Western Frontier 2021 and up Inspection Date, 2018 Pack Date, Meals Ready-to-Eat Genuine US Military Surplus with Western Frontier's Inspection

First: These seem to be the real deal; a little different than what I remember, but I was in from '99 to 2005. These are probably what's being issued today.Second: The inspection dates are accurate. Before ordering more, I made a point to eat an entire case just to be sure everything was fine. It's good to go, I assure you.Third: As for this company, it's OUTSTANDING! Buy from them without hesitation.Now to my main point:These aren't just for combat and survival. I can get around well enough and I'm still a decent physical force, but 1/4 of my intestines are scar tissue at this point, I've had several ruptures, and organs aren't all where they are supposed to be. Yes, it's like having a chainsaw in your gut 24/7. Constant agony, but I got used to that.What I didn't get used to was my inability to consume enough food. I've been very frustrated finding a low-volume, high-nutrient food source.Then one day it dawned on me... I spent six years eating MREs; a food product designed specifically to be low-volume and high-nutrition. So, I took a gamble. It was either going to hurt a lot or help a lot, and I was surprised to find that I can still digest the stuff! :)It is, after all, designed to be easily digested. Don't believe the rumors people run on about; I was there when they were generated by soldiers that just like to gripe about everything. It's a popular hobby in the military. These are air-dropped to malnourished people around the world; people who CAN'T suddenly eat full meals without severe complications. I've been there right with them. If they can eat it, so can I.So, here's my suggestion. If your body doesn't want to digest food properly; if you have some gut issue or problem absorbing nutrients, go straight to your physician and ask if MREs are worth a try (bring the nutrition information). If the doc says it's okay for you, this might just change your life!Now, for those of you who are wondering if they're any good, don't worry. They heat up well, the food is good (certainly use the salt and pepper, though), healthy, and it's very filling. While I'm not above fast food, I've stayed in the finest hotels in the world, the worst hovels on disputed borders, and have certainly consumed everything from termites to meals from countless Michelin-awarded chefs.This ain't gonna be worth a star, but it's far, FAR better than anything in the frozen food aisle. It's good stuff. A man in my squad who was about to retire was on the team used to test them before introduction, and hearing about how thoroughly it was all researched and what they put those guys through built my faith in the MRE.They really have done a great job, and you won't be dissatisfied. This is good enough for daily consumption without wishing you had something else, and it'll last you a heck of a long time; as in most everyday lives this will serve you for two days (three in an emergency if you watch your energy use) per MRE.These are NOT expensive. They just seem that way because it's a brown box coming from the internet. This is actually a very cost-effective way to be fed. Look at those calorie and nutrient counts, see how well it'll feed you for a day or two, and then run that number against you're coffee or fast food bill.You'll find the MRE is a superior value by a longshot. One delivered pizza can buy you almost four MREs. Think about that...

External Packaging: Everything well packaged in a sturdy card board box with an additional card board liner inside. No external damage observed through shipping or in packaging.Contents Packaging: Each individual bag (all 12) did not show any damage. Upon opening the MRE bag you will find another sealed clear plastic bag inside which then contains everything. So the individual bags are double bagged so to speak.Information: The temperature button was found on the bottom of the box and did not indicate any high-temperature environment or exposure. I could not find a date anywhere on the box or on any of the individual packages. All foods had nutrition information.Contents of MRE: Only opened one which was a beef taco meal. This came with powered orange drink, powdered coffee, sugar pack, salt pack, creamer pack, taco meat pack, beans/rice pack, trail mix pack, two flower tortilla's, cheese spread pack, toilet paper/napkin, book of matches, heavy plastic spoon, cardboard sleeve for insulation of heater pack, and water activated heater pack. Opening outside bag was a bit difficult, but we were able to peel the bag open as stated on the outside instructions. Very heavy weight outside package. All the main course foods like the meat, beans/rice, tortilla's, trail mix, were in a heavy plastic/foil packaging. All were easy to open by tearing across. Condiments were in another plastic bag. So everything well packaged and orderly.Flavor of foods: My son and I ate this together, so this is both our opinion. Drink Mixes: Coffee was good as well as the orange drink. We tried the coffee black, and then added cream and sugar. He liked the coffee a lot more than I did, but I like my coffee dark, and he likes it light. I found the flavor a bit weak, but not bad. Orange drink had a good flavor, somewhat like Tang, but not so sweet. Taco Meat: Consistency of Sloppy Joe meat. Needed to be just a bit thicker. Favor was good and had a little bit of spice and slightly on the sweet side. We both agreed this was a step up from our local fast-food taco meat. Bean/Rice: Contents said bean and rice, didn't notice any rice. Bean paste had some full beans in it along with bean spread. Tasted like bean paste, not much to be said here as bean paste is not much to write home about. Tortilla: Very fresh tasting and soft. Mine split down the middle at the fold, his was fine. Cheese: Tasted like canned cheese spread. A tiny bit on the oily side, but definitely a cheddar taste. Melted well. Trail Mix: Mostly peanuts, some raisins and a few walnuts. Three chocolate candies like an M&M. Not a ton of food here, but a very solid hand-full of mix. Good portion for one person. Everything Else: Was just fine, no issues at all. Toilet paper was wrapped as well as the spoon.Overall opinion was that this was a very tasty meal. Heater pack functioned perfectly, didn't end up with steaming hot food, but quite warm even though the heater pack was too hot to touch for a long time. Everything packaged nicely, was like a little kit of cool things to explore. I'd have liked to find a date somewhere on the box or individual packages. So only four stars for not knowing how long a shelf life these have or if it is written on something, it's not obvious and something like "Good Until Date" should be very obvious. But for the price, if all 12 meals are this good, you're getting a pretty decent, filling meal for a little over $6.00 a meal. If we had to choose between this and the local fast-food taco stand, we'd go with this.

Was as advertised but it was a week late for shipping

Great stuff. Little pricey but I got exactly what I ordered.

Date of packaging was 2016 not 2018. Apparently good for minimum 3 years if stored properly but disappointed they were not packaged in 2018.

great quality and very fresh, thanks

Little overpriced