You may have been standing in your local sporting goods store, or even just browsing around on the Internet and came across something called a civilian MRE. I’m sure you’re probably wondering, what are civilian MREs and how are they different from military MREs? If so, then you’re not alone as this question is asked more frequently than you may think.

What Are Civilian MREs?

MREs have been gaining popularity in recent years especially among outdoorsmen, hikers, backpackers, and survivalists. Because of the increasing interest, there have been several companies who have begun developing MREs that are more tailored for civilian use.

How Civilian MREs Differ From Military MREs

How are these any different than military MREs? Well, for starters, you often get a lot more variety in flavors from a civilian MREs then you do from military MREs. This isn’t because companies care less about the military either.

It’s honestly more about the nutritional requirements that soldiers have while they’re out on the battlefield. You must stop and think for a moment that when soldiers are in combat, they are going very long periods of time without having the ability to sit down and eat.

On top of that, they are also burning substantial amounts of calories that even the hardest workouts back home can’t compete with. For that reason, more emphasis is placed on nutritional content in military MREs than on flavors.