MREInfo.com

donaldjcheek wrote:More information on the new IDF battle ration.

As was reported in several media outlets, the field ration (a meal combat soldiers take on the field during missions or training) is about to change: the army is currently developing a new, durable meat meal to replace the traditional kosher spam already on its way to being out of use. Since the removal of kosher spam from field rations, soldiers have had to make do with frozen cans of tuna, but the Logistic Equipment Department (LED) of the Technological and Logistics Directorate is planning to replace them with a hot meat meal soon.

In future field rations, soldiers will find a portion of meat encased in an aluminum package, along with a special bag which heats upon contact with water, the result of a chemical reaction. Hundreds of infantry soldiers will try the new rations by December, after which the decision of whether to integrate the new solution or not will be made.

“This technology will allow us to give soldiers on the field a nutritious and delicious meat,” explains Head of Food Technicalities Department of LED, Maj. Donna Steinfeld. “Preparation is very simple and only takes a few minutes.”

The new field ration, available in three flavors – turkey shawarma, meat patties in tomato sauce and goulash, lasts up to a year and a half before expiration, with LED now trying to extend the period to three years. Every package inserted in the field ration will include four meat dishes, the Food Technicalities Department considering adding carbohydrates to turn it into a full on-the-field meal. The new technology comes from the US but soldiers will receive kosher rations produced in Israel by a civilian company.