ACCEPTABILITY STUDIES OF MILITARY RATION: MEAL, READY-TO-EAT

Abstract

The military operational ration, designated as Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) has been developed to furnish combat troops with a higher quality food product in a logistically more suitable container than its predecessor, Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI). A study was conducted to determine the acceptability of feeding the MRE ration for a 34-day test period. Two combat support companies from the 25th Infantry Division participated in this study at the Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii. One company subsisted solely on MRE rations (experimental group), while the other company was fed an A ration breakfast and dinner and a MRE lunch (control group). The MRE items were well received, with average acceptability scores of 7.05 for the experimental group and 6.48 for the control group on a 9-point hedonic scale. Nevertheless, the MRE ration was not consumed in sufficient quantity by the experimental group, resulting in significant body weight loss and some vitamin and mineral intakes that were below recommended levels (Wenkam et al. 1989). However, physiological evaluations did not reveal significant differences between the two companies or values that were outside of the normal range, thus indicating that nutritional status was not compromised by subsisting solely on the MRE ration for 34 days (Lichton et al. 1988).