Food ration bar


A food ration bar is a type of bar 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, while naval products place the emphasis on it being non-thirst-provoking.
Some example ration bars are:
Food bar standards are issued by maritime agencies such as the U.S. [Coast Guard] and humanitarian agencies such as the World Food Program, 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.
The experimental Close Combat Assault Ration for the US Army features several food bars, produced using vacuum microwave drying and a new "sonic agglomeration" technology that removes the need of binding agents.