Located in Hollywood, Florida MRE Star’s maker is International Meals Supply has been in the food industry for over 30 years.
All of their MREs are US made and their plants are USDA/FSIS, as well as FDA approved. They are a certified supplier of emergency rations for the DoD/DLA, Defense Supply Center Philadelphia.
They use fully automated equipment to produce a wide variety meal recipes. They operate 24/7 in emergency situations.
Their “M-018 12-MRE Full Case” has 12 complete MRE meals with an entree, side dish and more. There are is six different MRE entree varieties, 2 of each in each case. The six varieties are;
Beef Stroganoff with Egg Noodles
Beef Stew with Potatoes and Vegetables
BBQ Chicken with Black Beans and Potatoes
Chicken Noodle Stew with Vegetables
Cheese Tortellini with Marinara Sauce
Vegetarian Chili with Beans
In addition to the Entree, each MRE meal comes with;
According to MRE Star’s website, “Each MRE has an average of 1,100-1,300 calories, which replicates the calorie count of a complete meal. There is no need to add water to an MRE.”
You can purchase MRE Star 12 meal MRE cases at Nitro-Pak. You can also get bulk order discounts there.
Convenience is the best advantage MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) has as a survival food.
This convenience is important in a crisis or mobile “on the go” situation. As the name implies MREs are really “ready to eat” no preparation or cooking required. However you may prefer to eat your main course hot as most people prefer a hot meal.
This is where MRE really shines. The military for years has included an FRH or Flameless Ration Heater with their MRE.
It is a plastic pouch that you can put your MRE into and heat in ten minutes by adding a little water.
How do Flameless Heaters work?
When iron rusts it is oxidizing, that is oxygen in the air is reacting with the metal to form an oxide commonly referred to as rust. This process produces heat. It is a slow process so you will not be able to fry an egg on the rusting hood of a car in the winter.
However if you have iron in the form of a fine grain powder and mix it with sodium, magnesium and then add a little water you have a fast reaction producing lots of heat in a small space. This will heat your MRE main course in 10 minutes.
It is important to note that you should not heat you MRE over an open flame as this will melt the container into the contents. The best way to heat MREs is with the flameless heaters.
Most distributors include the flameless heaters with the MRE they sell but check carefully that they are included. You can still eat MREs cold as they are already cooked and ready to eat, but there is nothing like a hot meal when you may be cold, wet, or injured. It will really lift the spirits of you and your family.
There are two categories of MRE, military MRE and commecial MRE.
Military meals ready to eat are made for the US military and the armed forces of other countries.
They are sometimes sold on eBay but there is risk there as the military considers this illegal as they want to discourage theft of their property. There is also risk as the age and storage conditions the MRE experienced before you bought it will be unknown perhaps even to the seller. Military MRE cased of 12 sell for as little as $40 on eBay ($3.33 per meal) which is less than $72 ($6 per meal) average case price of commercial MRE. Besides risk you should also consider shipping costs which online retailers may charge less than $15 where eBay sellers sometimes charge a lot more for shipping and “handling”.
The main difference between military and commercial MRE (that is good commercial MRE from main brands such as Sopakco, MRE Star, aPack) is calories and sodium levels.
This 2 minute video shows you the contents of a COMMERCIAL MRE;
Military MRE has high sodium content as they are intended for short term on the go use. Military MRE has 1250 to 1300 calories whereas until recently commercial MREs had less. Some commercial MREs have only 700 calories. MRE Star’s commercial MREs now have average of 1,100-1,300 calories. They are avaialable online at Nitro-pak and The ReadyStore.
Some reasons why they are a popular choice for survival food;
MRE’s paks are a complete meal with main course, side dish, crackers with spread, dessert, and a powdered drink mix.
MRE packs last 4-10 years depending on storage temperature, longer than most canned food.
They are pre-cooked and in a pouch “ready to eat”, nothing needs to be added
Usually you buy MRE with flameless heaters so you can eat your meal hot (cold is ok too)
USAGE
You can best use MRE for emergency situations where you “are on the go” . Also if you do not want to waste time cooking or do not want the hassle of bring cooking equipment with you. MRE’s are the most convenient survival food choice.
For a food reserve for periods longer than a week however, a “freeze dried food” reserve is better in terms of space and cost per meal. You will need water for freeze dried food which, although hydrates quickly, is nevertheless is not as “ready to eat”
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