The Modern MRE and
the Evolution of Emergency Food

As long as there have been soldiers in the fields, there has been a need for extraordinary emergency food. That is, food that can sustain a person in a high stress situation with a compact, lightweight, but rough-and-tumble package and a longer than normal shelf life. Enter the MRE (Meal, Ready to Eat), a food solution so successful for military feeding that it has prompted commercial, civilian, and humanitarian applications.

The MRE was introduced to troops in the 1980’s and has remained the primary food solution of the military for longer than any other solution of the past. A huge leap forward from the days when soldiers’ food rations were limited to what they could carry or hunt and cook on site, the modern MRE is a marvel. It evolved out of over a century of research and innovation in food and packaging technologies and is the result of several trials of military food solutions. Hardtack, the D Ration, the K Ration and the C Ration; these are some of the better-known relics of the military’s food supply.

After years of evaluating the shortcomings of various solutions, food developers were charged with a list of rigorous requirements. Ranking high on this list - taste. Looking back in time with a modern MRE in hand, it is hard to imagine eating soldier food before the 1930’s when finally, “palatability was made a requisite” (Moran, 13). After all, what good is the food if the soldier can’t or won’t eat it?

Studies have shown that food has a greater effect on the body and the psyche if it is familiar in form, texture, and taste. The purpose of emergency food is not only to fill a person up, but to physically, mentally, and emotionally satisfy his or her feeling of hunger. This is why, for example, the military entirely replaced freeze-dried and tubed foods with full-moisture MRE meals. Being fed a traditional, everyday-style meal has a huge impact on morale and health.

Taste variety also becomes important over long periods of time, as food boredom can be a source of stress. To this end, the military has continually added, upgraded, and rotated MRE menus from year to year. While previous meal solutions were only suitable for “infrequent use”, the MRE has been developed to satisfactorily nourish soldiers for extended periods of ten days, months, or more, with minimal food monotony.

Tastiness and variety have greatly contributed to the staying power of the MRE, but there are other criteria that sustain it. The standards of modern soldier food are stringent. The food must be shelf stable for a minimum of 3 years when stored at 80F, 6 months at 100F, and much longer if stored at cooler than 80F. They must be able to be dropped out of an aircraft by parachute from 1280 feet and thrown from a helicopter from 100ft. They should withstand extreme storage, distribution and handling environments ranging from –60F to 120F. Lastly, they must be resistant to wildlife and outside pollution. The MRE package, the retort pouch, wins out over all previous solutions in meeting these seemingly impossible standards.

Old school military food like the K and C Rations fell short of these standards because of the limitations of metal cans. Cans were heavy, bulky, and awkwardly shaped and therefore, not ideal for individual carriage or for mass shipping and distribution. Cans were not easily opened or disposed of, and the metal was susceptible to rusting and deterioration, causing poor food quality and a low shelf life.

Also, the taste of the food inside, even in a brand new can, left something to be desired. Because of their shape and volume, cans require long heating times to thoroughly cook through to the center contents. As a result, the taste and texture of the food is inconsistent and the nutrients depleted. The invention of the retort pouch revolutionized the concept of “canning” food and solved these issues.

The retort pouch, often called a “flexible can”, does what a can does, but better. By nature, the pouch is lightweight, flat and flexible, so it is easy for an individual to carry without adding much bulk or weight to his or her load. It is also cheaper and easier to store, ship and distribute in mass quantities.

The pouch used to house MRE food is made up of a four-layered laminate material, including Polypropylene, Aluminum Foil, Nylon, and Polyester. Together, the layers create an extremely durable container which resolves the long-time search for “packaging that [can] melt in order to be sealed but [won’t] melt during processing” (Moran, 17). It is hermetically sealed on three sides before it is filled with an uncooked food recipe and then sealed on the fourth side. After filling, the pouch goes through the retort cooking process, which applies thermal heat of 245F to the pouch.

The thin, flat surface of the pouch enables heat to be distributed evenly, thereby reducing the cooking time significantly from what is required for metal cans. The result is a higher quality meal with a better taste and consistency and a greater percentage of preserved nutrients. This heating process also sterilizes the food to maximize its quality and shelf life.

“The retort pouch, often called a ‘flexible can,’ does what a can does, but better.”

Overall, the MRE is a high quality product that meets extraordinary requirements. Designed for high-intensity soldier use, the MRE more than qualifies for its non-military applications over the past 30 years. In the early 1980’s, MRE’s sparked an interest in civilian consumers preparing for hard times. Survivalists and residents of locations susceptible to natural disasters recognized the value of food that could be stored for long periods of time. Campers and outdoors people appreciated food that packed up light and could be ripped open and eaten right out of the package.

The same qualities make MRE’s a perfect solution for humanitarian relief efforts for numerous disasters and emergencies. MRE’s are used by private humanitarian organizations, local and state governments, FEMA and the Red Cross for the relief of populations suffering in the wake of hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, and any other kind of disaster that diminishes or impedes the normal food supply of a place.

As an emergency food, the MRE itself has always held a unique position outside of the “normal” food supply. However, in more recent years, the MRE has inspired the commercial food industry to integrate retort-pouched food into the “normal” food supply. They have become extremely popular retail items in U.S. grocery stores and food markets because they are lightweight, easy to heat, easy to handle, easy to open, and easily and efficiently stored and shipped.

While the concept of the retail pouch is similar to the MRE, the two are not created equally. The storage, handling, and distribution conditions, as well as the expected shelf life of commercial retort pouches are much milder and more predictable than the variable extremes involved with military feeding. Therefore, the packaging, ingredients, and cooking process for commercial retort meals are less demanding than for the MRE pouch.

Through all of its various applications, the MRE continually proves to be the most extraordinary emergency food available. Durable and long lasting, tasty and nutritious, the MRE is food that is ready to serve in any situation.

Contributing Sources:

Alspach, Major Rita, Susan D. Gagne and Alice Meyer. “New and Improved T-Ration and MRE Development.” Quartermaster Professional Bulletin. Dec 1988: 1-3. <www.qmfound.com/mre_tration.htm>

Brody, Aaron L. “Retort Pouches & Trays: A Growing Market.” Pgs 1-4.
< www.aseanfood.info/scripts/count_article.asp?Article_code=11016226>

Mermelstein, Neil H., ed. “Military and Humanitarian Rations.” Food Technology Magazine. Vol. 55, No. 11. Nov 2001: 73-75.

Moran, Barbara. “Dinner Goes to War: The long battle for edible combat rations is finally being won.” Invention & Technology. 1998: 10-19.

Mykytiuk, Andrew. “Retort Flexible Packaging: The Revolution Has Begun.” Flexible Packaging. Oct 2002: 19-20, 22-24. <www.flexpackmag.com>

Soojin Jun, Linda J. Cox, and Alvin Huang. “Using the Flexible Retort Pouch to Add Value to Agricultural Products.” Food and Safety Technology. June 2006: 1-6. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.