While there aren't any laws that specifically prohibit anyone from reselling the goods, according to government regulations, they can be sold only to "a limited number of organizations, including, among others, U.S. military organizations and federally funded activities."

"Military MREs are procured by government entities using taxpayer dollars, and are intended to be consumed by individuals from authorized organizations and activities," the letter said. "Consequently, if military MREs are sold to the general public on eBay, then they are clearly not reaching their intended recipients and represent a waste of taxpayer dollars and possible criminal activity."

Some of the sellers on eBay were victims of Hurricane Katrina.

This morning I conducted a keyword search on eBay and found “393 items found for MRE”.

The auction from the picture above was offering:

“The basic menus 1-12 Beefsteak + mushrooms, Boneless pork chop, Beef ravioli, Country captain chicken, Grilled chicken, Thai chicken, Chicken with salsa, Beef Patty, Beef Stew, Chili + macaroni, Pasta with veg, Bean + rice burrito. 13-24 Cheese tortellini, Pasta with alfredo sauce, Beef enchiladas, Chicken with noodles, Beef Teriyaki, Turkey breast with gravy and potatoes, Beef with mushrooms, Spaghetti with meat sauce, Chicken tetrazzini, Jambalaya, Chicken with cavatelli, Meatloaf with gravy.”

According to an eBay spokesman, "... until a law is passed saying you can't sell these things, we're not going to stop them from being sold on the site."