Vegetarian MREs have been around for decades. 2 out of every case of 12. I personally never saw any demand to speak of. I knew of one (1) guy that was a vegetarian and he wasn’t militant about it. “Healthy” has always been subject to a lot of debate. Hydrogenated vegetable oils are highly processed,...

The ketchup never had any enthusiasts that I can recall.

Not just because they are unhealthy, but because lard and shorting have a short shelf life (unless sealed in an air tight MCI can) —— No, this is the problem! Most vegetable oils will oxidize and turn rancid. “Shortening” is hydrogenated vegetable oil. They are claimed to be “healthy”. It doesn’t ma...

Those contract candies used better ingredients, in terms of shelf stability, than commercial off the shelf. No way say, a Snickers bar from 1982 would still be edible. Even M&Ms don’t fare too well, as many here can attest. I really liked those round foil wrapped toffee chocolate discs in the MCI. H...

Technically speaking, the beef and pork patties were freeze-dried, this is a much better food preservation technique than dehydration . Flash frozen in a vacuum and exposed to radiant heat, the color, texture and structure is maintained. At the time these were issued, they were reviled by many. The ...

The ingredients themselves also factor greatly in shelf stability. Canola oil and less expensive hydrogenated vegetable oils tend to turn rancid over time. In the quest for so-called “healthy” fats as well as keeping costs down, I’ve noticed some serious problems. If you open something and it smells...

Yeah, I liked the Cheese spread. Lots of Vitamins too. They cheaped out on it in recent years I noticed, it just doesn’t taste as good, less cream or butterfat I suppose. And then they reduced the size of the packet from 2oz to 1.5oz. Wankers

Absolutely, canned foods react with the liner. Acidic foods containing tomatoes especially. There are actually different levels of can quality, “store brand” labeled foods are less expensive in part because of a lesser quality can. Pinholes are evident much faster with these. The MCI cans were likel...

I’ve wondered if there are still yet today any MCIs held in climate controlled conditions somewhere in the bowels of the DOD. They should be in good shape. The quality of ingredients were often actually better than the modern rations. The Cocoa, Coffee, and Beverage powders for example, and it isn’t...

November 2053 guys! By December or January, forget it.