U.S. Military Surplus MRE HDR Humanitarian Meals, 10 Pack, New

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Look interesting. They are all vegetarian. $5 a piece. No heaters.

 

I am told threse are the Original

"Meals Rejected by Ethiopians"

But what do I know???? Would like to hear from anyone who actually ate or distributed these in a humanitarian mission.

Like MREs, much better spiked with a liberal dose of Tabasco!

 

-HDRs are NOT the original early 1980s MREs. HDRs came out much later, maybe mid-90s? The early MREs were unpopular due to menu selections by the designers and manufacturing problems that caused some of the packages containing liquids to leak. And the infamous "escalloped potatoes" that even liberal doses of hot sauce couldn't cure. I tried the mini-hot dogs, whatever they were called. They were, simply, terrible.
-It was quite a while before vegetarian MREs came out. I didn't see any until the early 2000s. They were probably around earlier but I wasn't spending as much time in the field then.
-HDRs were designed to be culturally neutral, so no pork or beef. Lamb and chicken/poultry were SUPPOSED to be culturally neutral and therefore acceptable but... ?
-The pink/salmon package color was to make them more visible when airdropped. Big problem: how to label packages when the language/culture of the recipient is unknown? What if that population is mostly illiterate anyway?
-They were bland for a number of reasons, again for cultural reasons, and to decrease folks developing dependency on the HDRs instead of looking for REAL food.
-Hope this helps.

 

If anyone wants actual MREs the best way is to ask any servicemember to go on base and get some. The Commissary sells them, and many commands are happy to donate a hundred cases to Boy Scout troops, etc.

 

No thank you. Bleech

 

I have bought and eaten a bunch of them. One kid is vegetarian and the other members of the family don't eat pork and beef, so lowest common denominator food is a real asset. You may not be keen on the entrees, but they are a lot healthier than what is in MREs I think most of them are OK. I will chow down on any of the HDR entrees over the vile Asian Beef Strips MRE entree.

Of note, everyone in the family calls them "refugee rations."

 

oh when they get hungry enough they will eat what is served... it's a non-issue

 

Saw a YouTube review of mres air dropped to gaza. At least claimed to be. He ended up throwing in dumpster.
I am not crazy about lentils but haven't eaten many. They grow on you. Just had lentil salad toppers, maybe deep fried? That were pretty good.

 

Fried lentils?? This intrigues me. 🤔🤔🤔

 

Not bad Chow, but they won’t ship to AK. No reason given.

 

Thanks for the review. About what I expected. Been eye balling them on and off over the last year.

My current mre stash is getting close to expiring and I have been debating if I actually want to replace them since I switched mostly to mountain house meals for quick food.

At least we can rule these out as possibilities.

 

Thanks for the review. About what I expected. Been eye balling them on and off over the last year.

My current mre stash is getting close to expiring and I have been debating if I actually want to replace them since I switched mostly to mountain house meals for quick food.

At least we can rule these out as possibilities.

You know what, they are so cheap you should buy a case and try them yourself.

 

We buy them once in a year or so. They aren't bad and you can't beat the price. We rotate them out by taking them on fishing trips and stuff like that. I wouldn't want to live off them for a week but they're fine for a random meal and would do for a couple days in a pinch.

 

O Post,

In reply, esp in re "inexpensively" and "contingency":

No, have not and will not use.

Recommend to avoid saving funds on - planned for - foods.

Treat foods like needed RX medicines.

Peanuts can be ditched for the healthier tree nuts.

Sardines are easier to manage and loaded with needed nutrients.

If needing something to cook: halibut steak (not filleted) on my menu (not concerned with higher mercury although understanding some are).

Planning for contingencies means having better quality foods in shacks, vehicle and on person.

When comparing costs, use replacement cost accounting. Tree nuts can cost 4 times as much as tree nuts. Tree nuts are nominal in cost compared to my once prescribed RX medicine.

We were donated some of the described food. We gave them away.

 

Only if they include a blood pressure pill with the meal.

 

MREs are expensive, taste is lacking, they're loaded with sodium, and don't last nearly as long as many other long-term shelf stable foods (such as freeze dried). They play no role in my prepping. They are good for what they were designed for, however, which is a shelf stable food that can be given to troops during operations without the need for a chow supply, when they know they are going to use them within a specified time. For prepping, there are better options IMO.

 

Not a MRE nor Humanitarian food fan. No need to stock any at the present time. Does look like a good price.
New, Bear Creek meals can be bought for roughly the same $5. $4.00 on sale at times. Most varieties have 8 one-cup servings. Only a 3y shelf life.

Now if presented because that is all that's available to eat, then sure. Anything goes after the real food runs out.
May have to flavor those up with garden grubs....fried Armadillo's and Raccoon's.....tree sap and leafs.....

 

Not a MRE nor Humanitarian food fan. No need to stock any at the present time. Does look like a good price.
New, Bear Creek meals can be bought for roughly the same $5. $4.00 on sale at times. Most varieties have 8 one-cup servings. Only a 3y shelf life.

Yeah, but the number one ingredient is many of those bear creek meals is corn starch, the number two or three is often corn syrup. And the sodium exceeds that of MREs.

 

The HDR meals aren't bad, just a little bland. And the pop tarts in them are the most compressed pop tarts I have ever seen.
I get them once in a while with recent inspection dates on Amazon for $35-$40 a case.

 

It is food that is intended to be dropped out of an airplane. Probably not a good idea to expect fine dining, heh.

 

I picked up a couple cases few months ago,mostly to have around for my son and daughter in law, for a day of fishing or? no ones tried them yet so cant comment on taste.

 

Somewhere between being superstitious and being a bit of a hoarder, I've ended up with a case of ancient MREs at the bottom of the pantry. I'm saving them for the rainy day when someone goes around door to door demanding supplies... because anyone who would rudely demand supplies from me deserves whatever happens when they try to eat them.

I've ordered a case of the HDRs because I'm that curious about the dates and quality. I figure I'll try one and, depending on what I learn, the rest will either join the MRE supply or rotate into the camping supplies alongside the more-expensive Mountain House stuff.

 

This is why I love the SB forums...... I never knew HDR's existed but seems like and easy way to add food for my remote caches.

Here is what I found on Amazon:

Amazon.com: Humanitarian Daily Ration MRE Case – 5 US FEMA Emergency rations MRE Varieties - Low Sodium Pre cooked w/Entree, Side Dishes for Hunting, Camping & More, 10 pack, Inspection Date 1/2024 or Better. : Tools & Home Improvement

Amazon.com: Humanitarian Daily Ration MRE Case – 5 US FEMA Emergency rations MRE Varieties - Low Sodium Pre cooked w/Entree, Side Dishes for Hunting, Camping & More, 10 pack, Inspection Date 1/2024 or Better. : Tools & Home Improvement

www.amazon.com

HK

 

I have bought them from that seller before and have always had good products and fast shipping from them.

 

Thoughts on humanitarian rations?

 

Thoughts on humanitarian rations?

They taste alright I got acouple cases for long days

 

Overall I am not a big fan of MREs. I always felt the cost for the shelf life didn't make the most sense economically. I do have a few cases of MREs because they do serve a small niche purpose in my plans. The rations do fix the cost problem of MREs. Amazon.com: 1 Case HUMANITARIAN DAILY RATION MRE - RANDOM MENU - Inspection date of 10/2022 or Newer : Grocery & Gourmet Food 32 dollars with free shipping is a good value when you think what it cost to ship these. Now you just got to decide if the food is edible. I use to buy individual MRE components like the peanut butter packet for a dollar each so even if you don't want the main entree the sides are probably worth the price.

Might as well buy a case and try it out. For the cost of going out to eat a fast food burger for two people you are risking little. Just don't go crazy buying them is my advice but I could see most people being able to justify a few cases.

 

At first I wasn't sure if you meant rations to hand out to random people in need, or a specific brand name.

I put "humanitarian rations" in google, up popped an Amazon product, so I'm guessing that's what you meant? Seems to be the same as @Eagle Scout Survivor above.

If so, it's $32 for 10 packs, 2200 calories per day. Not a bad price, IMO. Can't say about the manufacturers, I have no opinion on that.

I agree with @Eagle Scout Survivor about MREs. They're not a very good long-term solution to prepping, though IMO they have their place.

I have some MREs but they're bugout rations. I have a 10-minute bugout list, and part of that is a food box and a box of MREs. They aren't something I'd like to survive on for a long time, but for temporary use I think they're OK.

And...perhaps for someone just starting out prepping, trying to reach a 2-week threshold, maybe they're OK. That is, one of the early goals we often suggest for new preppers is to be able to handle a 2-week period with no outside services, until the snow melts, power comes back on, water services are returned, etc. With these MREs, you'd have options under that type of time frame.

 

When you cant stop moving, PB and crackers and maybe some kind of fruit goes a long way…MRE’s[for me its more the components]have a solid place in prepping…jmo

 

The whole think is pretty suspect- inspection date up to 33 months ago and unknown storage condition. The HDRs do have a TTI- you you can verify they should be good, just not how much storage life is left.

 

I always feel like sellers are misleading about the lifespan of an MRE. They use terms while true are hard to understand unless you do research or have a certain base knowledge.

For example the humanitarian ration claims up to a 10 year lifespan. With a 2022 inspection date. Inspection dates are typically 3 years after manufacturing date. So these where made 2019 roughly. 10 year shelf life gets you to 2029 or in an ideal world roughly 4 years of remaining shelf life. 4 years of shelf life sounds a lot less impressive than the advertised 10 years. Still not a bad shelf life if that is what you get but I wonder how many people store these away thinking they have 10 years from purchase date when in reality it is closer to 4.

 

I personally wouldn't mess with those Humanitarian Rations. I suppose if you were a vegetarian it might be something to stock up. MRE's are a great short term food plan but are certainly not a long term. In my experience after about 7 years they really start degrading. I'm not one that enjoys wasting money so if you don't like to eat MRE's they will go bad and be a big waste. The MRE's I purchase generally get put into my vehicles. They are consumed before their end dates. I'm also one of those guys who does not mind eating MRE's.

 

I personally wouldn't mess with those Humanitarian Rations. I suppose if you were a vegetarian it might be something to stock up. MRE's are a great short term food plan but are certainly not a long term. In my experience after about 7 years they really start degrading. I'm not one that enjoys wasting money so if you don't like to eat MRE's they will go bad and be a big waste. The MRE's I purchase generally get put into my vehicles. They are consumed before their end dates. I'm also one of those guys who does not mind eating MRE's.

I personally wouldn't mess with those Humanitarian Rations. I suppose if you were a vegetarian it might be something to stock up. MRE's are a great short term food plan but are certainly not a long term. In my experience after about 7 years they really start degrading. I'm not one that enjoys wasting money so if you don't like to eat MRE's they will go bad and be a big waste. The MRE's I purchase generally get put into my vehicles. They are consumed before their end dates. I'm also one of those guys who does not mind eating MRE's.

I'm with you on the "stock what you use and use what you stock" mentality.

 

Hdrs are a little bland, but not bad. All vegetarian, but definitely different from mres. I stock hdrs, mess and first strike rations. Then again, I actually use them in the field on a regular basis.