Predecessors The first American military ration established by a
Congressional Resolution, during the
Revolutionary War, consisted of enough food to feed a man for one day, mostly
beef,
peas, and
rice. During the
Civil War, the U.S. military moved toward canned goods. Later, self-contained kits were issued as a whole ration and contained canned meat, bread, coffee, sugar and salt. During
World War I, canned meats were replaced with lightweight preserved meats (salted or dried) to save weight and allow more rations to be carried by soldiers on foot. At the beginning of
World War II, a number of new field rations were introduced, including the
Mountain ration and the
Jungle ration. Cost-cutting measures by
Quartermaster Command officials during the latter part of World War II and the
Korean War again saw the predominance of heavy canned
C-rations issued to troops, regardless of operating environment or mission. During World War II, over 100 million cans of
Spam were sent to the
Pacific. The use of canned wet rations continued through the
Vietnam War, with the improved MCI. During the Vietnam War, problems with the canned MCI rations become apparent. MCI cans were heavy and bulky; they could not fit easily in a uniform pocket and could even cause injury. The cans could also corrode in the tropical environment and cause the food to spoil. After the food was consumed, the empty cans were difficult to dispose of; the littered cans were sometimes fashioned into
booby traps by the enemy. Finally, the MCI rations had an estimated shelf life of 24 months at , which was found to be inadequate as supply was often interrupted by weather and enemy activity.
Introduction s. The instructions advise that they should be rested against a "rock or something". presented to Abdul Rahman for leading development of the MRE After repeated experiences with providing prepared rations to soldiers dating from before World War II,
Pentagon officials ultimately realized that simply providing a nutritionally balanced meal in the field was not adequate. Service members in various geographic regions and combat situations often required different subsets of ingredients for food to be considered palatable over long periods. Catering to individual tastes and preferences would encourage service members to actually consume the whole ration and its nutrition. Most importantly, the use of specialized forces in extreme environments and the necessity of carrying increasingly heavy field loads while on foot during long missions required significantly lighter alternatives to standard canned wet rations. In 1963, the DoD began developing the "Meal, Ready to Eat", a ration that would rely on modern food preparation and packaging technology to create a lighter replacement for the canned MCI. In 1966, this led to the Long Range Patrol, or
LRP ration, a dehydrated meal stored in a waterproof canvas pouch. As with the Jungle ration, its expense compared to canned wet rations, as well as the costs of stocking and storing a specialized field ration, led to its limited usage and repeated attempts at discontinuance by Quartermaster Command officials. Further work was needed to develop a ration that did not require re-hydration (thus not requiring additional preparation time and water). Further effort, led by Dr. Rauno A. Lampi, Chief of Food Systems Equipment Division at the
Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, concentrated on the refinement of the
retort pouch to contain a wet ration with a three-to-ten year shelf life that could be easily shipped, carried in the field, opened and consumed straight out of the package if necessary with no further heat or water. The resulting MRE went into special issue starting in 1981 and standard issue in 1986, using a limited menu of twelve entrées.
Ongoing development The MRE has been in continuous development since its introduction. After the introduction of the MRE, service members often heated the food by boiling them in a canteen cup over a lit fuel source. This was slow, especially in cold weather. It also produced a visible flame that was undesirable at night. Service members strongly desired a more convenient way to heat the food. Between 1988 and 1989, development and testing was conducted for a new flameless ration heater. In 1990, the
Flameless Ration Heater (FRH) was introduced. Service members activate a chemical reaction with a few ounces of water, which produces an
exothermic reaction. An FRH was included with each meal beginning with the MRE XIII in 1993. In an array of field tests and surveys, service members requested more entrée options and larger serving sizes. By 1994, commercial-like graphics were added to make the packets more user-friendly and appealing, while biodegradable materials were introduced for inedible components, such as spoons and napkins. The number of main dishes expanded to 16 by 1996 (including
vegetarian options), 20 by 1997 and 24 by 1998. As of 2023, the system includes 24 entrées, and more than 150 additional items. The variety allows service members to trade them in order to find something palatable for various cultures and geographical regions. The ration originally came in a dark brown outer bag from 1981 to 1995 because it was designed for service in the temperate forests and plains of central Europe. It was replaced in 1996 with a tan outer bag that was better suited for service in the deserts of the Middle East. By 2000, a bean
burrito main dish was introduced. In 2006, "Beverage Bags" were introduced to the MRE, as service members have begun to depend more on
hydration packs than on
canteens, thus denying them the use of the metal canteen cups (shaped to fit in a canteen pouch with the canteen) for mixing powdered beverages. In addition to having measuring marks to indicate levels of liquid for precise measurement, they can be sealed and placed inside the flameless heater. Most recently, MREs have been developed using the
Dietary Reference Intake, created by the
Institute of Medicine (IOM). The IOM indicated service members (who were classified as highly active men between the ages of 18 and 30) typically burn about 4,200
Calories (kcal) a day, but tended to only consume about 2,400 Calories a day during combat, entering a negative energy balance. This imbalance occurs when service members fail to consume full portions of their rations. Although manipulations to the food items and distribution of
macronutrients to help boost the amount of kilocalories per MRE have been made, more studies are showing many service members still do not meet today's standards of daily consumption, often trading and discarding portions of the ration. The military has experimented with new assault ration prototypes, such as the
First Strike Ration and the
HOOAH! Bar, designed with elite or specialized forces in mind. Lighter than the typical MRE, they require no preparation and allow service members to eat them while traveling. In July 2009, 6,300
dairy shake packets of varying flavors were
recalled due to evidence of
Salmonella contamination. == Requirements ==