MRE

The MRE is a consumable item

Background
The MRE (abbreviated from "Meal, Ready-to-Eat") is a highly nutritious field ration for use by United States Armed Forces servicemen in combat and field conditions where organized food facilities are not available. The main meals in the pouch come pre-cooked in "boil in the foil" packets that can be warmed by immersing them in water that activates heating cells in the MRE pouch. MREs were first issued in 1981 on a limited basis and finally replaced the older canned rations when stockpiles were used up in 1986.

Gameplay
Military individual field rations were used by the United States Army and are found extensively in the area surrounding the Divide. The MRE contains boneless pork chop as the main course along with standard sundries. This food item is one of the few radiation-free foods in the game, and its nutritional value in hardcore mode is among the highest found in any food, on par with the much heavier caravan lunch.

Locations

 * Found in military shipping crates scattered all over the Divide and Long 15.
 * Four in the Hopeville men's barracks as well as four in the women's barracks.
 * Three on a catwalk near a duffle bag halfway down, at the south side of the Sunstone Tower roof.
 * Three at the Marked Men supply outpost, near the back of an orange-yellow trailer.
 * Three can be found east of Junction 7 rest stop, under a collapsed overpass next to a broken shipping crate at the top of the hill.
 * Two at the Marked Men camp, near a tire at the east wall of the Hopeville Missile Base Headquarters.
 * Two near a US Army truck, in the collapsed overpass tunnel.
 * At the canyon wreckage, in the duffle bag under the graffiti that reads "Lonesome Road."
 * If Ulysses is alive after the final quest of Lonesome Road, he will be at the entrance to the canyon wreckage. If the Courier asks him if he has recovered anything from the dust of Hopeville, he will give three or four MREs and other minor loot.

Behind the scenes

 * The real-life MRE Menu No. 2 was a boneless pork chop from 2000-2001. Menu No. 2 is currently Shredded BBQ Beef. The resale notice was added in 2001. The bag design more closely resembles older MREs.
 * The real-life ZIP code of Mullins, South Carolina, where MRE supplier SOPAKCO is based, is 29574, whereas the ZIP code on the bag, 12490, corresponds to West Camp, New York.