There are these "emergency food bars" (like datrex and mainstay) which could be useful to keep for emergencies. I'm trying to understand whether I can keep some in my car trunk (and be able to eat them later). My car is out in the sun in CA most days, so it can get pretty hot (someone once measured 120--140 F in the trunk).

The bars are supposed to have a shelf life of 5 years. But I didn't find any official source about what the storage conditions should be. Some people on the internet say they can be stored at any temperature from -40 to +300 for 5 years. I'd like to see sources for that.

With MREs, there are these nice charts of shelf life vs. storage temperature. I'm wondering whether there is something similar for these datrex bars.

Also, they say they are "SOLAS compliant" and "USCG approved". I'm wondering what that means -- do these certifications include storage temperatures? I looked up SOLAS text online, but didn't find anything about rations.

Google is your friend: USCG Guidelines for Approval of Emergency Provisions for Lifeboats and Liferafts states:


Actually, it appears that the 5 year shelf life is set at a maximum of five years by the USCG reg. These rations are probably stable and edible even longer, but the regs state that the lifeboat rations must be replaced after five years, so there is no advantage or reason for the companies to claim a longer shelf life.

Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks a lot!

I've eaten Datrex bars that were over five years old before. I had two of the blue 3600 calorie bars in a "boat bucket" (a 5 gallon bucket with a ratcheting lid set up as an emergency kit for use in the boat). This bucket was kept in my dads garage in North Dakota for most of those years, over 110 in the summer and maybe -40 in the winter. Although they were a little bit more crumbly than a new block both of them were still pretty tasty.

Yeah, I'll admit it- I really love the taste of Datrex bars! I could seriously sit down and eat half a block of 'em, assuming I had a big glass of water.