The Lot Number can be found on the bottom left of your MRE bag. It is embossed and usually starts with the letter “P” followed by 5 digits. The 5 digits are the lot number and should be entered above to find out your date of production or manufacture. This will help you determine your expected shelf life. The fresher the MRE, the longer your shelf life.

The system used by XMRE® is the Julian Date Code, and you will have to convert the numbers with the Gregorian Calendar, the calendar used presently.

How do you read our lot number, XXXXX? The first 2 digits represents the last 2 digits of the year and the last 3 digits represents the day of the year. For example, if your lot code is 20145, this means your MRE was manufactured on the 145^th day of the year 2020. Bring your calendar and count the 145^th day which is May 24^th, 2020. Your MRE has a best by date of May 24^th, 2025, with proper storage conditions.

All our products bags are embossed with a best by date, which means we guarantee freshness by that date. After that date, flavors will start to diminish, but the food is safe to eat.

See the chart below for shelf life information of your MRE.