A lot of them "fell off the back of the truck." Others were distributed by FEMA by the case after Katrina and these are the left overs.

Ignoring the legal issues, I wouldn't touch them. You have no idea how they were stored- MREs can tank in a few months if stored someplace very warm, say in a mechanical space. What I'd really like to see is one of the contractors producing exactly the same items, either assembled or ala carte, in civilian packaging. What we have is close, so... But at least buying a commercially produced and distributed item means you've got better odds of it being stored properly than "surplus" ones.

Me, I'm waiting for a civilian First Strike as well. Sounds like the best thing for BOB.