MRE Innovations--I'm Hungry!

With our troops busy warfighting around the globe, the military has been hard at work innovating their food supply, the good ol' MRE. I came across a few new innovations while perusing the 'Net for the best deal on MRE Peanut Butter (mmm) and Jalapeno Cheese Spread (hard to find!).

First Strike Rations: This is the "update" to the MRE, each FSR contains a full days worth of food, packed  down to a more compact size. MREInfo.com has a full run-down of the menus. These are being issued to troops now, but I haven't found any in the surplus/civilian market. FSRs appear to have a shorter shelf life than standard MREs--2 years at 80 degrees--and they are NOT replacing the MRE.

Pocket Sandwiches: These are one of the main components of the FSR--basically the MRE version of a Hot Pocket. Reviewers say the Italian is the best, though there's a Filled French Toast pocket that sounds pretty good. I'm looking to get my hands on some of these to give 'em a try. The sandwiches are available a number of places--the manufacturer, Bridgeford, is marketing them directly to consumers. You can find them on Amazon or at several online retailers.

Cinnamon Buns: Don't need to say much more. MRE desserts are usually pretty good, this sounds exceptionally feasty. Sugar, icing, cinnamon...hard to go wrong.

MRE Tortillas. They're smaller, fajita-size, not
epic monster burrito sized.

Tortillas: Shockingly (to me) MRE Tortillas have been around for a while, just packaged with odd menus like Tuna in a Pouch (appetizing, no?) and Pork Rib (pork rib wrap, I suppose?), and thus went unnoticed, at least by me. I found it odd that there were MRE entrees like Chicken and Salsa but no tortillas packed with them. Tortillas have become more common in recent years, appearing in 5 MRE menus for the 2011 production year as well as in 2 of 3 FSR Menus. They're also available to civilians via online retailers (epicenter.com has 'em).

I realized that I actually had a few 2008-production MREs with Tortillas in them, so I opened one up and had a sample. For being over 2 years old, they're pretty good. Wouldn't win any taste tests, but basically taste just like any other tortilla. Added some fresh guacamole, turkey and cheese and had myself a pretty delicious little snack. Definitely a thumbs up.