A food ration bar (also known as emergency food bar or compressed food bar)[1] is a type of biscuit generally included in emergency rations and compact field rations. A cross between a hardtack and an energy bar, these shelf-stable products provide a high caloric density and are generally made of grain flour, sugar, and vegetable oil.
Food ration bars may be consumed directly or broken up and mixed with water for a porridge. The composition depends on usage: humanitarian versions place a focus on protein content and nutrition fortification,[2] while naval products place the emphasis on it being non-thirst-provoking.[3]
Some example ration bars are:
Food bar standards are issued by maritime agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard[3] and humanitarian agencies such as the World Food Program,[1] each for their respective use cases.
Food ration bars under the name of 压缩干粮 "compact dry food" are a core part of the military food of the Chinese People's Liberation Army for field and emergency use.[5]
The experimental Close Combat Assault Ration for the US Army features several food bars,[6] produced using vacuum microwave drying and a new "sonic agglomeration" technology (a combination of ultrasonic welding and molding)[7] that removes the need of binding agents.[8] Steve1989MREInfo has a review of CCAR.[9]