Amazon to sell MREs

[Ironhold]

http://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2017/08/14/mres-for-civilians-amazon-will-soon-start-selling-ready-to-eat-chow/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBB 08.15.2017&utm_term=Editorial - Military - Early Bird Brief

To quote the article: 

Civilians beware: Amazon.com Inc. could be declaring war on your gastrointestinal tract.

So yeah - MREs, that is American military rations - will now be available via Amazon, but you have to be careful with them because if you don't know what you're doing you can make yourself sick in a hurry. 

 

[Jojo Bags]

Meal, ready to eat.

Three lies for the price of one.

[Grunt]

3 hours ago, Jojo Bags said:

Meal, ready to eat.

Three lies for the price of one.

True story.

[person0]

My understanding is that current regulations forbid selling real MRE's to the public.  As a result, all items sold legally as civilian MRE's are modified sufficiently so as to not conflict with those regulations.  Usually it is a minuscule difference such as not including a sauce packet, or toilet paper, etc.  The physical effects would obviously be the same.

From one news report, the anchors did not ever identify the new product as an MRE; they made it sound like Amazon might be using some new technology, but it all seemed speculative.  Who knows, perhaps they will simply become a producer of freeze-dried, dehydrated, and other 'instant' type meals, which could obviously include MRE's.  I am certainly curious.  Whatever it is, this could create more competition in the long term food storage arena.  If so, as a result, I the customer of such products will win!  I highly doubt Amazon will attempt mass sales of food products that prove to have negative effects on the majority of those who use them.  I hope they succeed in bringing their products to market so we can at least know what they come up with!

[NeuroTypical]

I've been buying MREs for emergency bags for going on 20 years now.  They're great for about one meal a day, for maybe two days in a row, like once a year!

[JohnsonJones]

Third parties already sell MRE's on Amazon, normally from Military surplus.  You have to be careful though.  Some sell them where you cannot see the tab that tells you if it's gone bad or not.  The good ones show the date it was certified and have the tab available I believe.

[NeuroTypical]

Yep.  https://beprepared.com/ has been in the biz for a long time, and is a pretty good company.  I was doing business with them 25 years ago when they were just a little store in Murray.  They won't sell you any expired MREs.

[anatess2]

12 hours ago, wadewilson said:

in Vietnam we use the instant noodle for MRE

YEP!  In the Philippines too!  "Just add water" Ramen and Vienna Sausage.  My kids can eat nothing but those for weeks. 

 

[JohnsonJones]

On ‎1‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 8:00 AM, anatess2 said:

YEP!  In the Philippines too!  "Just add water" Ramen and Vienna Sausage.  My kids can eat nothing but those for weeks. 

 

Interesting.  I don't think I've ever done something like that, but it sounds intriguing.  So if I understand it right, I get one of those Ramen noodle packs (that you can buy for 10 - 25 cents), then a can of Vienna Sausages and put them in the noodles?  Anything else in it?  Is that it? 

[anatess2]

3 hours ago, JohnsonJones said:

Interesting.  I don't think I've ever done something like that, but it sounds intriguing.  So if I understand it right, I get one of those Ramen noodle packs (that you can buy for 10 - 25 cents), then a can of Vienna Sausages and put them in the noodles?  Anything else in it?  Is that it? 

No no... you cook the noodles (do you  know that you can microwave the thing and it only takes 3 minutes?), add the spice packet, mix mix mix, then drain the water, then you open a can of vienna sausage and brown it on the skillet with a bit of oil and eat on the side.  Or, you can even fry the noodles.  Yep!  After you microwave it with water for 3 minutes, you drain the water and put the noodles on a skillet with a bit of oil (sesame oil is super delish, but any oil is also good), add the spice packet and let it brown.  Then you take out the noodles and fry the vienna sausage in the same pan to get some of the ramen spice on the vienna sausage.

Another thing my kids can eat everyday for weeks - rice and spam.  But spam is a bit expensive even as rice is cheap.

[JohnsonJones]

Hmm, got it. You fry the stuff.  Thanks for the information

Spam...ah, I remember that stuff.  I can't believe it is still around after all these years...but at the same time I still can.  There was a time when Spam was really big in the US.  My mother used to fry us up Spam sandwiches or instead of bacon and eggs for breakfast, there would be Spam and Eggs.

I couldn't stand it when I was a kid, but as an adult it wasn't so bad.  At times in what I suppose may even be considered nostalgia for things when you were younger, I've even had a liking to eat some Spam fried up.  I haven't tried Spam and rice, but have had Spam and vegetables.

[anatess2]

17 minutes ago, JohnsonJones said:

Hmm, got it. You fry the stuff.  Thanks for the information

Spam...ah, I remember that stuff.  I can't believe it is still around after all these years...but at the same time I still can.  There was a time when Spam was really big in the US.  My mother used to fry us up Spam sandwiches or instead of bacon and eggs for breakfast, there would be Spam and Eggs.

I couldn't stand it when I was a kid, but as an adult it wasn't so bad.  At times in what I suppose may even be considered nostalgia for things when you were younger, I've even had a liking to eat some Spam fried up.  I haven't tried Spam and rice, but have had Spam and vegetables.

The Philippines was a mess in World War II.  So the military (under McArthur) sent military rations to Filipinos.  We got tons of spam and vienna sausage and rice krispies and evaporated milk.  That started our special relationship with those "Joe Food". 

I make the rice and spam into musubi.  It is super yum!

 

[JohnsonJones]

3 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

The Philippines was a mess in World War II.  So the military (under McArthur) sent military rations to Filipinos.  We got tons of spam and vienna sausage and rice krispies and evaporated milk.  That started our special relationship with those "Joe Food". 

I make the rice and spam into musubi.  It is super yum!

 

That looks beyond my ability to make.  Looks good though.

[anatess2]

1 minute ago, JohnsonJones said:

That looks beyond my ability to make.  Looks good though.

It is super duper easy peasy with the right tool.  You can make the tool using an empty Spam can, or you can just buy the thing from Amazon (search for spam musubi mold). 

So, you cook rice, then you slice spam (1 can of spam can make 9-10 slices), brown the spam in a skillet, then you put nori sheet on the table, put the mold on top, put rice in the mold, then put spam on it, push the spam and rice down while lifting the mold, then you wrap the nori around it.  You can optionally sprinkle it with spices.  I usually use furikake from the japanese aisle.

[Ironhold]

bump. 

http://www.mreinfo.com/mres/mre-shelf-life/

After my parents discovered some decade-old MREs while cleaning out their food storage, I'm posting this here as a reference so people can date their MREs.