‘Not your grandfather’s MRE’ Published Feb. 10, 2010 By 2nd Lt. Daniel Riley 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Meals rarely edible, meals rejected by everyone and materials resembling edibles are all nicknames given to the Meal Ready to Eat. But, today's MREs are proving all of these names wrong. "The MREs taste great now," said Staff Sgt. David Johnson, a food services accountant who oversees all MREs for Active Duty, National Guard, and Air Force Reserve for six different units. "I know all of the menus by heart, and I love the jalapeño cheese spread; that stuff is hot!" Today MREs come with 24 different entrees, numerous sides and even different kinds of candy as dessert. "The desserts are great. They're all packaged just like they are in the store," said Sergeant Johnson. The improved MREs also include a heater to warm the entrees and a condiment packet with items such as salt, pepper, Tabasco, coffee and even powdered cream. All of these items can be mixed together to make several different creations. One of the most popular MRE concoctions is known as the Ranger Brownie. This brew consists of cocoa powder, creamer, peanut butter, crackers and water. "Just make sure you add the little bit of water, for consistency, before you add the crackers," said Sergeant Johnson. Tabasco, hot sauce and jalapeño cheese spread are also often used to add flavor to just about anything. "One tip is to add the cheese spread into the spaghetti package. That is delicious!" said Sergeant Johnson. Today MREs are not only used as field rations for Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines, but they are also used in humanitarian aid missions, such as ongoing relief operations in Haiti. In fact, Air Mobility Command aircraft have already delivered more than 117,040 pounds of MREs to Haiti as part of Operation Unified Response. "These aren't your grandfather's old MREs, these are new and improved MREs with a lot more variety and choices," said Sergeant Johnson.