The "jungle ration" shown in the post is a modern reproduction of what the British WW2 tropical ration may have looked like.
The Jungle Ration produced by the US Army was a short lived, failed experiment. It was a group ration designed to feed four men for one day, and consisted of:
-4 oz salted, dried beef (usually replaced by four 4-oz K-ration cans of meat or a 12-oz can of SPAM)
-8 oz box "porridge" (compressed dried & precooked cereal such as GrapeNuts)
-16 oz can dried whole milk powder
-16 oz box hardtack crackers
-4 oz can instant coffee
-4 oz can cocoa powder
-2 oz envelope synthetic lemon juice powder
-15 oz box raisins or prunes (later replaced by four 2-oz K-ration fruit bars)
-16 oz can roasted, salted peanuts
-8 oz package dried peaches, apricots or apples (often replaced by a 24 oz can of wet pack fruit)
-16 oz box sugar
-four pkgs chewing gum
-four rolls Lifesavers or four packages Charms hard candy
-four packs of cigarettes
-four folders or boxes of matches
-1 envelope (about 24 sheets) of toilet paper
The entire ration was figured at just over 2 lbs per person or about 8 1/2 lbs in total (including packaging) and provided a theoretical 3900 calories per person if all items were available and consumed.
The problem was, being a bulk ration, it did not break down readily, with items unevenly distributed. One man, for instance, might receive a can of peanuts and a box of crackers as his entire day's ration, while another received a pound of sugar and a can of SPAM as his ration. Understandably, soldiers on the front line hated the ration, quickly growing tired of its lack of menu.
Nevertheless, the US Army Quartermaster Department purchased 9,600,000 Jungle Rations in 1942 and a further 425,000 rations in 1943. Beginning in 1943, the jungle ration was replaced by standard C, K, and 10-in-1 rations.
"I think," said Christopher Robin, "that we ought to eat all our Provisions now, so that we shan't have so much to carry."
