# Heater meals



## X-mo-1979 (6 Mar 2008)

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


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## 1feral1 (6 Mar 2008)

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

Ha!

Wes


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## Franko (6 Mar 2008)

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


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## Panzer Grenadier (6 Mar 2008)

Wesley  Down Under said:
			
		

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



Wow - heart attack in a box.


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## Eye In The Sky (6 Mar 2008)

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


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## vonGarvin (6 Mar 2008)

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).


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## armyvern (6 Mar 2008)

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).


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## dapaterson (6 Mar 2008)

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.


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## medaid (6 Mar 2008)

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


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## X-mo-1979 (6 Mar 2008)

MedTech said:
			
		

> 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"
> ...



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.


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## Colin Parkinson (6 Mar 2008)

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


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## PMedMoe (6 Mar 2008)

X-mo-1979 said:
			
		

> 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


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## Colin Parkinson (6 Mar 2008)

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.


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## medaid (6 Mar 2008)

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


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## X-mo-1979 (6 Mar 2008)

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.


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## Canadian Sig (8 Mar 2008)

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:


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## bilton090 (8 Mar 2008)

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


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## BinRat55 (8 Mar 2008)

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!!


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## X-mo-1979 (8 Mar 2008)

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.


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## DiamondDarryl (17 Mar 2008)

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.


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## X-mo-1979 (17 Mar 2008)

DiamondDarryl said:
			
		

> 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.



By juice you mean Grape drink/syrup right? :-X

I wonder whats for supper tonight,meat and gravy with junkfood,or meat gravy and junk.

Sugary butter cookies.Actual name.

By far the worst food ever.


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## DiamondDarryl (17 Mar 2008)

Did you get any Otis Spunkmeyer muffins. Amazing fatty goodness


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## Dominus (19 Mar 2008)

Full menu & prices:

https://heatermeals.com/store/default.php?cPath=24

The only one I didn't see was the Vegetarian Pasta Fagioli.  I gave up eating those things pretty quick, and just bought lots of PX junk food.


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## Docherty (19 Mar 2008)

I can agree these Heater Meals weren't the best choice of rations.  1300 Calories per meal, and most meals averaged around 900 calories of fat. I guess saving $12 a meal is worth more than our health.  Oh and good news... We will be seeing Heater Meals in Wainwright and good old Mexican Sewage Water "Rico Springs."


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## armyvern (19 Mar 2008)

Yep, cheaper than IMPs ...  

(But not 12 bucks a meal less expensive ...)


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## Jammer (19 Mar 2008)

Thanks for awakening the nightmares...ARRRGGHHH Southwest Chicken and Rice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Docherty (19 Mar 2008)

Aren't MREs $18 a package?


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## armyvern (19 Mar 2008)

Maverick894 said:
			
		

> Aren't MREs $18 a package?



Heater meals come in cases of 12 meals. IMPs come in cases of 10 meals.

I'll post the exact price per case up when I get back to work next Wednesday (unless someone out there does it first), but each of our case meal costs differs.

Suppers @ XX/case
Lunchs @ XX/case
Breakys @ XX/case

Last time I checked, breakies were running about 100 bucks per case divided by 10 meals per = 10 bucks / meal -- a tad bit hard for Heater Meals to be 12 bucks cheaper each.

Ahhh here's a recent story link ... (I knew I'd seen something recent & public which was also in the 10 buck range ... but will post up the exact costs as per above upon my return):

http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=897d12aa-13ad-44e0-a9fe-b1a661b8c445&k=41239

(from this link!! http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/69523.0;all) <--- probably where I recall seeing it from!  



> Each meal pack contains a hefty 1,200 to 1,400 calories, about what an active soldier requires in the field. Unrefrigerated, they have shelf lives of three years. Each meal costs taxpayers $9.85; one million are consumed each year by soldiers, sailors and flyers.


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## Docherty (19 Mar 2008)

Can you find the cost for a case of MREs?


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## DiamondDarryl (19 Mar 2008)

I think we should do a "supersize me" like test with these things. I know we had some super sized soldiers by the end of texas


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## X-mo-1979 (19 Mar 2008)

Maverick894 said:
			
		

> I can agree these Heater Meals weren't the best choice of rations.  1300 Calories per meal, and most meals averaged around 900 calories of fat. I guess saving $12 a meal is worth more than our health.  Oh and good news... We will be seeing Heater Meals in Wainwright and good old Mexican Sewage Water "Rico Springs."



Rico Springs was not mexican.

It was bottled in Roswell New mexico.

Land of the crash site man...Surprised the bottle didnt have a alien on it or something for marketing.


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## Docherty (19 Mar 2008)

How about the stuff that had no labels on it.


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## X-mo-1979 (19 Mar 2008)

DiamondDarryl said:
			
		

> I think we should do a "supersize me" like test with these things. I know we had some super sized soldiers by the end of texas



And prior....they'll be CLAIMING it was heater meals I bet...

I actually lost weight on the ex,but honestly I believe it was muscle mass due to lack of protein.I lost 8 lbs over the course of the ex.

...and gained proably 5 on the R&R night...beer...pizza...wings...strippers.


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## Yrys (19 Mar 2008)

X-mo-1979 said:
			
		

> ...and gained proably 5 on the R&R night...beer...pizza...wings...strippers.



How can you gain weigh with strippers ? I would have guess a bit of cardio, so loss of weigh...

/puzzled


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## medaid (19 Mar 2008)

You gus brought strippers on the Ex?! :O


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## X-mo-1979 (19 Mar 2008)

Maverick894 said:
			
		

> How about the stuff that had no labels on it.



Most likely Mexican sewer water.

Man it was fun storing 600 bottles of water in my vehicle. ;D

"Throw out the ammo,we gotta store heatermeals and a tractor trailer load of water bottles." ;D

However the water bottles were great,adding in the flavor packets.A lot better than drinking out of those green 5 liter cans....that YOU KNOW some driver has urinated in at some point.

Just the quantity it was supplied in was a little excessive lol.

Lets not forget the heater meal breakfast....pancakes and sausage......



			
				Yrys said:
			
		

> How can you gain weigh with strippers ? I would have guess a bit of cardio, so loss of weigh...
> 
> /puzzled



Sitting stagnant in a chair for hours on end causes a catabolic effect on the body!!Losing muscle and gaining fat ;D



			
				MedTech said:
			
		

> You gus brought strippers on the Ex?! :O



Yep every troop had 2 dropped off at the running replen every night.Gun staves makes a pretty good field expedient pole.

Nahh on the R&R in El paso.(side story I thought the 2 dollar bills were counterfit at the strip club..cause I never seen em before.Everytime we bought beer they gave us back 2 dollar bills.So I suggested to the guys USE ALL OF EM!It was a shady looking dive we went to on the border.Turns out the 2 dollar bills are legit..who knew!)


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## Harris (19 Mar 2008)

dapaterson said:
			
		

> 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.



It wasn't an issue for South Bound Trooper in Virginia last month.  I ate IMP's the whole time.


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## Nfld Sapper (19 Mar 2008)

Think we had your leftovers Harris


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