BRITISH troops in Iraq and Afghanistan will soon be swapping their chocolate bars and corned beef hash for oreos and chicken kormas, in a radical overhaul of army rations.
The new menus - including halal, vegetarian and Sikh and Hindu diets - are designed for troops serving in extreme weather conditions, and will be trialled on the front lines from May until October.
Among the new additions are chicken tikka masala, the British version of south Asian curries that was once referred to as a "national dish" by former foreign secretary Robin Cook, and Thai green vegetable curry.
Troops will also be given energy bars rather than chocolate, and fruit biscuits and pate have been removed, with fruits and muesli among the added rations.
In all, there are 20 updated menus, along with a further six menus each for Sikhs and Hindus, vegetarians, and those on Halal diets, specially made so that soldiers reach their recommended daily intake of 4000 calories.
"All the products that have been inserted are products more suitable for troops on operations in Iraq and, particularly, Afghanistan," a ministry spokeswoman said.
Britain has 4100 troops in Iraq, most of whom will pull out by the middle of the year, and some 8300 soldiers in Afghanistan, most of whom are fighting a fierce insurgency against Taliban militia in the south of the country.
Captain Paul Cunningham of the military's food services said soldiers were typically given freshly-prepared meals while in the main camps but that it was not always possible in remote parts of Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The new multi-climate ration trial will double the amount of available menus and remove the need for supplements," he said.
"We have lots of new items in the rations and I am convinced these will be very popular with our troops."
The new ration packs were developed after panels were conducted in May 2008 involving soldiers who had recently returned from operations. Troops trialling the new rations will fill out a survey giving their views on the menus.
Opening an MRE is like opening a present, you don’t know what’s in it and even when you open something with a weird name you might find that it is something you normally eat any way, such as the fruit pastry which is really a pop tart. If nothing else get some for the zombie invasion or a natural disaster kit.
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