Military Times: Kinder, Gentler Field Rations
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jfko6
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Military Times: Kinder, Gentler Field Rations
New bags are being tested. If they implement these types of rations that could make MRE's a real collectors item.
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The Long Gray Line
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DangerousDave
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What a load of liberal environmentalist nut-job crap. In the first place, almost all polymers(that is to say, "plastic") is petroleum based. What next? Are we going to make tires out of hemp? However, the Canadian IMP bag is an interesting alternative, but they are lined with that darned evil aluminim foil. 
After the Chicken and the Egg, came the "Omelet"!
"...40 million MRE´s ...per year..."
40 million
But thats just enough to feed ~36.500 soldier per day 3 times.
There are (current) 158.000 American soldiers only in Iraq (without Afghanistan).
So I guess they need a lot of MREs over there. Yes, I know not everybody in Iraq is eating MREs every day, but they don´t need rations with a shelf life of "many years" there!
They need rations to eat (now), not to be stored!
So why using a petrolium (oil) based package, if they find a package that is (maybe?) less expansive, making each MRE cheaper (multiplied with 40 mio!!!!)?! Each single item inside a MRE is packed waterproof etc. also, so why packed them "in plastic" again? Just to make them "air-drop-burst-proof" and deliver them by ship, truck, plane-without-drop?!
"Telling" people is better for the enviroment, sounds good, but helps to saving a lot of (American tax payer´s) money maybe
As the cold war was over in 1990, German Bundeswehr als changed package and shelf life. The "old" square shaped entree (shelf life 20 + years) was replaced by rectangular with a shelf life of 3.5 years (should be used by 2 years). Vacuum packed crackers have been replaced by not-vacuumed packed. Let them became rancid instead of be edible after 20 years a.s.o. EPA outer package is an ordinary card board box, will decompose real quick, burn very well. But they are now eaten in Afghanistan by our troops instead of beeing stored for many years in some shelters...
40 million
But thats just enough to feed ~36.500 soldier per day 3 times.
There are (current) 158.000 American soldiers only in Iraq (without Afghanistan).
So I guess they need a lot of MREs over there. Yes, I know not everybody in Iraq is eating MREs every day, but they don´t need rations with a shelf life of "many years" there!
They need rations to eat (now), not to be stored!
So why using a petrolium (oil) based package, if they find a package that is (maybe?) less expansive, making each MRE cheaper (multiplied with 40 mio!!!!)?! Each single item inside a MRE is packed waterproof etc. also, so why packed them "in plastic" again? Just to make them "air-drop-burst-proof" and deliver them by ship, truck, plane-without-drop?!
"Telling" people is better for the enviroment, sounds good, but helps to saving a lot of (American tax payer´s) money maybe
As the cold war was over in 1990, German Bundeswehr als changed package and shelf life. The "old" square shaped entree (shelf life 20 + years) was replaced by rectangular with a shelf life of 3.5 years (should be used by 2 years). Vacuum packed crackers have been replaced by not-vacuumed packed. Let them became rancid instead of be edible after 20 years a.s.o. EPA outer package is an ordinary card board box, will decompose real quick, burn very well. But they are now eaten in Afghanistan by our troops instead of beeing stored for many years in some shelters...
I was surprised about the one-year shelf life. That seems contrary to the whole storage policy of stocking up rations in depots.
I agree with DangerousDave: "What a load of liberal environmentalist nut-job crap." But the Army has to play these political games, too, so maybe this is something they had to pursue to meet a condition for certain funding.
I agree with DangerousDave: "What a load of liberal environmentalist nut-job crap." But the Army has to play these political games, too, so maybe this is something they had to pursue to meet a condition for certain funding.