Start saying goodbye to beef taco filling, pork sausage patties and beef rectangles floating in nebulous liquid in your meals-ready-to-eat. And say hello Cuban-style beef picadillo with veggies, buffalo chicken and red curry chicken and rice.
Those are among the new MREs expected to start coming out next year after food scientists at the Army’s feeding division in Natick, Massachusetts received feedback from troops on what flavors they wanted and didn’t want.
The Pentagon also said that it will be adding more snacks to MREs, such as a new s’mores “recovery bar” and freeze-dried chocolate peanut butter bites. And those coffee packets that once went down like bitter sludge with a slug of water? Those are getting replaced by energy chews and jells, caffeinated gum … and caffeinated jelly beans, according to a press release from the department.
“Any new item that we get that can help bring variety and increase acceptability is important,” Julie Edwards, a senior technologist and registered dietitian at the Combat Feeding Division in Natick, said. “We know that eating an MRE isn’t everyone’s No. 1 thing, but we want to make it safe to eat — that’s our No. 1 priority — and then to make it taste good as well.”
The Pentagon said that new MRE variants must pass a shelf-life test before they can be tested by troops. Part of that test includes spending six months at 100 degrees Fahrenheit and three years at 80 degrees (and still be edible). They also have to meet the Army’s nutritional standards, which mean that MREs should be able to be consumed “as the sole ration” for up to 21 days.
Once new MREs meet safety requirements, troops will start testing them, according to the Pentagon. Researchers will then ask for feedback — including focus groups with behavioral psychologists for specific feedback.
Edwards said the entire process takes about four years.
“We want you to give us this feedback because it does help. It does make a difference,” she said. “Operational tests are very expensive and time-consuming. So, we want to make sure that we’re being good stewards of investing money in the right areas.”
The Pentagon said that it is already starting to develop new MREs for 2027 and at least one service request included more plant-based meals or snacks.
