Freeze Dried Food Versus MRE

By Kevin Taylor

There are a lot of people looking at survival food and supplies for the first time due to concerns about an economic depression.

At first you can see MRE as a good choice as it is totally ready to eat. MRE or meals ready to eat are the type of food rations the military uses.

There are two general types of MRE out there; military and commercial. The military version is for the military and it prohibited from re-sale to consumers. You can find military MRE on eBay. Commercial MRE comes from the same food companies that produce the military MRE except that it has been branded as for consumer use. Some of the contents are different and MRE enthusiasts generally prefer military MRE however commercial MRE has sufficient calories so that your daily requirement RDA can be met with 2 meals.


MRE has been used by campers and as a disaster preparedness food.

Here are some the MRE advantages;

easy to prepare - actually nothing to prepare just open and eat it
easy to heat - flameless heaters heat in 10 minutes just add small amount of water to a non-chemical pouch
shelf life is 5 or more years if stored in a cool dry place
However there are some disadvantages;

cost is high $6 to $7 per meal
cheaper eBay sold products maybe old or bad because they were left in the desert before they were sold
government frowns on sale of Military MRE to consumers
freeze dried food in #10 cans last longer, up to 25 years in the same cool dry conditions
some people complain about taste and digestion particularly after a few weeks of consuming MRE for every meal
Freeze dried food is also used by the military and other government agencies as disaster relief supplies. As mentioned above freeze dried food lasts up to 25 years according to Mountain House freeze dried food (they have been in business over 40 years).

Freeze dried food has added benefits of being cheaper around $3 to $4 per meal. The taste of freeze dried food is very close to the original taste. To prepare freeze dried food all you have to do is add water. It will hydrate in a few minutes. If you have hot water then you have a hot meal.

MRE is best for short term use when ultra readiness is required or you are traveling. Freeze dried food is best for long term as it is cheaper and tastes better.

bulk-survival-food.com provides news and information on food preparedness for survival in the event of a natural disaster where food is not easily available for more than 72 hours. Some emergency situations such as epidemics may require 6 weeks to 3 months of reserve food supply for an individual or family. The lesson of Hurricane Katrina is that you can not put your hope in the government to provide adequate support in a timely fashion. In extreme cases it is unrealistic to expect any relief organization to be able to provide needed support to everyone within 24 hours.