Heater meals

[X-mo-1979]

Just to ask peoples opinion on the heater meals,and maybe someone can tell us why the heck we were eating those things instead of rations.

My opinion.I was only on them for a brief amount of time.


-Package too bright.
-too up too much room.
-Junk food
-1300 cal per meal IIRC a lot of it from sugar/fat.
-lack of variety
-Couldn't take just meal out of box for vehicle stowage,as the film on top of the meal could rip.

I hope whoever ordered heater meals were eating them the whole ex (Southern Bear Texas/New Mexico).

http://www.heatermeals.com/heatermealsplus.html

 

[1feral1]

You forgot to add 'enough MSG to encompass 1000 Chinese take-away restaurants'.

Ha!

Wes

 

[Franko]

I ate the bloody things everyday right up to when "ENDEX" was declared.

The food was shyte, plain and simple.

I'd rather eat MREs or our rations than eat another Heater Box meal.

If I never see another package of Sweet and Salty again it'd be too soon.

Regards

 

[Panzer Grenadier]

You forgot to add 'enough MSG to encompass 1000 Chinse take-away restaurants'.

Wow - heart attack in a box.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Maybe someone from the supply world can verify it but I am betting they are cheaper than IMPs per package.  And..whoever made the decision to purchse them..doesn't have to actually eat them.  ;D

 

[vonGarvin]

I'm guessing that the reason to go with "Heater Meals" is because we didn't have room to bring our IMPs?  Having said that, however, I think that our IMPs would have been much better (and certainly more welcome).

 

[armyvern]

Hey,

Don't look to me for answers. Heater meals suck and are not good for maintaining the girlish figure (although one may experience and increase in chest size ... it's NOT in a good way).

NO woman came up with these things ...  > (guaranteed).

 

[dapaterson]

There are restrictions on importing food into the USA - and despite some occasional grumbles to the contrary, IMPs are considered as food items.

Rather than trying to get FDA authority to import IMPs (with byzantine regulations and accounting procedures required if they do issue a permit - and that's not guaranteed), we generally acquire MREs when in the USA.

I don't know what happened with the G4 side of the house on this one - though I suspect the US may be running low on MREs and left us to buy commercial.

 

[medaid]

MREs = Poison...


I still remember when I professed that point to a few US Army buddies of mine, and their words were "Now you know why we fight so hard.... so we can get back to a FOB or base to eat REAL food"

;D

 

[X-mo-1979]

MREs = Poison...


I still remember when I professed that point to a few US Army buddies of mine, and their words were "Now you know why we fight so hard.... so we can get back to a FOB or base to eat REAL food"

;D

Heater meals= death  :-X

If they were on those meals I suspect they wouldnt leave camp!

As a Pmed whats your opinion on these things?Are they sensible for human consumption for 3 meals a day for 30 days?
I think it's junk.

Buttery sugar cookies,grape drink (wasn't that a Chris Rock skit,Grape drink vs Grape juice?),smarties and mixed nuts (best thing in the whole package IMHO),4 bread sticks and a pound of food covered in some kind of gravy,sugar sauced apples.

I was honestly crashing in the afternoon from the sugar rush,and found the meal wasnt enough to eat alone.
At least our rat's have a good meal that gets a lot of calories from protein and carbs...not sugar.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

From my reading the US  MRE's have become quite good, compared to the freezedried everything that was the staple of the 80's.

 

[PMedMoe]

As a Pmed whats your opinion on these things?Are they sensible for human consumption for 3 meals a day for 30 days?

I'm pretty sure MedTech is not a PMed Tech and it's not within PMed's area of expertise to comment on nutrition (except on the hygiene part of it  ).
That being said, they sure don't sound too healthy.  :-X

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I had a friend who survived approx 5 years on rice and the occasional rat while a as guest of the Imperial Japanese Army who were occupying Manila at the time. When they were liberated, they were surviving on rice water, dreaming of the days they had rice.

Thought I would add perspective to what all us consider "necessary" nowdays in the form of food.

 

[medaid]

True enough Colin, we've become accustomed to the luxuries that's modern life. X-mo, what PMedMoe said ;D I'm no where near a PMedTech

 

[X-mo-1979]

No doubt POW's, PW's,WW2 vets,Korea,vietnam etc were fed a lot worse.That's not the issue at all.
We were training in the USA with a Canadian Battle group,no one was shooting at us/taking PW's/blowing themselves up in our convoys.

I have to admit I'm fishing for other thoughts Idea's on the heater meals,I'm actually writing a complaint about it as we were asked to put our thoughts/opinions forward IRT the box O ****.

Thanks for the explanation on why we didn't get Canadian/American MRE's.

PMEDMOE: I hated the bloody things.Ask some of the guys who ate NOTHING but the things!I was unlucky (long story)and didn't stay around on the things.

 

[Canadian Sig]

I heard it was a financial decision. MREs cost x per unit and these "Katrina meals" were on offer cheap as they were within a year of their shelf life.

Imagine surviving hurrican Katrina only to be handed some FEMA heater meals  :crybaby:

 

[bilton090]

  New all time low for the boys !, wished they had IMPs or MRE's  ;D

        most of all the FOB's have real food. 
 
    You didn;t know the training was on the food Too !  ;D

                   

 

[BinRat55]

Are they really that bad?  This is the first time i've ever heard of them (hidden in Gander for the last 2 years) I went to the the link that the originator provided - they look ok...  The Dutch cooked for us over in Eritrea a few years ago, and for almost 7 months I ate curry and peanut sauce - it took me a year to eat peanut butter again and I still can't eat curry - the flying field kitchen was brought down from Senaffe with about a month to go - thank cripes, my getaway kit had been void of rats for two weeks!!  I LOVE ALL CANADIAN COOKS... no offence to anyone of Dutch origin, but man do they ever cook different!!  I think I would have given my left testicle for one of those heater meals!!

 

[X-mo-1979]

Honestly they were ok for a couple meals.However the food is nothing but junk food.
IIRC there were 4 differnt ones. 30 days x 3= a whole lot of junk food and a gross entree.

Compared to canadian rations they sucked.For all the guys who came back to camp at night or every few nights it would have been alright.However some guys spent the whole time out in the desert on these crappy things.

 

[DiamondDarryl]

I will never eat another heater meal. Ever. After 2 weeks on them i was eating cashews and jerky for every meal. And that juice was insane.