The cases of MREs usually are marked with the production date in the American fashion: 2-digit Month / 2-digit Day / 4-digit Year (e.g., November 24, 1996 would be rendered as 11/24/1996).
The Date Packed on the box is the 2-digit Month / 2-digit Year (e.g., October 1991 would be rendered as "10/91").