Well, what do you know. I stopped in Wal-Mart on the way home the other night for some oil, and I took a path through the Food aisle, and there I saw Star-Kist tuna in foil packaging - much like an MRE.

http://www.starkist.com/products/

Expiration date was Novmber 2008 - not as long as a "real" MRE, but certainly enough to keep a few in my car and computer bag.

In sniffing around the food aisle, and inspecting expiration dates, I found quite a range of longer-life non-canned products on the shelf, including not only the Tuna, but also a variety of dried foods, which are less useful in an emergency, but still not a bad thing to pack.

As a test I ate the tuna for lunch today, and I'll pronounce the water-packed better tasting, and the sunflower-oil packed a better "energy" food (more fat) but, to me at least, not as tasty.

I've been looking more closely at the expiration dates. With high-temperature treatment and cobalt irradiation, it seems that many of these "to-go" foods can be packed for 2 or more years, no problem.

They say it tastes better, I didn't see a real differance. My mom liked them. The Dollar store near me had them 1 or 2 for a buck.

Dave

Martin,
I recently got some packets of Spam regular and turkey that were packaged in the same way. I thought about using them as BOB foods as well as the tuna.

These packages of Tuna and other foods in pouches are becoming more and more common.

They are suposed to taste fresher because the thin pouches do not have to be heated as long as cans.

In canning, the product is sealed in a can and heated under pressure in a retort chamber.

In the case of tuna, a can of tuna is heated for about 4 hours to sterilize the contents. With retort pouches of tuna it only takes about 45 minutes (thiner package, transfers heat faster). The pouch tuna should have less of a "cooked" taste due to the shorter processing time. In addition, to keep the contents of a can from scorching during the longer heating period, more liquid has to be put in a can.

That's the reason that pouch tuna does not have to be drained and should taste better (at least in theory).

I still buy cans, because it is cheaper. At least right now you can by canned cheaper. The actual cost of producing canned vs pouch is about the same. Canned is cheaper now because plants already have canning equipment, while pouches involve new equipment.

Ron, thanks for the explanation.

Dave

Thanks for the information. Do you have any idea on how long the foil packs stay edible in long term storage as compared to canned? I'm particularly interested in how well they handle repeat freeze-thaw cycles.

Regards, Vince

StarKist has a recommended shelf life of 4 years on canned tuna and 3 years on pouches.

I do not know why there is a difference.

What other foods packaged in this style are currently available, other than the tuna and Spam varieties mentioned? If there are lots. just a few would be helpful. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm sure it's more cost effective than some other options.

I bought some pre-cooked ground beef that way a couple of years ago, I did not care for it at all. We were going to use it on a camping trip and it looked and smelled spoiled so we ate something else that night.
Taught me to learn to check things out before using it where I didn't have a backup in case it didn't work.

Best answer there is to go to Walmart or large supermarket and walk the "canned meats" isle. This type of packaging is getting to be more and more common.

You can buy several types of rice/pasta dishes that you microwave for about a minute in the pouch and eat. I have found precooked hamburger meat in pouches. (I tried that thinking it might be good for camping, but smell and texture reminded me of dog food.)

One thing that I have found that is very nice for camping is precooked bacon. It comes in a sealed clear pouch and can be stored without refrigiration. Shelf life is 4-5 months (check date on package). Less than a minute in a pan or on a stick over the fire will warm it up. Also, real bacon bits in a 3-4 oz pack can add a lot of flavor for a little weight on a backpacking/camping trip. (Really improves the taste of instant grits.)

The main reason I have paid so much attention to such food is that I am lazy, but I like to eat well on camping trips. On camping trips, food that does not require a cooler and ice makes things much easier. Precooked requires less fuel and less prep time. These foods make it easy to pack light.

On my last camping trip I baked a ham in a cast iron dutch oven. Took over 3 hours. I enjoy traditional campfire cooking, but it is a good idea to have quick and easy backups even when you plan to spend the time to do the real deal.