They spent their adolescence on Apollo flights, but were conceived on Earth Skylabs floating workshops, and every Shuttle from Enterprise to Challenger found them on board
The freeze dried food in a ´toothpaste tube´ was increasing the human stress levels, and NASA needed delicious and easy to prepare ´normal´food The US Space Programme put the retort pouches – as they were then called – to the test in 1970 The requirements of the Space Programme were met by retort pouches more than by any other technology Astronauts on the moon and in flight have been successfully fed by retort pouches ever since
The use and development of the pouches was taken up by US Military Research in the 1980s. Over the ensuing 30 years, Research Labs have upgraded the taste and nutritional profile of pouched meals which have become the mainstay of all US defensive and offensive operations.
MREs have also been used in Humanitarian Relief – Hurricane, Flood, Earthquake, Volcano, Refugee and Hunger, Forest Fire, Fever and future Relief Efforts Hundreds of millions of MRE Full Meals (long life food) have been produced and eaten, and have gone to every theatre of war and relief. Individual serving pouches have proved an ideal mealtime solution in outdoor and adventure activities, including camping and hunting
The pouch underwent further development in the 1980s, culminating in a big breakthrough Its four layers allows the food to be sealed and cooked inside and never exposed to air again until opened. The development has improved both the taste and the shelf life: the latter from 3 to up to 10 years In emergencies the meal can be eaten cold, but preferably, heat in boiling water for 5 minutes and it is ready for eating The retention of moisture, gravy and sauce is as normal
TRY SOME MREs and see how convenient, long lasting and always ready to go they are