August 5th, 2018: Packaging makeover of “K-Rations

In the latter part of World War II they spiffied up the packages as a moral booster.
They added color as a claimed moral booster, but with the shit getting heavy at that point made it easier to grab the right meal for the enemy's circadian rhythm.

Canned chopped ham and eggs. Yuk. I bet the cardboard box tasted better than the meal.

While not esthetically pleasing, it wasn't too bad after it was spiced up. Have some fruit cake:

Attachment 64491

I have eaten the fruitcake. It was decent, but I was younger on a 3 week bike camping trip. I refer to motorcycles as bikes. Freeze dried food leaves a lot to be desired.

Commercial freeze dried foods aren't that good; but, one of the makers produces them for the US Special Forces to SF specifications and those are a whole different ball game. They're called LRP or LRRP (pronounced lurp) and are the longest continually issued field ration in the US military. The Long Range Patrol/Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol rations weren't available through commercial channels until just a few years ago when the producer got permission from the FDA to apply civilian nutritional labeling to their military contract overruns and sell them to a commercial outlet. The supply is limited and they're expensive. Ten dollars for a single entrée (add shipping to that); but, they're far better than anything else in the category. They come only as entrées which give you three squares a day.

I remember a discussion a couple years back about those high end LRPs, with a supplier link and pictures. It was likely here in the Cellar.

I've mentioned them in the Camping thread here and here; but, didn't therein address the labeling change which made them available commercially.