Meals Ready to Eat
Meals Ready to Eat (alternately MRE) is a term used by the US military for light-weight rations, with a long shelf-life, which can be prepared and consumed, in the field.[1]
Manufacturers claim MREs are superior to the C rations and K rations of the past, which relied on canned food, that had a shorter shelf life than the freeze-dried food of today.[2][3]
MREs contain one or two entrees, together dehydrated drinks, one meals's worth of condiments, dessert, bread or equivalent, napkins, and a sani-wipe. Many meals come with a pouch of exothermic chemicals, which allow the diner to heat their meal, without flame, by combining a small amount of water with the chemical.
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑
- "How an MRE is Born: Part 1" (video). Military Times via YouTube. 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- "How an MRE is Born: Part 2" (video). Military Times via YouTube. 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ↑ Arnaud Favre (2025-07-21). "MRE vs traditional combat rations". Freezedried & Co. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ↑ Danny Jensen (2017-11-09). "How Military Rations Have Evolved to Feed the Modern Soldier". PBS. Retrieved 2026-01-12.