Colombian Army field ration
Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 3:12 pm
The ENC (Colombian Army) orginally received MREs from the US, but decided to develop their own 24-hour ration pack. This was done for several reasons:
1. The average Colombian soldier is somewhat smaller than his US counterpart, and requires less food.
2. The dietary preferences & tastes of the Colombian soldiers are quite different from those of the American soldier. Unfamiliar foods in the US MRE were not consumed, leading to a loss of nutrition. (Think about it; if you didn't know what it was, would you eat peanut butter? I heard Arabs I trained call it "khraa al-kelb" - dog poop). Also, unfamiliarity with the English languange meant that most troops had no idea what they were eating.
3. The ration was judged too heavy, too high in fat, and too rich in calories for the average "soldado." It is also expensive.
4. The ENC saw a future need to have rations produced domestically, freeing Colombia from dependence on a foreign supplier.
The result was the Racion de Campana, consisting of MRE-like thermostabilized ready-to-eat entrees packaged in plastic-foil retort pouches. Each ration contains the food and supplements needed by 1 soldier for 1 day, packed in a very dark olive green (almost black) plastic bag slightly larger than an MRE bag. The bag is printed with the logo of the military logistics agency, a number corresponding to the type of ration (Type 1 = Cold Climate, Type 2 = Hot Climate, & Type 3 = All Climate/General Use), menu number (currently 10), and the contract number. An adhesive label is then attached which gives the pack date and end-use date.
Each bag measure 38 cm x 28 cm, weighs between 1092 - 1205 grams, and provides between 3097 & 3515 kCal.
The individual meals inside consist of a breakfast, a lunch, and a main meal, plus bread products, beverage mix powders, and candy or sweet breads.
Typical breakfast includes: 25 g hot beverage powder (instant coffee w/milk, cocoa beverage powder, sweet cheese drink powder, instant malted milk, or coffee w/milk); 150 g or 180 g retort pouched entree (ham & eggs, beef roll, stewed corn chowder, or rice & meat stewed with vegetables); 100 g bread item (packaged bread, crackers, or sweet breads)
Typical lunch includes: 36 g beverage powder (usually fruit flavors); 180 g retort pouched entree (Goulash, Lentils w/sausage, Garden Chicken, Madrid-style chickpeas, Madrid-style tripe, Stewed tripe w/vegetables, Oats w/Bacon, Oats w/meat chunks, Tuna w/green vegetables, Chicken in white sauce, Beef Stew, or Beef Roll); 100 g bread item (pouch bread, crackers, or sweet biscuits).
Typical main meal includes: 36 g beverage powder; 180 g retort pouched entree (Rice w/meat & vegetables, Chicken & rice, Spaghetti w/Tuna, Spaghetti w/mixed meat sauce, Macaroni w/chicken, Beef w/potatoes, or Chicken w/potatoes); 100 g bread items.
Included with each ration are: a 125 g envelope of raw sugar, a 100 g can of condensed milk, 100 g of sandwich cookies (typically w/fruit filling), a 25 g nougat bar or chocolate bar, 30 g of sweetened, thickened cream spread, 20 g of hard candy or caramels, and 50 g of peanuts or trail mix or 25 g of roasted almonds. Also included are: 2 g instant coffee, 5 g sugar, 1 g salt, 2 paper towels, a plastic spoon, 2 water purification tablets, a multivitamin tablet, and ration heating tablets.
The ration proved a success in Colombia and was subsequently adopted by Chile, Ecuador, and Peru as well.
I have some pictures and will try to post them later.
1. The average Colombian soldier is somewhat smaller than his US counterpart, and requires less food.
2. The dietary preferences & tastes of the Colombian soldiers are quite different from those of the American soldier. Unfamiliar foods in the US MRE were not consumed, leading to a loss of nutrition. (Think about it; if you didn't know what it was, would you eat peanut butter? I heard Arabs I trained call it "khraa al-kelb" - dog poop). Also, unfamiliarity with the English languange meant that most troops had no idea what they were eating.
3. The ration was judged too heavy, too high in fat, and too rich in calories for the average "soldado." It is also expensive.
4. The ENC saw a future need to have rations produced domestically, freeing Colombia from dependence on a foreign supplier.
The result was the Racion de Campana, consisting of MRE-like thermostabilized ready-to-eat entrees packaged in plastic-foil retort pouches. Each ration contains the food and supplements needed by 1 soldier for 1 day, packed in a very dark olive green (almost black) plastic bag slightly larger than an MRE bag. The bag is printed with the logo of the military logistics agency, a number corresponding to the type of ration (Type 1 = Cold Climate, Type 2 = Hot Climate, & Type 3 = All Climate/General Use), menu number (currently 10), and the contract number. An adhesive label is then attached which gives the pack date and end-use date.
Each bag measure 38 cm x 28 cm, weighs between 1092 - 1205 grams, and provides between 3097 & 3515 kCal.
The individual meals inside consist of a breakfast, a lunch, and a main meal, plus bread products, beverage mix powders, and candy or sweet breads.
Typical breakfast includes: 25 g hot beverage powder (instant coffee w/milk, cocoa beverage powder, sweet cheese drink powder, instant malted milk, or coffee w/milk); 150 g or 180 g retort pouched entree (ham & eggs, beef roll, stewed corn chowder, or rice & meat stewed with vegetables); 100 g bread item (packaged bread, crackers, or sweet breads)
Typical lunch includes: 36 g beverage powder (usually fruit flavors); 180 g retort pouched entree (Goulash, Lentils w/sausage, Garden Chicken, Madrid-style chickpeas, Madrid-style tripe, Stewed tripe w/vegetables, Oats w/Bacon, Oats w/meat chunks, Tuna w/green vegetables, Chicken in white sauce, Beef Stew, or Beef Roll); 100 g bread item (pouch bread, crackers, or sweet biscuits).
Typical main meal includes: 36 g beverage powder; 180 g retort pouched entree (Rice w/meat & vegetables, Chicken & rice, Spaghetti w/Tuna, Spaghetti w/mixed meat sauce, Macaroni w/chicken, Beef w/potatoes, or Chicken w/potatoes); 100 g bread items.
Included with each ration are: a 125 g envelope of raw sugar, a 100 g can of condensed milk, 100 g of sandwich cookies (typically w/fruit filling), a 25 g nougat bar or chocolate bar, 30 g of sweetened, thickened cream spread, 20 g of hard candy or caramels, and 50 g of peanuts or trail mix or 25 g of roasted almonds. Also included are: 2 g instant coffee, 5 g sugar, 1 g salt, 2 paper towels, a plastic spoon, 2 water purification tablets, a multivitamin tablet, and ration heating tablets.
The ration proved a success in Colombia and was subsequently adopted by Chile, Ecuador, and Peru as well.
I have some pictures and will try to post them later.
