Humanitarian Daily Ration MRE Case, FEMA, 10-Pack, 1/2024 Inspection | Low Sodium FEMA Emergency MRE, Entree & Side Dishes, 10-Pack, 1/2024 Inspection, Camping & Hunting

So I bought a case for emergencies. I cracked one open to try out everything, the lentil stew reminds me of bush beans before they did a recipe change. The crackers really need the salt or peanut butter or both. The shortbread cookie needs the strawberry jam to give it flavour and help it not be so dry. The toaster pastry I am suprised was an actual poptart branded frosting free poptart it was not bad at all, I assume they went with frosting free because the frosting is normally made out of gelatin drived from pork and it therefore is not vegan/vegetarian/kosher or halal. The best thing out of the lot was the fig bar. So armed with that knowledge I decided to crack them all open and use them as a base to make larger ration packs that include an actual breakfast (i.e oatmeal or a breakfast/protein drink mix), drink mixes (i.e tea/coffee, koolaid you get the idea), candy bar, some foil pouches of meat etc. This works for my family and to be fair the stuff is all eatable and at three bucks and five cents per ration pack it makes a great base if you want to add a few bits and make it as good or better then military MREs that are selling at some place around twenty buck for a single full MRE pack. Now if you expect variety don't buy these. Seriously out of 10 packs I got 10 lentil stews (which thank goodness I find them pretty tasty) along with 5 packs each of beans and rice in tomato sauce and pasta with tomatos in sauce. Thankfully 3 packs had 2 fig bars in place of the shortbread cookie (would be great if they could just get the military MRE pound cake to replace the shortbread cookie). I only got plain crackers no vegetable ones which sucks because I was intrested in seeing what those tasted like. So to sum it up somethings quite tasty some bland and or dry, great in case of emergencies and a great base if you want to make larger ration packs with stuff you find on sale or at discount stores that have a far off experation date. Again these are quite cheap when I bought them and therefore made a cheap but decent base to build larger ration packs with, these are really worth the price either way. But again do not buy these if you want variety, don't buy these if you expect a heat source like that of a MRE, dont buy these expecting meat in them either. There is a reason these are so much cheaper then military grade MREs.

My case was package 9/30/2020, inspection date in 2023, and has a reinspection sticker for 2026. Note these are good for up to 20 years if stored well. You should just take a look to make sure nothing obviously is "wrong" with them every 3 years - leaks, holes in bags, etc. The box I have looks totally perfect. It's a box shipped in a box...just so you're aware (which is great, to maintain the integrity of the original case of them). You get 10 meals in the sealed case. I'll rely on other reviews for contents/inventory for now, as I plan to keep these sealed for emergency prep. At $3.20 per meal, this is an amazingly affordable, compact option to stash away some food in case something happens. We have threat of tornado here, so stashing these under the basement stairs in our shelter means we know if we're stuck by debris or storm damage, and endured a storm event, we have some options for water and some food & snacks to make the best of it. We have a food allergy in the house, and the contents as described seem rather well suited for that too - which is a big relief. These aren't meant for fine dining, but rather something edible with some nutrition, lots of sugar and calories, and if you're hungry and not looking at a lot of options, they'll be great to know we have if...we need them. The sweets make for a comforting experience psychologically (can you imagine having your nation thrashed by war, then opening up a brown sugar/cinnamon pop tart from the US?) which is why I'm sure they swing that direction somewhat with the contents. Also calories for kids that can help in the midst of crisis. This is a very convenient, really affordable way to stock up on some ready to eat things for emergencies. Avoid buckets of rice and dry beans, as that means you need to boil water which takes a lot of energy and time. Have things ready to open and eat, in at least part of your emergency prep kits. Also, unlike MREs which are one meal, this is a full day's worth of calories. You don't want to live on these for a long time, and they have a lot of sugary things in them, but it's calories and energy if you need it. UPDATE 2026: Here it is, years later, and I've now opened all but 2 of the pouches for full inspection. Each comes with a pack of napkins, a spoon, and salt and pepper. I plan on disposing of the mains, as I have a small case of MREs now with a newer date. I may eat some of the mains just to see how it goes. The crackers are all very well vacuum sealed and still perfectly fine, but very bland...no salt really...perfect for a makeshift utensil and extra calories. There are fig bars which are like 2 fig newtons that have been great. The Pop Tarts are generally NOT good. I had one pack that was terrible, one that was edible, but overall they seem to get crushed quite a bit and don't last. Buy pop tarts for your stash separately. The shortbread cookies so far have been fine. The strawberry jam has been good, as well. One peanut butter packet was oily, the others have been fine. I separated these off into their own pouch should others decide to leak. I cut open all HDR pouches, but 2 packages and left 2 sealed just for curiosity's sake for down the line. I find it easier to have direct access to the stuff anyways. Again, these are for when you're hungry. They're dropped onto places that need food, and when you're hungry, you'll eat. These contains a lot of calories if you find yourself in a dire situation. The separate sealed products make for handy trading if needed too, or to stuff in a go bag or hiking bag.

Quick run-down: These are cold, calorie dense lentil and bean based vegetarian mush bags with a tolerable amount of spice for flavor. An absolute steal for situations where you can't get food and won't be picky. My family of five made an experiment of trying these out together. The 3 young kids under 5 would only eat one bite of the main courses, they were not fans. The meals are textured like lentils and taste like beans spiced enough to make it palatable. I tried all of the main courses and did not get sick, I have a hard time with onions, garlic, and spices, so that is important. The pop-tarts were squashed, had no frosting, and tasted like a plastic bag. I would recommend bringing your own pop-tarts to the apocalypse. The crackers are perfectly dry and bland, they go well with the strawberry jam. Unfortunately one of my kids is allergic to strawberries so we substituted grape for him. The shortbread cookie is good, a bit dry but somewhat sweet. The peanut butter is good - this is a no-brainer and hard to screw up. The fig newtons were good The jam is good Overall, this is worth having a box to get your family through a few days after your fridge and pantry run out of food in a long disaster. MREs probably taste better, but are 3x as expensive.

Before I opened my first package, I psyched myself up. "There has been a major disaster, I'm stuck here. Stores are all closed or empty. I'm extremely hungry, and I have this emergency food." The bag: Don't take this for granted! It's a very heavy duty, thick plastic, rubbery bag. It's water proof, and doesn't leak. It can be used to capture/store water, or melt snow. You can use it as a bucket. It would also be a very handy emergency toilet. Or just a trash bag. I bet there are dozens of other uses! The accessories: one book of matches, one spoon, and one napkin. If you're like me, you probably don't actually use napkins. But don't throw it away! It can be used as toilet paper, or to start a fire. The spoon is heavy duty with a very long handle. I was trying to think what else you could use it for. It could easily be sharpened against any rock or brick to make a pretty long shiv/knife... The matches are obvious. I would probably wrap them in one of the empty cookie bags, tightly, to keep them safe and dry. The meals: Well, okay, if I wasn't extremely hungry, I would definitely choose something else, maybe McDonald's. It's not exactly a gourmet meal. I opened Menu #1 with the Vegetable Barley Stew and the Lentil Stew. I tried eating them cold, and it wasn't terrible. Lots of flavor, especially after adding some of the crushed red pepper. Definitely tasted better heated up in my fancy microwave. It would be nice if they included heaters, but I understand, because these meals are intentionally cheap. No meat at all, that sucks if you're a carnivore like me. The snacks: Oatmeal cookie was tasty. The vegetarian crackers, there are two big crackers in the package. I didn't like them much, until I put the peanut butter and strawberry jam on them. Afterward, I thought it would be better to have one cracker per meal, and save the PB&J for the other cookies. The shortbread cookie was pretty good. The condiments: Simple stuff. You get salt and pepper, and crushed red pepper. You won't need to add the salt since there is plenty of sodium in the meals already. Unless you have been working and sweating all day, and then you will be very grateful for the extra salt. I'm not a big fan of crushed red pepper, but it definitely added flavor to the meals. Cost: What a great value for calories per dollar!! If you're a beginner prepper or a veteran prepper, you should definitely have several of these boxes (best case scenario, feed them to your annoying relatives or neighbors, while your family eats the good stuff). Complaints: "Menu #1" is stupid, doesn't tell you what's INSIDE. Also, no meat. That really sucks unless your a vegetarian (or you're starving. Then meat or no meat, they're delicious!!)

After having these for 2 years and my curiosity getting the best of me, I decided to open one and see what I might have to eat in an emergency. They’ve been tucked in the pantry since they’re suppose to have a long shelf life. As you can see it’s been leaking inside the package and has an unpleasant smell coming from inside. This one is trash and I’m wondering now it the other ones will be any good if I need them. I can’t recommend something that you might not be able to use when needed.

Let me start out by saying that the price per box still makes this an ok deal. But..... The first box I ordered came labeled menu "A", Inside the box were ten meals 5 of sub menu 1 and 5 of sub menu 2. However, every entree in every pack is exactly the same for both menus. Each pack contains a beans and salad entree and a beans with potatoes entree. The only thing that differs is the smoothie, So far, i've seen banana apple and sweet potato grape. The other thing that differs is inconsistency in the peanut butter and jelly packets. One pack had two peanut butter packets and two jelly packets, One had 2 jelly packets and one peanut butter packet, and one had 3 jelly packets and one peanut butter packet. The meals all contain the same rock like oatmeal cookie and a package of crackers. The accessory packet only has a wet nap and salt and pepper packets, nothing else that you see others review videos is contained in it. Of course there is a spoon. So after the first box I decided to order another one from the seller, They had 1 for a couple dollars more expensive, and I figured it might be different. This one is labeled menu "B" on the box and sub menues 1 and 2 in the box. Guess what? All the meals are exactly the same as the first box labeled menu "A" All in all this is an ok value for the price, just know that you will get a box full of 10 of the exact same meals with only a variation in the smoothie flavor and inconsistent count on peanut butter and jelly packets. I think these were deffinatly made government work on a Friday style.

★★★★★ For emergency food, this stuff is pretty amazing. I have no complaints about the quality and have been very satisfied with it. My only complaint is that my understanding was that these were supposed to last five years, but according to the expiration date on the box I received, I think I only got about two years of shelf life. That said, for the quality, I was still very satisfied. When it gets close to the expiration date, all I have to do is eat it and restock. The spoon that is included is a very good quality plastic spoon, not one of those cheap flimsy ones. If you need something for a bug out bag or just want to have a few days’ worth of food on hand for emergencies, this stuff is well-packed, well-marked, and I highly recommend it.

5 stars because it has all that I expected. I plan to buy another box, and will adjust rating if I experience anything different. They do not guarantee a variety and says so in the product description. I added this info in at very end of review so you dont have to search for it on the page. ------------------------------------- Update 4/2024. I just realized I have purchased 6 of these so far, and each have been fine. There is a TTI sticker (time and temperature indicator) on each box. This is for inspectors to look at to determine if the product has been over exposed to high temperatures. There are 2 circles. You want them to be same color. If inner circle is dark, then that means product was exposed to high temps. Does not mean it is bad, just means you want to use these up sooner over later. Never have had any issues with this distributor. ------------------------------------- Ok, onto rest of review with information specific to these rations: To start, I want to say that NO, these each bag is NOT meant to be "shared". Sure, you "can", but that is NOT how these are packaged. EACH bag contains enough calories/energy to serve ONE person PER DAY. I saw the review that says something about being for 2 people and I want to make a point to clarify. Also, why buy these (and down rate) if you expect them to be free? Companies make these and are contracted by government to get their money back. Then product is dispersed as needed in horrific situations. Glad to be in a situation to buy these before needed and not waiting for an air drop. Yikes. Surplus is then sold to the public, which is great. I find the current $45 for TEN days of food for one person to be a bargain. Not gourmet, no meat, but it has calories to get through the day. Need more variety or want the addition of a heater and coffee? Then check out "MRE's". Also not free, haha. Humanitarian Rations are meatless. That should be understood, but I am highlighting this as some reviewers are shocked by it. Still it provides protein, carbs, fat, and enough calories to technically provide enough energy to adults. Might not feel like enough, might not totally fill the belly if nothing else to eat, but the body will sustain. Like MREs (companies that make this also make MREs) the packaging material is dense, and may take a bit of effort to get into. They need to be pulled apart at the edge, which is very doable, but for some may prefer to have a knife or scissors available to you. Salmon pink color is the choice after they initially started with yellow a couple decades ago. Since the yellow resembled cluster bombs, the color was changed to this off pink color. The contents for each bag contains around 2200 calories- the amount of energy for ONE person, per day. Whether you eat it all at once, or divvied up throughout the day, the entire contents of each bag is meant for 1 person. There are 10 bags total. So basically ten days of food for one person, or 5 days for 2 people Inside EACH bag there are two different "mains" along with an assortment of cookies, crackers, shortbread and other sweets. Mostly high energy carb based sides. 2 each of each flavor, though the flavor contents is not described on the bag. In MY box, I have ten bags, they are labeled as a number (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), and there are two of each (two #1, two #2, two of #3. etc). It is only once you have opened the bag do you see what you get. BUT you can surmise that it will contain any combo of the following: Main entrée, TWO of any of these combinations: --Lentil or barley stew --Yellow or herb rice --Red beans and rice --Beans and rice with tomato sauce --Peas in tomato sauce --Beans with potatoes (So, the bag I opened that is labeled as #1 has a pack of peas in tomato sauce AND a pack of red beans and rice). I havent opened the others. I bought this for longer term storage and for use in car BOB. Sides/snacks: (Each bag should contain all of these. I dont recall seeing jam, but I may have missed it. I only tried the main meal) --Shortbread --Fig bar --Vegetable crackers --Peanut butter --Strawberry jam --Fruit pastry (much like a Pop-tart) Accessory Pack containing: (everything listed here was in my bag) --Book of matches (unprinted) --Salt, pepper, and sugar packets --Packet of crushed red pepper --Moist towelette (alcohol-free) --Paper napkin --Plastic spoon ------------------------------- It is what it is. It is emergency food that requires no heating or preparation. You CAN heat it by submerging in hot water, but no "need". I see a lot of comments about it not having a heater. Where does it say that there is one? why down rate on something it doesnt have when it never claimed to? Again no meat. If you want meat, then shop for MREs. Or add this to a bigger pack of your own design. I would add in a couple cans of meat and some coffee. Boom, done. In humanitarian relief rations, the need for meat is null. The meals are basic and provide protein through the legumes and peanut butter, and some amounts across the entire ration. Get more bang for the caloric buck with non meat protein source. Taste is fine. I am not picky. As a ration, the idea is that there arent really any other options available, and you get what you get. I dont mind food like this on occasion. I like keeping a pack of emergency food in my vehicle (which I rotate through/swap out regularly), and I like to have food just tucked away period. Humanitarian Rations and MREs do not have hard "expiration" or "best by" dates. The date stamped is when it was produced. The minimum best by date is typically 3-5 years out, but if you are in the know and not scared by dates stamped on shelf stable food, then you know that food typically last years beyond the date. ---------------------------------- I am adding the blurb that is in the product description and will bullet point it for easier reading. Me thinks some folks missed this part: ---(1) Case of 10 Meals-Ready-to-Eat MRE, 2 servings in each bag for a total of 20 servings per case- composed of 5 delicious meal varieties ---Inspection date: 04/2022 (MRE's do not have an expiration date) ---U.S. military and FEMA issue, ---made in USA ---Fully cooked and ready to eat ---Reduced sodium for a healthier diet ---Units have been stored in a temperature controlled, cool, low humidity environment ---Every meal includes an entrée, side dishes, seasoning packet, utensil, and napkin. Meal kit contents COULD BE DIFFERENT than the listed items. ---Ideal for survival situations, hunting, camping, hiking, fishing, boating, and emergency food supply. --- Long, Stable Shelf Life. ---Designed for maximum endurance and nutrition with average 2200 calories per meal. ---Bundle Description: 2 servings in each Bag Expiration ---Date: Inspection Date of 04/22 ---Country/Region of Manufacture: United States ---Number of Servings: 20 Servings per ---Case Shelf Life: 5 Years ---Item Weight: 2.4 lbs per bag ---Course: Full meal Main Ingredient: Varies Per Meal ---Brand: SOPAKCO, WORNICK OR AMERIQUAL ---Flavor: 5 Different Labelled Menus ---Type: Ready-To-Eat These HDRs contain ingredients that are acceptable to wider range of consumers with dietary restrictions. ---Complementary components are also included to provide the balance of the daily nutritional requirements that call for not less than 2200 calories, broken down as 10-13% protein, 27-30% fat, and not less than 60% carbohydrates. --- A spoon and a non-alcohol based moist towelette are the only non-food components in the meal bag. ---How to eat it: The entire meal is ready to eat. The entrees may be eaten cold, however, generally are more desirable when heated. The entree package may be immersed in hot water or placed in a pot for heating over flame. - ---Please Note: Unlike regular military MREs, these HDRs do not include a flameless heater unit --Each case comes sealed with 10 complete full-day rations, we CANNOT guarantee which specific meals will be included ----------------------- Truly hope this info helped. For real... it is a good time to make sure you have food in your pantry, and food tucked away for longer periods of time if a situation arises that makes food hard to come by. Store what you eat, but it is also nice to have some food stuff packaged like this for added assurance. Great for hiking bags, bug out bags, get home bags, etc too. Or for food tucked away in car or office on days when one forgets a lunch. Etc.