Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 30, 1993 TAG: 9309300012
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Defense Secretary Les Aspin brought forward the latest in instant meals on Wednesday: the Humanitarian Daily Ration, or HDR.
"It's pretty good," Aspin declared, holding up a brown plastic pouch with a full day's ration of rice, beans and bread.
Designed for emergency relief missions abroad, they are cousins of MREs, or Meals Ready to Eat, the much-maligned but dependable field rations U.S. troops ate during the Persian Gulf War. After the war, leftover MREs were used in emergency aid missions.
The new version is cheaper - a day's ration is less than one-third the price of the military package. And they are culturally correct, providing a vegetarian diet that complies with religious prohibitions. Bosnian Muslims, for example, don't eat pork.
"This is one of those rare occasions where we've taken a good thing and made it better and cheaper," Aspin said.
The Defense Department has ordered 2.15 million at a cost of $8.5 million for its expanding role in humanitarian relief.
The first shipment of 200,000 began arriving at Dover Air Force Base this week, bound for war-ravaged Bosnia, said Pat Irvin, deputy assistant secretary of defense for humanitarian and refugee affairs.
"We'll probably be sending most of the 2.15 million to Bosnia," she said. "But if other needs arise in other parts of the world, we could use them there."
The HDRs copy some of the best traits of MREs: They are compact, durable, don't require water or heat, and literally can be delivered on the fly - some will be tossed out of airplanes.
They also should appeal to people in cultures with no taste for MREs - which contain versions of such American dishes as chicken a la king or scalloped potatoes with ham.
Hungry people in Ethiopia and elsewhere have refused to eat MREs because they were too exotic, or violated Muslim prohibitions against pork.
"They would taste them, maybe pick a few things out, then throw them away," said Tom Getman, director of government relations for World Vision.
The six HDR menus rely heavily on beans, lentils and rice, seasoned with spices. They include side dishes like candied fruit, granola, and a slightly sweet white bread.
Each HDR is designed to meet the nutritional needs of a malnourished civilian, while the military version is designed to feed a soldier under great physical stress. A single HDR pack, or one day's ration, gives 1,900 to 2,200 calories.
by CNB