The current version of the individual field ration
The Meal, Read to Eat (MRE) drew attention at the time of the first Gulf War and again during its issuance during natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. The replacement of the MCI, the MRE eliminated the bulky cans of the former and consists of dehydrated foods stored in plastic pouches, to be rehydrated and in some cases heated using a water activated flameless heater designed for the purpose. Development of the MRE began during the Vietnam War and has continued ever since as the Army has worked to improve nutritional content and caloric intake in accordance with established guidelines.
Despite the Army’s efforts, many troops in the field forced to rely on MREs for their total caloric intake fail to do so as a result of discarding rather than consuming all of the content of the MRE. Army efforts to make all portions of a prepackaged meal appetizing to all troops is an impossibility, since tastes vary, but the effort remains ongoing. MREs are designed to be consumed for up to three weeks before garrison rations (a mess hall or field kitchen) supplants them. Each meal contains roughly 1,200 calories, and the MRE weighs between one and one and a half pounds, depending upon its content.
An MRE contains a main course, a side dish, bread or crackers, dessert, an appropriate spread for the type of bread and the nature of the meal, a powdered beverage, a plastic spoon or spork, the heater, and an accessory pack. Seasonings, sugar, non-dairy creamer, instant coffee, chewing gum, napkins, and toilet paper are included in the accessory pack. Some of the items are purchased from manufacturers as off the shelf products and are so labeled such as Maxwell House coffee or Domino Sugar. Others are marked with typical government labeling such as Fruit Flavored Beverage Powder.
Menus have changed over the years the MREs have been used, with the changes intended to reflect not only nutritional demands but the popularity of the foods offered. The Army recognized from experience with earlier types of individual rations that unless the food offered is eaten by the troops the nutritional value of the food is non-existent. From the beginning the Army has considered both Kosher and Halal dietary restrictions and prepared MREs accordingly. It has also responded to concerns over low fiber content (and the resultant constipation) by increasing the fiber content of the crackers and other breads included in the meals.
MREs are an improvement over the canned individual rations which preceded them, and many of the same foods they contain can be purchased by civilian consumers in the form of dehydrated food for campers and in survival packs. Being primarily served to the Army, where complaining about the food is a tradition as old as the Army itself, they will never be considered to be fit for a gourmet. Specialized MREs for extreme weather conditions have been created, as have others for customization by region, where different conditions require different nutritional intake. MREs are not and never will be popular with the troops, but they are a far cry from the salt pork and hardtack eaten by their predecessors.