Humanitarian daily ration

Last updated

A modern humanitarian daily ration Humanitarian Daily Ration.jpg
A modern humanitarian daily ration

Humanitarian daily rations (HDRs, "humrats") are food rations manufactured in the United States intended to be supplied to civilians and other non-military personnel in humanitarian crises. [1] [2] Each is intended to serve as a single person's full daily food supply, and contains somewhat over 2,200 calories (9,200 kJ). They have shelf-lives of about 3 years, and their contents are designed to be acceptable to a variety of religious and ethnic groups. The meals cost approximately one-fifth of the cost of a Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE), [3] or US$4.70 in 2012. [4] The rations were first used in Bosnia in 1993 as part of Operation Provide Promise. [5]

Contents

The meals are designed to be able to survive being air-dropped without a parachute. [3] This is safer for refugees than parachuting large pallets of rations, as well as preventing meal hoarding by those able to seize a single, large delivery.

HDRs are made available through organizations such as The Salvation Army to aid victims of poverty in the United States, and were distributed during Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita to victims of the disasters by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).[ citation needed ]

Background

Before HDR was made available, the United States provided military Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MREs) to famine victims. Aid agencies complained that the MREs were too high in protein, indigestible, and violated religious taboos. In some cases, famine victims went into shock (see refeeding syndrome) after eating large MRE meals. [6] :9 By the time of the creation of HDR, the Department of Defense had almost depleted its stock of MREs in the post-Gulf War period, having distributed 53 million MREs between 1990 and 1993. The end of the Cold War caused reductions in military funding, prompting the DoD to rethink its approach on aid. Furthermore, MRE producers found the profit in producing MRE "marginal" and wanted to expand to foreign and civilian markets. The HDR provided a solution to all these problems: it is safe to provide to famine victims, cheap enough to distribute broadly, and provides a large potential market to contractors. [6] :9–10

Packaging and distribution

A leaflet, dropped in Afghanistan, announcing a program to drop humanitarian daily rations Afghanistan hdr-leaflet.jpg
A leaflet, dropped in Afghanistan, announcing a program to drop humanitarian daily rations

The HDR packages are delivered in cases of packages. Each contains a small selection of food items based on predetermined menus, and an accessory pack containing red pepper, pepper, salt, sugar, spoon, matches, an alcohol-free moist towelette, and a napkin. [7] [8]

HDRs are typically air-dropped into the disaster area on large pallets. From the time they were created and used in 1993 until November 2001, HDRs were packaged with a bright yellow outer plastic covering. This choice of color proved to be problematic in areas of the world where cluster bombs were being used, as the bombs were the same shade of yellow. Recipients of the rations sometimes confused the ration package for undetonated cluster bombs, often spotting the bright color from a distance and making an incorrect assumption. [7] [9] This prompted the United States Federal Government to reissue the packages with a deep salmon pink outer covering to distinguish them from the bombs. This color has been used in the HDR manufacturing process ever since. Later packages were covered in salmon colored foil. [10]

HDRs produced by the United States are manufactured by the same companies that produce MREs designed for the United States Armed Forces. Like MREs, the food components are designed so they can be consumed without requiring additional preparation, including cooking. They do not include flameless ration heaters, which are found in MREs.

Typical contents

A humanitarian daily ration, in 1993-2001 yellow packaging, and typical contents on display at the National Air and Space Museum HDR-contents.JPG
A humanitarian daily ration, in 1993–2001 yellow packaging, and typical contents on display at the National Air and Space Museum

There are five menus of HDR. Each menu contains three sub-menus, printed as list-of-content A, B, and C on the packet. Each HDR packet randomly contains two of the sub-menus. [11]

Specifications

Specifications per package [1] [3] [8] [13]
Shelf life36 months at 80 °F (27 °C)
Weight30 ounces (850 g)
Calories2,200 calories (9,200 kJ)
Nutrition
Mass (grams)As calorie%
Protein55-7010-13
Fat67-7327-30
Carbohydrates≥ 345≥ 60

For micronutrients, see full Technical Data. [1]

Prohibited contentsThe HDR is designed to "provide the widest possible acceptance from the variety of potential consumers with diverse religious and dietary restrictions from around the world". [13]
  • Contains no animal products, except a limited amount of dairy products, below the limit that would cause a problem for a person with lactose intolerance.
  • Any alcohol or alcohol-based ingredients are also banned.
Infant componentAll rations contain a fruit paste, or pudding, suitable for feeding to infants
UtensilsAll rations contain a spoon and a paper towel moistened with a non-toxic, non-alcoholic cleanser

Deployments

In Bosnia, 1993, HDRs saw its first use in Operation Provide Promise, which delivered "hundreds of thousands of HDR's". [5] By 2003, at least 12.4 million HDRs had been distributed. [6] :26

List of HDR deployments [6] :27
YearCountLocationIntended recipientDistributor
1993 ?BosniaCivilianFrench and US aircraft, airdrop
19930IndiaEarthquake victimsNone; rejected by Indian government because "not needed"
1994 ?DR CongoRwandan refugeesUS military, airdrop
1995118,000Cambodia Khmer Rouge defectors and displaced personsCambodian Red Cross, changed to Royal Cambodian Armed Forces due to theft
19951996530,000ChechnyaCivilians recovering from First Chechen War World Food Program (WFP)
199750,000SomaliaVictims of Juba valley floodingConcern Worldwide (NGO), contracted by UNICEF
1998200,000FijiSchoolchildren under prolonged droughtFiji Red Cross
1999200030,000KosovoCivilians under Serbian blockade International Rescue Committee (airdrop); the WFP had ~700,000 in stockpile for when land route clears
199960,000GuineaSierra Leone refugeesWFP, UNICEF, UNHCR and several NGOs
19992000300,000East TimorCivilians (refugee flows, flooding, ethnic violence)WFP, Australian Defence Force
2000~40,000EritreaInternally displaced personsWFP
20012,440,920AfghanistanCiviliansUS military (number from 2003 source)
2001 ?GuineaRefugees from Nongoa regionNGOs, via the WFP
2010 ?HaitiEarthquake victimsWFP [14]

United States program in Afghanistan

On October 15, 2001, the United States announced a humanitarian daily ration for Afghanistan. [15]

On October 24, 2001, Rear Admiral John Stufflebeem announced fears that the Taliban planned to poison American food aid. [16] Stufflebeem also said that since the program started on October 7, 2001 the United States had dropped 785,000 rations. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tabasco sauce</span> American hot sauce brand

Tabasco is an American brand of hot sauce made from tabasco peppers, vinegar and salt. It is produced by McIlhenny Company of Avery Island in south Louisiana, having been created over 150 years ago by Edmund McIlhenny. Although the tabasco peppers used in the sauce were initially grown only on Avery Island, they are now primarily cultivated in Central America, South America and Africa. The Tabasco sauce brand also has multiple varieties including the original red sauce, habanero, chipotle, sriracha and Trinidad Moruga scorpion. Tabasco products are sold in more than 195 countries and territories, and packaged in 36 languages and dialects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meal, Ready-to-Eat</span> U.S. military individual field ration

The Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) is a self-contained individual United States military ration used by the United States Armed Forces and Department of Defense. It is intended for use by American service members in combat or field conditions where other food is not available. MREs have also been distributed to civilians as humanitarian daily rations during natural disasters and wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flameless ration heater</span> U.S. military self-heating ration technology

A flameless ration heater (FRH), colloquially an MRE heater, is a form of self-heating food packaging included in U.S. military Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) rations since 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C-ration</span> U.S. military ration of prepared, canned food

The C-ration was a United States military ration consisting of prepared, canned wet foods. They were intended to be served when fresh or packaged unprepared food was unavailable, and survival rations were insufficient. It was replaced by the similar Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) in 1958; its modern successor is the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE).

The 10-in-1 food parcel, commonly known as the 10-in-1 ration, was a United States military ration issued during World War II. As its name implies, the 10-in-1 provided the needs of ten soldiers in a single ration package.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States military ration</span> U.S. military food and field meals

United States military ration refers to the military rations provided to sustain United States Armed Forces service members, including field rations and garrison rations, and the military nutrition research conducted in relation to military food. U.S. military rations are often made for quick distribution, preparation, and eating in the field and tend to have long storage times in adverse conditions due to being thickly packaged or shelf-stable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K-ration</span> U.S. military three-course assault ration

The K-ration was a United States military ration consisting of three separately boxed meal units: breakfast, dinner, and supper. It was originally intended as an individually packaged daily ration for issue to airborne troops, tank crews, motorcycle couriers, and other mobile forces for short durations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Field ration</span> Food given to soldiers in the field or on deployment

A field ration is a type of prepackaged military ration designed to be easily and quickly prepared and consumed in the field, in combat, at the front line, or where eating facilities are otherwise unavailable. Field rations are primarily used by military forces, though they are also sometimes distributed to civilians as part of humanitarian aid and emergency management. They differ from garrison rations and field kitchen provisions, which are intended for where proper meals can be supplied and prepared with relative ease and safety, such as in the rear where logistics are steady and fresh food can be supplied. They are similar to, but distinct from, other purpose-designed long-lasting types of food or rations such as emergency rations, humanitarian daily rations, and camping food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Individual Meal Pack</span> Packaged field ration

The Individual Meal Pack or IMP is one type of field ration used by the Canadian Forces. The IMP is designed so that a continuous diet provides all the nutrition needed to sustain a service member in the field. The IMP meets Canada's nutrition requirements, with the exception of calcium and folic acid, which are not significant if the consumption period of rations is less than 30 (consecutive) days. IMPs provide 1,200–1,400 calories (5.0–5.9 MJ) per meal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Strike Ration</span> U.S. military compact assault ration

The First Strike Ration (FSR) is a compact assault United States military ration. It is designed to be consumed on the move during the first 72 hours of conflict. It was created by the United States Army Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Massachusetts. The U.S. Army said the FSR substantially reduces weight and load and is intended to enhance a consumer's physical performance, mental acuity, and mobility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military rations</span> Goods, usually food, given to military personnel

Military rations, operational rations, or military provisions are goods issued to sustain the needs of military personnel. As their name suggests, military rations have historically been, and often still are, subject to rationing, with each individual receiving specific amounts from available supplies. Military-issued goods and the rationing of such goods has existed since the beginnings of organized warfare.

Ronald C. Wornick was an American food scientist, entrepreneur and art collector. He was best known for founding The Wornick Company, which was selected by the U.S. Department of Defense in 1979 to mass-produce Meals, Ready to Eat or MREs, a next-generation version of individual combat meals or C-Rations that brought greater menu variety and improved food storage and preparation options to servicemen in the field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LRP ration</span> U.S. military freeze-dried dehydrated field ration

The Food Packet, Long Range Patrol was a freeze-dried dehydrated United States military ration used by the Department of Defense. Developed in 1964 and intended for wide adoption during the Vietnam War, its use was eventually limited to American special operations forces during long-range reconnaissance patrols, where bulky canned Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) rations proved too heavy for extended missions on foot. The LRP had a cold-weather warfare equivalent, the Ration, Cold Weather (RCW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meal, Combat, Individual ration</span> U.S. military canned combat rations

The Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) was a United States military ration of canned and preserved food, issued from 1958 to 1980. It replaced the earlier C-ration, which it was so similar to that it was often nicknamed the "C-ration", despite the term never being used officially. The MCI was eventually replaced by the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B-ration</span> U.S. military ration of packaged and preserved unprepared food

The B-ration was a United States military ration consisting of packaged and preserved food intended to be prepared in field kitchens by cooks. Its modern successor is the Unitized Group Ration – M (UGR-M), which combines multiple types of rations, including the B-ration, under one unified system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of military nutrition in the United States</span>

The history of military nutrition in the United States can be roughly divided into seven historical eras, from the founding of the country to the present day, based on advances in food research technology and methodologies for the improvement of the overall health and nutritional status of U.S. military service members. Through the research and guidance of medical and military professionals, rations and packaging have been consistently and dramatically improved.

A Ranger cookie is a type of confection originating from the United States. It refers to two mostly distinct improvised confections: a drop cookie for camping, and a dulce de leche-like confection for the military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Klicka</span> Canadian-American dietitian (1921-2007)

Mary Victoria Richardson Klicka was a Canadian-American registered dietitian and food technologist for the United States Army. She designed MREs and provisions for astronauts in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. In 1970, she received the Distinguished Civilian Service Award from the Department of Defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unitized Group Ration</span> U.S. military group ration

The Unitized Group Ration (UGR) is a United States military ration used by the United States Armed Forces and Department of Defense (DoD). It is intended to sustain groups of American service members with access to a field kitchen, serving as a field ration and a garrison ration. It is the modern successor to several older alphabetized rations—namely the A-ration, B-ration, and T-ration—combining them under a single unified system. UGRs are designed to meet the Military Daily Recommended Allowance when averaged over a 5 to 10 day period, with each meal providing between 1,300 and 1,450 kcal.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "TECHNICAL DATA FOR HUMANITARIAN DAILY RATION" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  2. Judith McCallum (Winter 2001). "Humanitarian Daily Rations: Being Ready is Half the Battle" (PDF). Defense Security Cooperation Agency . Retrieved October 18, 2007.[ dead link ]
  3. 1 2 3 . "Humanitarian Daily Rations" (PDF). DSCA . Retrieved April 14, 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. PROGRAMS DIRECTORATE HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE, DISASTER RELIEF & MINE ACTION DIVISION (July 2012). "Humanitarian Daily Ration (HDR)" (PDF). dsca.mil.
  5. 1 2 "MEMORANDUM FOR CORRESPONDENTS". United States Department of Defense. August 2, 1995. Retrieved October 18, 2007. Hundreds of thousands of HDR's were first air-dropped over isolated Bosnian enclaves on November 22, 1993, as part of the humanitarian relief effort PROVIDE PROMISE. Since then, the food packets have fed thousands of refugees worldwide.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Sklaver, Benjamin A. (2003). Humanitarian Daily Rations: a decade of experience and new directions (PDF) (MA thesis). Tufts University.
  7. 1 2 "Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDRs)". mreinfo.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2005. Retrieved July 26, 2007.
  8. 1 2 "Operational Rations". dla.mil. Defense Logistics Agency. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  9. Majewski, Albin R. (Winter 2001). "The Alphabet Soup of Combat Rations". quartermaster.army.mil. United States Army. Archived from the original on August 18, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  10. Dugan, Bill. "MICA Flex Studio 4th group". billdugan.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved July 26, 2007.
  11. "Humanitarian Daily Ration (HDRs)". MRE Info. There are five different menus of HDRs. With a case of 10 HDRs, you'll have two of each type of HDR available. Depending on the HDR manufacturer (Ameriqual, Sopakco, or Wornick), each HDR type could have one of three lists of contents – A, B, or C. For example, if you had a case of HDR, you would get 10 HDRs – two from each menu. However, it's a toss-up as to whether (for example with Menu 1) you'd get Bean Salad, Barley Stew, or Beans & Rice. This was a little confusing for me at first – just by looking at the menu, you'd think each HDR bag would contain meals A, B, and C. But I can assure you that's not how it works.
  12. Steve1989MREInfo (May 1, 2023). "2021 HDR Humanitarian Daily Ration Menu 1 & 2 Review 24 Hour MRE Tasting Test". YouTube. Retrieved May 10, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) sunflower butter at 02:50
  13. 1 2 "Operational Rations of the Department of Defense, PAM 30-25" (PDF) (9th ed.). United States Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate. October 2012. p. 55. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  14. "What's in a Humanitarian Daily Ration (HDR)? | World Food Programme". www.wfp.org.
  15. "Humanitarian Aid to the Afghan People: Issued by the Office of International Information Programs October 15, 2001". United States Department of State. October 15, 2001. Archived from the original on July 14, 2007. Retrieved July 26, 2007.
  16. "Defense Dept. Says Taliban May Attempt to Poison Afghan Food Aid". bangkok.usembassy.gov. October 25, 2001. Archived from the original on September 23, 2006. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  17. Kellerhals, Merle D. Jr. (October 25, 2001). "Defense Dept. Says Taliban May Attempt to Poison Afghan Food Aid". GlobalSecurity.org . United States Department of State. Archived from the original on December 21, 2001. Retrieved July 26, 2007.