They included meat, bread, coffee ... with the need for a can opener and were heavy to tote around. Enter the MRE, which was started in research in 1963 and then introduced to soldiers by 1975.

A New Zealand Army soldier tries a US military MRE — or Meal, Ready-to-Eat — and compares it to New Zealand MREs. An MRE is designed to sustain soldiers during training or an operation while ...