life of a couple of years. The packages also have good nutritional value. Easy portability is another factor. In fact, campers, backpackers and hikers take MREs on camping trips due to all the above mentioned benefits. Therefore, one could say that if any meal meets the connotation of survival or emergency preparedness food, then it can be considered an MRE. The term has certainly been generalized but for a true definition, we have to refer to the US military.