Making The MRE Better

Master Sgt. Kevin Cartino, 1st Combat Camera Squadron first sergeant, shows off the MRE he was given during an information operations scenario during exercise Scorpion Lens, Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Feb. 25, 2020. US Army photo by Staff Sgt. Sean Campbell. 

Coffee Or Die: MRE: The Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner of Champions 

Most American military veterans can remember their first MRE. For some, it might be a fond memory. For others, it may evoke feelings of nausea or outright disgust. Though beloved by certain survivalist types, meals ready to eat are not a cuisine that most normal people would enjoy. 

But, of course, soldiers don’t go to war to eat delicious food — they go to fight. And for that purpose, there is no better grub than the quasi-edible contents of an MRE. 

 In 1775, the Continental Congress mandated that the United States Army supply each of its enlisted men with a set quantity of certain food provisions. The rations comprised a mix of meat or fish, flour or bread, peas or beans, spruce beer or cider, and a little molasses.  

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WNU Editor: I prefer storing freeze-dried meals. Mountain House, Peak Refuel, and Happy Yak are my favorites.

U.S. Army's MREs Are Being Shrunked

Soldiers with the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado, try the pizza MRE in 2014. After more recent modifications, now it's ready to be packaged into MREs. (David Kamm/U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center)

Washington Examiner: Honey, I shrunk the MRE: Troops say the Army's new tiny meals could yield big benefits

Army scientists have developed a method to shrink down a soldier's portable rations to one-third their normal size, which troops say could yield big benefits.

The new vacuum microwave dryer technology can compress the normally bulky Meals, Ready-to-Eat, better known as MREs, into tiny food bars. Not only are some of these bars more nutritious, their smaller size could save both time and space for companies on the move.

"Probably a good idea. Speaking as a quartermaster officer, it will probably reduce overall mass of MRE bulk shipment and may reduce the unfortunate tendency of air-filled MRE elements to 'pop' when dropped with force," Capt. Nick Smith, an Army reservist, told the Washington Examiner.

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WNU Editor: But will they taste better?

U.S. Army Wants To Make A Better MRE

U.S. Army

Popular Mechanics: Cooking (and Shrinking) the Modern Combat Ration

At an Army development lab, creating food for troops is as much about technology as it is about cooking. We sent a chef to learn how it all works. And tastes.

The entrance to the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center is busy and confusing. Based on how much the soldier at the gate my Uber driver and I pulled up to was shouting at us, we were not doing a great job of navigating that entrance. But after a few phone calls and with the help of our escort for the day, I was finally on my way down the long path to the correct building.

Natick is an Army base where the military scientists at the forefront of the development of food systems for all of the armed forces (as well as NASA!) are developing new technologies like sonic agglomeration, vacuum microwave drying, and sonic swab technology. The part of Natick I wanted to visit is a warehouse full of super-cool machines that will potentially help our soldiers be able to do their jobs better, by feeding them foods that are packed with calories, nutrients, and flavor, but without weighing a ton or taking up much space.

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WNU Editor: There is a lot of science behind the MRE.

New MREs For U.S. Soldiers On The Front Lines

Items under development from the Close Combat Assault Ration on display at the Pentagon May 24, 2018, include a root vegetable bar, Korean BBQ stir fry package, spinach quiche, cheddar cheese bar, banana and French toast. (U.S. Army photo by Gary Sheftick)

PJ Media: New MRE Headed for the Front Lines Includes Mini Spinach Quiches

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Army debuted new meals ready to eat including pizza that's coming down the pipeline soon and special compact, gourmet rations for close combat that will include mini quiches for the front line.

The new food items, which were displayed in the Pentagon courtyard late last week, are an effort to improve soldiers' nutrition while still offering troops an MRE they'd actually want to eat.

In this vein, the military is planning on testing an array of vacuum-sealed dried fruits and veggies such as the banana compressed to about a third of its size.

The taste-tempter expected to be on the menu for downrange soldiers next year, and at some locations possibly earlier than that, is the pepperoni pizza MRE, which officials said has been a longstanding request from troops and was put into development in 2012.

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WNU Editor: This is not your c-rations of old.

The Science And History Of Feeding The Troops

The Consumer Research Team at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center has posted an online questionnaire that will help the center's Combat Feeding Directorate determine the direction it will take with future operational rations. (Photo Credit: Michael Stepien, NSRDEC Combat Feeding Directorate)

Gastropod: Marching on our Stomachs: The Science and History of Feeding the Troops

For most of us, eggs are perfect packets of portable protein, and pizza is the lazy option for dinner. For the research team at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center, pizza and eggs are two of the most nightmarish food-science challenges of the last fifty years—but the struggle to perfect such dishes for the military has shaped civilian meals, too. Join us this episode as we venture into the Willy Wonka-style labs where the U.S. Army is developing the rations of the future, and then take a trip to the supermarket with author Anastacia Marx de Salcedo to see how military R&D has made much of the food on our grocery store shelves longer-lasting, more portable, and convenient—and, yes, more highly processed too.

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WNU Editor: Try as they may .... an MRE can never match what you can eat at home.

The Pizza MRE Is Back!

Soldiers with the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado, try the pizza MRE in 2014. After more recent modifications, now it's ready to be packaged into MREs. (David Kamm/U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center)

Army Times: It's official: The pizza MRE is back!

The Holy Grail of downrange eating is becoming a reality after last year’s news that the pizza MRE was facing an indefinite delay.

The Meal, Ready-to-Eat was slated for MRE No. 38, which is set to roll out this year.

Nearly a year ago, in March 2017, the Combat Feeding Directorate at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center said there was a problem with mass production.

Meals, Ready-to-Eat must have a shelf life of at least three years when stored at 80 degrees or below, but during testing, the pizza MRE had turned brown.

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WNU Editor: A small confession. I love cold pizza in the morning.

Is There A 3 Day Military Diet?

CNN: Military diet: 3-day diet or dud?

(CNN)Looking for an easy diet to lose a quick few pounds? If you're searching on the Internet, chances are you've stumbled on something called the "military diet."

It's also known as the Navy diet, the Army diet and sometimes the ice cream diet, because in addition to hot dogs and tuna fish, you get to eat ice cream on all three days of the program.

Smells fishy, right? Well, hold your nose. It's about to get really stinky.

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WNU Editor: Hmmm .... I need to lose some weight.

A Civilian Tries Eating MREs For 21 Days

Task & Purpose: Civilian Destroyed After Eating MREs For 21 Days

A journalist ate nothing but MREs for three weeks, and it basically destroyed him.

In January 2016, the Army put out a call for 18 to 62 year-old people to risk the health of their insides by participating in a study to test what 21 days worth of Meals-Ready-to-Eat would do to the human body.

It’s unclear whether or not someone actually answered that call, but the Independent Journal Review decided to stage a similar study of its own. And as a guinea pig, they chose reporter Juan Leon, who had never consumed an MRE in his life.

“I was the lucky volunteer,” Leon wrote.

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WNU Editor: For Russian and Chinese MREs, see the videos below

Update: Testing New Russian Military MRE (See below)

Eating Just MREs Will Destroy Your Body After 21 Days

Task & Purpose: Civilian Destroyed After Eating MREs For 21 Days

A journalist ate nothing but MREs for three weeks, and it basically destroyed him.

In January 2016, the Army put out a call for 18 to 62 year-old people to risk the health of their insides by participating in a study to test what 21 days worth of Meals-Ready-to-Eat would do to the human body.

It’s unclear whether or not someone actually answered that call, but the Independent Journal Review decided to stage a similar study of its own. And as a guinea pig, they chose reporter Juan Leon, who had never consumed an MRE in his life.

“I was the lucky volunteer,” Leon wrote.

The rules for the IJ Review challenge were simple: Leon had to agree to eat nothing but MREs for 21 days, and he could only eat two of them per day. Easy, right?

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WNU Editor: I prefer the meal that officers for the Royal Marines eat. Go to the link here (prepare for a laugh).

The Best And Worst MREs

Meals Ready to Eat (Photo by U.S. Marine Corps)

Task & Purpose: A Survival Guide To The Best And Worst MREs

Finding a good MRE shouldn’t be a game of chance. It’s time to start choosing the right ones.
For troops operating beyond the borders of large bases and installations, there are few constants, but one of them is that most of what you eat will come from a bag in the form of Meals Ready-To-Eat, or MREs.

If you’re living rough, you may be eating two a day, so knowing which ones are worth your time is important.

From 2009 to 2010, I was a combat correspondent, attached to 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, bouncing around Marjah in Helmand province, Afghanistan, and fast realizing what grunts have long known: There are good and bad MREs and right and wrong ways to eat them.

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WNU Editor: I prefer the Royal Marines Reserves ration pack for officers .... see demonstration below (Warning: Extreme satire)

A New And Better Tasting MRE

 

  Kit Up/Military.com: Firm Touts Tasty MREs, from Cherry Turnover to BBQ Beef 

 Birdgford Foods Corp. is touting new kinds of Meal Ready to Eat, or MRE, with flavors ranging from cherry turnover to barbecue beef.  And not only do they taste like food, they’re actually really good.

 Military.com staff tasted a sampling of the products while interviewing Richard Mueller, divisional sales manager for the Anaheim, California-based food supplier, on Tuesday at the annual Air and Space Conference.

 The company offers a full line of MRE sandwiches for the U.S. military, including pastry-filled sandwiches such as apple and blueberry turnovers and meat-filled sandwiches such as BBQ beef and sweet and sour chicken.

It even offers a “First Strike Ration,” a meal kit packed with 2,800 calories and designed for use over 24 hours in the war zone.

WNU Editor: A "First Strike Ration" .... now we are talking. Damn .... I now feel hungry.

What Armies Eat Around The World

What Armies Eat Around The World -- FOX News/Daily Meal

Next time you’re settling in for dinner take a look at what’s on your plate... chicken, beef, a sprout or two? Maybe some carbohydrates like bread and mashed potatoes with gravy? Now think about how different your daily meal would be if you were in the army.

Army field rations differ from country to country — some consist of much the same as a regular meal albeit in a less-appealing, dehydrated, vacuum-sealed package; others contain a few home comforts like liver sausage spread for German troops or little cans of cassoulet with duck confit for the French. The traditional duck-fat laden dish has been a favorite of the French armed forces for generations… generals believed a few bites would give their troops an edge on the battlefield. The decadent four-course combat meal was hearty enough to sustain the Frenchmen but tasty enough to satisfy their picky palates.

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My Comment: The French have the best meals (just ate at a French restaurant in Old Montreal tonight .... yum yum).

What Do the World's Armies Eat?

The Eat Of Battle – How The World's Armies Get Fed -- The Guardian

An army marches on its stomach but what do different countries feed their troops? Who gets smoked sprats or tinned cheddar – and who wants 'three-year pizza'?

The Taliban might be just a few hundred metres away, but in the mess halls of the US bases in southern Afghanistan, there are more pressing dangers lurking: undercooked eggs. Signs placed above the breakfast fry-up station warn against asking for an egg sunny side up: it's available over-easy only. The reason, as explained by patient cooks to bemused visitors, is that diseases might lurk in a runny yolk. Feeding soldiers in a warzone is one of the biggest challenges for any army. Generals want to keep their soldiers healthy, and food done well, both in the "d-facs" (dining faciliites) and MREs ("meals ready to eat", in US army speak – or "ration packs") can be a morale booster, a reminder of home in a hostile, alien place.

So for soldiers on the ground, one of the most important recent breakthroughs in military technology may be the "three-year pizza", described by its scientist creators as the "holy grail" of ration-pack food.

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Update: Tabasco for the British, 40% proof shot of cordiale for the Italians: Can you guess the army's nationality by its ration pack? -- Daily Mail

My Comment: The Chinese rations look the most "boring" .... and they are written in Chinese and (surprise surprise) ENGLISH!

The U.S. Military Is Working Hard To Create The Perfect Pizza That Can Last For Years

Military Scientists Developing Pizza That Stays Fresh for Up to Three Years -- Time

Designed for soldiers, the meal may be the perfect morale booster
Researchers at a U.S. military lab are getting closer to perfecting what some call “the holy grail” of food prepared for soldiers: a pizza that stays edible for up to three years and does not require refrigeration or freezing, the Associated Press reports.

“It pretty much tastes just like a typical pan pizza that you would make at home and take out of the oven or the toaster oven,” Jill Bates, who runs the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center in Natick, Massachusetts, told the AP. “The only thing missing from that experience would be it’s not hot when you eat it. It’s room temperature.”

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Update #1: Private pizza: Military meal that lasts three years almost ready -- FOX News/AP
Update #2: Military Scientists Create Pizza That Lasts for Three Years -- NBC

My Comment: Darn .... it's late and I am in the mood for a pizza right now.

The MRE Returns For U.S. Soldiers In Afghanistan

Meals, Ready to Eat and government-issued food rations lie on a mat at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, Calif., March 13, 2012. Araceli Alarcon/U.S. Air Force

US Troops In Afghanistan Bid Farewell To Lobster, Steak And Salsa -- The Guardian

Military scales back catering, morale, and recreation services as US embarks on $6bn withdrawal of 70,000-strong workforce

No more surf'n'turf overlooking the Hindu Kush, no more salsa classes on the Kandahar boardwalk or mocha frappes in the Helmand desert.

The US army has decided to cut back on catering, morale, welfare and recreation services as it starts the $6bn (£4bn) relocation of a nearly 70,000-strong force, who must all leave by the end of 2014.

Soldiers used to enjoying four hot meals a day, including a midnight snack, will have to replace two of them with ration packs by the autumn, the US military has said. Commanders can choose which meals to cut, but breakfast and late-night servings are the most likely to go as that would remove a whole shift of cooking duties.

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Update: As US packs up in Afghanistan, the return of the dreaded MRE -- Stars and Stripes

My Comment: Sighhh .... no more donuts and bacon.

Has The Pentagon Cut Cooked Morning Meals For Some Soldiers In Afghanistan?

Meals Ready to Eat (Photo by U.S. Marine Corps)

During Drawdown, Pentagon Cuts Cooked Breakfast For Some Troops In Afghanistan -- Washington Times

The Army has stopped serving cooked breakfasts to some of the U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan as part of its drawdown, a move that prompted troops to write home asking their families and friends to send care packages with cereal, breakfast bars and other foods.

The Army told the Washington Guardian the current cutbacks began Jan. 1, and affect about 2,700 soldiers deployed in forward operating bases in more remote areas of Afghanistan.

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Update #1: Pentagon responds to breakfast rumors -- Military Times
Update #2: Pentagon battles rumors over deployed soldiers’ meals -- Stars and Stripes

My Comment: The truth is somewhere in between .... the soldiers are getting breakfast in the form of MREs .... but there are no hot meals. On a positive note .... only for a small fraction of the soldiers in Afghanistan are impacted by this change.

U.S. Military Food To Get An Upgrade

U.S. Military Meals Redux: More Fruit And Vegetables, Less Fat -- L.A. Times

The diet revolution has a new front. The U.S. military -- revising its nutrition standards for the first time in two decades -- will soon be serving more fruit and less fat.

Pentagon officials will officially announce the program Thursday afternoon when First Lady Michelle Obama visits Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas. The military has already launched a pilot program there to improve the nutrition of its food.

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More News On U.S. Military Food Being 'Upgraded'

Hold the mystery meat: Military food gets upgrade -- CBS/AP
Pentagon attacks obesity with new food choices -- Reuters
Hold the mystery meat: Military bases to get first nutrition standards upgrade in 20 years -- Washington Post/AP
New plan to cut the fat of the military -- FOX News/Reuters
New Campaign Aims to Improve Troops, Families’ Health -- DoD Live
Dining hall food to get healthy makeover -- Navy Times
Hold the mystery meat: Military food menus to get upgrades -- Stars and Stripes

WNU Editor: A cool timeline (since the Revolutionary War) on what American soldiers were given to eat is here.

No bacon burgers though.

U.S. Army Developes The World’s Most Cutting Edge Sandwich

The Two-Year Sandwich via BBC

The Army's Latest Innnovation: A Sandwich That Stays Fresh for Two Years -- Popular Science

The military’s M.R.E.--the Meal Ready to Eat, or those air-sealed packages full of gummy pastes and freeze-dried dreck that soldiers carry into the field--is getting a much-needed upgrade. But it’s not in the form of better tasting dehydrated foods or better freeze-drying technology. Rather, the U.S. Army has developed the world’s most cutting edge sandwich, the BBC reports, one that can be served fresh after sitting on the shelf for a full two years.

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My Comment: The science makes sense .... but still .... 2 years on the shelf?!?!?!

A Look At Each Nation's MREs In Afghanistan

United States (above): pork ribs, barbecue sause, tortillas, potato cheddar soup, blackberry jam, peanut butter, Skittles, nut raisin mix, chewing gum, sugar, instant coffee, creamer, lemon lime beverage powder, salt, moist towelette, toilet paper, matches.

In Afghanistan Troops Eat The Meals Of Home -- Visual Nation

Since the war first began in 2001, many soldiers of the almost 50 nations in Afghanistan have survived on pre-packaged meals filled with as many calories as possible and seasoned with the unique tastes of home. Called an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) in the United States, these hardcover book sized packages serve two functions: to nourish the hard working troops and to give them a happy reminder of home. Each country’s MRE includes staple ingredients to fill the belly, along with tasty dessert items and the obligatory moist towelette. For more on what the troops are eating and additional pictures by photojournalist Ashley Gilbertson see the excellent article by the New York Times.

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My Comment: WHAT!!!! No bacon?????