Has a good variety, although people complain for the short shelf life. MRE's such as these last for 10 years minimum. MRE's can last for decades. MRE's do not last 4-5 years. VERY cheap for a pack of 5 MRE's.

I received product (June 2016) that was produced in the Fall of 2012. That gives me almost NO shelf life on a product advertised as up to five years. BE HONEST about what you are shipping!!!!

Same as another reviewer, I purchased these in June of 2016 as emergency supplies for FUTURE contingencies. The packages were dated 2012. That is completely unacceptable. I'm not buying these to enjoy 4-5 year old MREs. The product should be around, or reasonably close to, the date of order. I would accept a year or so, but not 4 years. These are essentially useless for emergency meals. Also keep in mind these are not identical to genuine MREs, i.e., there is no coffee and fruit drink (and to be fair, the seller does not advertise those items, but just an FYI). The dessert item is a poptart (literally a poptart with MRE-type packaging around the original packaging).

This is a low priced, half-substitute for emergency meals and I would not buy these for my family. If you advertise "5-year shelf life" then that should be 5 years from around the date you purchase. Not a product that has sat on someone else's shelf for 4 years!! I also have no idea how these were stored (temperature, etc.), which can impact that "5-year" number greatly. Stick with other products.

The taste of everything that I've tried so far has been surprisingly good (although I needed to add a little pepper - real pepper, not the bland pencil shavings you get in paper packets - plus the "salt-free seasoning" that comes with these), and the price was good. I was shocked by how much I liked the two entrees I've tried. I was expecting that they'd be okay for survival, but that they weren't likely to be something I'd want to eat otherwise. But that wasn't the case at all, I'd totally eat these while camping, going out for a hike and having a picnic, or even when I have a date come over for dinner but don't really feel like cooking.

I also found the entree filling. In fact, I ate the entree, crackers, and the apple jelly and I was full (not stuffed, but certainly not hungry). I'm a 30yo guy, and I feel like I have an average appetite. If you have a big appetite, you might need to eat the entire thing, but I can't imagine anyone feeling even remotely hungry after one of these.

My gripes with this product are as follows:
1) The variety is non-existent. If you read the description closely, you'll notice that every meal comes with the same sides. Crackers (I got one that has vegetable crackers, I'm excited to try those), apple and grape jelly (I only use one for each, then save the other in the fridge for a PB&J or toast - jelly and crackers is not the best, so I'm sure most of them I'll just save both of the jellies), a maple/brown-sugar poptart, and a tootsie roll.

You'd better hope you have other types of MREs around, or if you're ever reliant upon these for more than a day or two, you're probably going to be foraging for edible plants and hunting squirrels and domestic pets just for some variety. Maybe you can use some of that extra jelly to liven up that squirrel meat. Squirrel kebabs with a sweet apple or grape chutney sounds divine.

2) I'm not sure if all of these are like this, but mine had a date code of 2012 (>300 days in, so you could argue it was virtually 2013), meaning they were still far from "expired" (they're usually still perfectly edible well after 5 years, if they've been stored properly, despite the taste being off by that point), but the length of time I could have stored them was reduced from 5 years to 1 or 2 years. Luckily I had every intent to eat these immediately as a test to see if I want to order more of this brand and/or more of the low-sodium meals, but if you're planning to keep them long-term, you may want to find another source - like direct from the packager - so that they're fresher. These are still fine though, and if you're planning to use them in the not-too distant future, (like camping, or that romantic date) I wouldn't even hesitate to buy these again.

If you have any specific questions that I neglected to cover in this review, feel free to ask, and I'll do my best to answer. I would definitely recommend these, but not for more than a day or two unless you really need the low-sodium, or you're going to get bored of them.

These were shipped super fast and came earlier than expected (which with 2 day shipping is impressive!) I got these after finding some MREs at a yard sale and giving them to my husband who is a field biologist and out camping 5 days a week. These are the perfect balance, self contained GOOD food. He loves them and they are quick easy and no hassle which is perfect for any camper/hiker or even just for emergency supplies.

These particular ones are low sodium, and do not come in the classic MRE D.O.D. packaging but that is about the only difference. The food options are among my husband's favorite menu options from the MREs and he enjoys the mystery and variety of getting random packs. Also can't beat the price!!

Highly recommended!