Humanitarian daily rations (HDRs, "humrats") are food rations manufactured in the United States intended to be supplied to civilians and other non-military personnel in humanitarian crises.[1][2]
Each is intended to serve as a single person's full daily food supply, and contains somewhat over 2,200 calories (9,200 J). They have shelf-lives of about 3 years, and their contents are designed to be acceptable to a variety of religious and ethnic groups. The meals cost approximately one-fifth of the cost of a Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE),[3] or US$4.70 in 2012.[4] The rations were first used in Bosnia in 1993 as part of Operation Provide Promise.[5]
The meals are designed to be able to survive being air-dropped without a parachute.[3]
This is safer for refugees than parachuting large pallets of rations, as well as preventing meal hoarding by those able to seize a single, large delivery.
Before the HDR was made available, the United States provided military Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MREs) to famine victims. Aid agencies complained that the MREs were too high in protein, indigestible, and violated religious taboos. In some cases, famine victims went into shock (see refeeding syndrome) after eating large MRE meals.[6]: 9 By the time of the creation of the HDR, the Department of Defense had almost depleted its stock of MREs in the post-Gulf War period, having distributed 53 million MREs between 1990 and 1993. The end of the Cold War caused reductions in military funding, prompting the DoD to rethink its approach on aid. Furthermore, MRE producers found the profit in producing MRE "marginal" and wanted to expand to foreign and civilian markets. The HDR provided a solution to all these problems: it is safe to provide to famine victims, cheap enough to distribute broadly, and provides a large potential market to contractors.[6]: 9–10
Packaging and distribution
A leaflet, dropped in Afghanistan, announcing a program to drop humanitarian daily rations
The HDR packages are delivered in cases of packages. Each contains a small selection of food items based on predetermined menus, and an accessory pack containing red pepper, pepper, salt, sugar, spoon, matches, an alcohol-free moist towelette, and a napkin.[7][8]
HDRs are typically air-dropped into the disaster area on large pallets. From the time they were created and used in 1993 until November 2001, HDRs were packaged with a bright yellow outer plastic covering. This choice of color proved to be problematic in areas of the world where cluster bombs were being used, as the bombs were the same shade of yellow. Recipients of the rations sometimes confused the ration package for undetonated cluster bombs, often spotting the bright color from a distance and making an incorrect assumption. [7][9] This prompted the United States Federal Government to reissue the packages with a deep salmon pink outer covering to distinguish them from the bombs. This color has been used in the HDR manufacturing process ever since. Later packages were covered in salmon colored foil.[10]
HDRs produced in the United States are manufactured by the same companies that produce MREs designed for the United States Armed Forces. Like MREs, the food components are designed so they can be consumed without requiring additional preparation, including cooking. They do not include flameless ration heaters, which are found in MREs.
Typical contents
A humanitarian daily ration, in 1993–2001 yellow packaging, and typical contents on display at the National Air and Space Museum
There are five menus of HDR. Each menu contains three sub-menus, printed as list-of-content A, B, and C on the packet. Each HDR packet randomly contains two of the sub-menus.[11]
The HDR is designed to "provide the widest possible acceptance from the variety of potential consumers with diverse religious and dietary restrictions from around the world".[13]
Contains no animal products, except a limited amount of dairy products, below the limit that would cause a problem for a person with lactose intolerance.
Any alcohol or alcohol-based ingredients are also banned.
Infant component
All rations contain a fruit paste, or pudding, suitable for feeding to infants
Utensils
All rations contain a spoon and a paper towel moistened with a non-toxic, non-alcoholic cleanser
Deployments
In Bosnia, 1993, HDRs saw its first use in Operation Provide Promise, which delivered "hundreds of thousands of HDR's".[5] By 2003, at least 12.4 million HDRs had been distributed.[6]: 26
On October 15, 2001, the United States announced a humanitarian daily ration for Afghanistan.[15]
On October 24, 2001, Rear AdmiralJohn Dickson Stufflebeem announced fears that the Taliban planned to poison American food aid.[16] Stufflebeem also said that since the program started on October 7, 2001 the United States had dropped 785,000 rations.[17]
^ ab"MEMORANDUM FOR CORRESPONDENTS". United States Department of Defense. August 2, 1995. Retrieved October 18, 2007. Hundreds of thousands of HDR's were first air-dropped over isolated Bosnian enclaves on November 22, 1993, as part of the humanitarian relief effort PROVIDE PROMISE. Since then, the food packets have fed thousands of refugees worldwide.
^"Humanitarian Daily Ration (HDRs)". MRE Info. There are five different menus of HDRs. With a case of 10 HDRs, you'll have two of each type of HDR available. Depending on the HDR manufacturer (Ameriqual, Sopakco, or Wornick), each HDR type could have one of three lists of contents – A, B, or C. For example, if you had a case of HDR, you would get 10 HDRs – two from each menu. However, it's a toss-up as to whether (for example with Menu 1) you'd get Bean Salad, Barley Stew, or Beans & Rice. This was a little confusing for me at first – just by looking at the menu, you'd think each HDR bag would contain meals A, B, and C. But I can assure you that's not how it works.
