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Nutrition
The Australian Army ration packs
One of the option strands is Contemporary food issues, Nutrition. In this strand students have the opportunity to extend their understanding of nutrition by planning diets and preparing foods for people with special dietary needs. The two case studies below may provide useful information for considering influences on nutritional status for a special group - the armed forces. The first case study explains how a combat ration pack is developed; the second case study focuses on nutrition for military fitness.
Outcomes
This material addresses aspects of the following syllabus outcomes:
H2.1 The student evaluates the relationship between food, its
production, consumption, promotion and health
H5.1 The student develops, realises and evaluates solutions for
a range of food situations.
Source: Board of Studies NSW, Stage 6 Food Technology Syllabus, Preliminary and HSC Courses (1999)
Combat ration pack
There are numerous situations within the Army environment
which require diverse catering. These situations vary from group
feeding arrangements from a kitchen when soldiers are in barracks,
to providing a soldier with a combat ration pack, which can be
either individual, or group style, whilst in the field. Army
Catering Corps personnel may, where practicable, set up field
kitchens during exercises or on operations to provide fresh rations.
First let's look at the issues relating to Army rations.
Menu planning
Menus for the rations provided to soldiers are provided
on a scientifically formulated basis to meet the nutritional
needs of soldiers within the environment in which they are operating.
Consideration is also given to providing variety in the soldier's
diet.
Ration specifications
These are governed by the Australian Defence Force Food
Specifications (ADFFS) and a Defence document known as SUPMAN
4. ADFFS is a detailed document covering food specifications,
with SUPMAN 4 detailing a soldier's entitlement, or allowance
for rations. Consideration of weight is given to Combat ration
packs to minimise the weight a soldier must carry. Normally a
soldier will carry only up to three days of rations during exercises
or operations; however, this requirement will increase or decrease
depending upon circumstances. Combat ration packs have a minimum
shelf life of two years.
Meal preparation
Soldiers in the field may eat their rations hot or cold.
Each soldier is provided with a small solid fuel stove and cooking
containers to heat meals.
Water allowance
Soldiers are encouraged to drink sufficient water to remain hydrated.
Thus the requirement for water varies according to environmental
conditions. Generally, a minimum of three litres of water is
required to sustain a soldier, but this requirement can increase
considerably.
Ration contents
A typical combat ration used by a soldier in the field contains
three meals for one day. This may include canned or freeze-dried
meals, canned fruit, biscuits, coffee or tea making items, toilet
paper, matches, and a small can opener. Food technology has changed
the contents of these packs over the years. In particular freeze-dried
foods and in the future, retort pouch technology.
Preparation of ration
packs
The typical chain of events in preparing the packs involves:
- assessment to determine the number of packs needed
- evaluation of any changes to existing contents of different types of pack
- placement of orders to the Defence suppliers
- inspection of the components
- delivery to the ration packing contractor
- packaging
- distribution to meet Defence requirements.
Activity
- Why is the weight of the ration pack an issue for army personnel?
- Identify the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) in the chain of events listed for preparing the ration packs.
- Research and draw flow charts for the manufacture of:
- canned meat casserole
- freeze-dried meat casserole
- meat casserole using retort pouch technology.
- Explain why adequate hydration is an issue for army personnel. What are the functions of water in the body?
- A can opener is the major tool of food preparation for army ration packs.
- a) Investigate the functions of packaging and the types of packaging materials available.
- b) Design a suitable package for one food item. Consider:
- packaging material
- opening
- resealable lid
- use as a container to eat from.
Extension
Nutrition for military fitness
Forbes-Ewan, C. (1999) Nutrition for Military Fitness, Pabulum, no 36, February, pp 1-2.
The Defence Nutrition Research Centre of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation is a small laboratory that can be found nestling amongst the green and lush pastures of rural northern Tasmania. It is charged with determining the nutritional requirements of members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). This information is then used to ensure that ADF feeding systems provide adequate nutrition to keep our soldiers, sailors and airmen literally 'fighting fit'.
Using the doubly-labelled water technique (Schoeller, 1998) we have determined the energy expenditure (EE) by soldiers across a wide range of military activities. Because females are not permitted in direct combat positions such as infantry, these studies involved only male soldiers. EE levels varied from a mean of 12 MJ per man per day for sedentary soldiers (engaged in a clerical course) to 29 MJ for soldiers attempting selection to the Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment. Typical field operations involved mean daily expenditure of 15 MJ; Army recruits expended 16 MJ; while training for jungle warfare led to a mean daily expenditure of 19 MJ. Parachute training was surprisingly high, at 17 MJ, greater than the EE of recruits despite a seemingly lower physical workload on the part of the parachutists. We speculate that the stress of taking part in a potentially life-threatening activity may be leading to increased metabolic rate.
In addition to total energy, the quality of the solder's diet is important in ensuring that nutritional status promotes optimal physical and cognitive performance. Because carbohydrate is the preferred fuel for muscular work, soldiers' rations should be high in carbohydrate and relatively low in fat. However, this must be balanced against the requirement to minimise weight and bulk of rations, particularly in light of Australia's soldier modernisation program (Project 'Wundurra' - an Aboriginal word meaning 'warrior'). Soldiers in the 'enhanced' condition were each carrying more than 40 kg of equipment at the 1998 Soldier Combat System Evaluation Study which evaluated potential enhancements such as combat body armour, thermal weapon sights, GPS navigation and night vision goggles.
As a compromise between the conflicting requirements of nutrition and load carriage, we recommend that carbohydrate in ration packs provide in the range 56-59% of total energy, with no more than 29% of energy being derived from fat. New generation ration packs are being designed that are nutrient and energy-dense. Provide 15 MJ of energy, contain lightweight packaging, and provide adequate nutrients to meet the nutritional requirements of nearly all soldiers (regardless of gender) engaged in typical field operations. Thus for example, while the requirement for energy is set at 15 MJ (based on the EE of male soldiers), the recommendation for iron is 16 mg (the upper level of the Recommended Dietary Intake for females) even though the RDI for males is only 7 mg of iron. The table overleaf shows the contents of one menu (from a total of five) of the recently-introduced Combat Ration (Five Man).
Although ration packs are designed to meet or exceed the RDI for all known nutrients, soldiers habitually discard a significant proportion of their ration pack food. The effects of this on operational fitness are unknown. Australia is the lead nation in an international collaborative study that is being conducted in a hot/wet area in April 1999 to determine the effects of long-term feeding with ration packs on soldiers' physical fitness, clinical/nutritional, physiological, psychological and immunological status.
Australia is also involved in international co-operative research into the safe and effective use of 'ergogenic aids' (EA) to improve military performance. EA are substances or techniques that lead to an improvement in one or more component(s) of physical fitness. EA under examination include caffeine, creatine, blood loading, carbohydrate loading, carbohydrate supplementation and oral hydration beverages.
Australia has conducted research on carbohydrate loading and on methods of enhancing hydration status by using improved systems of water carriage and delivery. The importance of enhancing water intake was illustrated at 98SCSES, where sweat rates of 1.0 L/hr (hot/dry climate) and 1.5 L/hr (hot/wet) were experienced. In the hot/wet rainforest, ~50% of the sweat was retained in clothing and equipment, implying a poor sweating efficiency.
In the hot/dry climate, ~90% of the sweat evaporated, indicating that sweating was efficiently providing evaporative cooling. Without replacement of the water lost as sweat, soldiers' physical and cognitive performance would be adversely affected within hours of the start of a physically arduous operation in the heat.
Reproduced with kind permission Nutrition Australia
Chris Forbes-Ewan
Senior Nutritionist, Defence Nutrition Research Centre
Defence Science and Technology Organisation
Reference
Schoeller, D. A. Measurement of energy expenditure in
free-living humans by using doubly labelled water. Journal
of Nutrition. 1988; 118:1278-1289
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Table: Contents of Menu E of the Combat
Ration (Five Man)
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
| Baked Beans 500 g pouch |
Chicken Noodle Soup 50 g pkt |
Salmon & Pasta Mornay 500 g |
| Sugar 20 x 7 g pkt |
Potatoes 450 g can |
Corn, Sweet 250 g |
| Milk Cond. Sweet 5 x 85 g tubes |
Tomato Soup 50 g pkt |
Potatoes 450 g |
| Vegemite 85 g tube |
Chicken, Pasta & Veg 500 g pouch |
Carrots 250 g |
| Coffee, Soluble 5 x 3.5 g pkt |
Peas, Green 500 g pouch |
Cheese Canned 5 x 56 g |
| Chocolate Dink Dr 5 x 20 pkt |
Tomato Sauce 225 g can |
Fruit Pudding 2 x 340 g |
| Pepper 5 x 2 g pkt |
Sugar 10 x 7 g pkt |
Jam, Raspberry 85 g tube |
| Muesli Bars | Tea 10 x 2 g pkt |
Jam Strawberry 85 g tube |
| Tropical Fruit 5 x 32 g pkt |
Salt 5 x 2 g pkt |
Curry Pdr 14 g pkt |
| Forest Fruit 5 x 32 g pkt |
Mustard 3 x 3.5 g pkt |
Coffee, Soluble 10 x 3.5 g |
| Biscuit, Crispbread 5 x 32 g pkt |
Fruit Drink Pdr | Sugar 20 x 7 g |
| Lime 5 x 12 g pkt |
Butter Concentrate 150 g |
|
| Orange 5 x 12 g pkt |
Chewing Gum (4 pellets) 5 x pkt |
|
| Tropical 5 x 12 g pkt |
Soya Sauce 5 x 10 g |
|
| Biscuit, Scotch Finger 5 x 35 g pkt |
Tabasco Sauce 5 x 10 g |
|
| Army Chocolate 5 x 50 g pkt |
Chilli Sauce 5 x 10 g |
Activity
- Why were the energy expenditure (EE) levels measured only for males?
- The EE levels were measured in megajoules (MJ). MJ = 1000 kJ. How many kJ in 16 MJ?
- What is the preferred fuel for muscular work?
- Why is it important to minimise the weight and bulk of rations?
- What are ergogenic aids (EA)? What are some examples?
- Explain the importance of enhancing hydration status.
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