You may have heard people talking about MREs and wondered what they were and why people are using them. An MRE, officially called a Meal, Ready-to-Eat, is a self-contained individual meal delivered in lightweight packaging. While they have their origins in the military there are several reasons why your business should consider them as well.
The United States Department of Defense uses MREs for its service members when they are out in the field or in combat situations and organized food facilities are not available. These MREs were first developed in the late 1970’s and first went out into the field in 1981. They were designed to provide nourishment for the troops.
While commonly used by the military, there are also a number of reasons why your business should consider them as well. One benefit is the ease of use MRE’s provide. Each MRE entree meal is pre-cooked and ready-to-eat. While there are differences between civilian and military grade MRE’s, what doesn’t change is that they are ready to eat immediately. Not only can they be eaten cold or hot straight from their pouch without any cooking or preparation, they are a complete nutritious meal in one package. Additionally, MREs are easy to transport. You do not need to worry about gathering all the necessary cooking supplies you might need in case of evacuation but you can instead simply grab a case of these and you’re set to go. For your business this can be helpful in case of emergency. Having MREs on hand ensures you have food options in case of a longer than expected emergency.
Another benefit is the extended shelf life of MRE products. This is a huge benefit to your business because this is not a process or routine that needs to be updated on a regular basis. Instead you can distribute or store these and be confident that with their shelf-life of up to 4-6 years, you are covered for a while. It is important to check expiration dates but you will not need to set up a monthly distribution program due to the extended nature of their shelf life.
MRE’s can prove to be invaluable in case of a variety of emergencies, including extended power outages, severe weather, pandemics and a wide range of other unexpected emergencies. It can be difficult to prepare for every type of possible emergency, but one thing they all have in common is that you will need food during these emergencies. So MRE’s are a way to distribute just one product that is useful in a variety of emergencies.