Hunters, Boy Scouts turn to MREs

Soldiers aren’t the only ones who eat MREs (Meal, Ready-to-Eat), the military’s field-and-combat ration.

MREs, produced by three American companies that have contracts with the Defense Department, are widely available at surplus stores around the country and on the Internet.

MREs are a popular item at Midwest Surplus, 1235 N. Third St., according to Rebecca Moeller, who purchases MREs for the business.

“It’s probably 50 percent hunters (who buy them for overnight trips), and the other 50 percent is divided up between Boy Scout troops, kids camping in their backyards and survivalists. We have customers who buy them by the case,” she says.

“We try to keep them in stock at all times, but we have run out on occasion,” Moeller says. “I think the war (in Iraq) has affected our supply. I would say my wholesale price (the price she pays for them) has gone up by 20 percent.”

MREs that are available to the public are typically production overruns that the military does not need to buy at the time.

Most of the MREs that Midwest Surplus sells are made by Ameriqual Foods in Evansville, Ind.

The Lawrence store offers a variety of MREs, such as vegetable manicotti; chunked and formed turkey with potatoes; beefsteak chopped and formed, grilled with mushroom gravy; chicken, noodles and vegetables, in sauce; and minestrone stew.

Each MRE comes with a main meal, side dish, fruit bar and crackers. An accessory packet contains a utensil, instant coffee, salt and pepper, sugar, jelly (for use with crackers), matches and a moist towelette.

The store also sells heaters — pads inside a plastic pouch — to warm individual meals. When a small amount of water is added to the pouch, a chemical reaction creates heat in 10 to 15 minutes.

The store buys its MREs by the pallet from the wholesale division of Major Surplus and Survival, of Gardena, Calif.

Bob Rosenfield, a buyer for Major Surplus, says MREs are storable for five to seven years, depending on the temperature at which they’re stored.

The quality of the meals is high and the ingredients top notch, he says.

“You will be amazed,” he says. “They are so good because the U.S. government doesn’t skimp. They use the finest cuts of beef and chicken. Just like the military clothing and gear, it’s the best.”