A U.S. soldier assigned to 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, carries boxes of Meals Ready-to-Eat during Rotation 24-07 at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, on April 24, 2024. The Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center is seeking partners to develop lightweight, nutrient-dense alternative proteins for the next generation of MREs, set to debut in 2027. (Jeffery Garland/U.S. Army)
The Army is exploring ways to produce meatless, protein-rich rations near the front lines, part of a broader push to reduce the massive logistical burden of feeding troops in future conflicts.
A notice posted by the service’s Combat Feeding Division on April 29 to the federal government’s contracting website called for industry and academia to partner with the Army in developing new technologies to produce “alternative proteins” downrange.
The Army calls the technology “strategically vital” because of its logistical benefit, cutting down on the “massive amount of transport and storage required to sustain troops,” according to a Combat Capabilities Development Command on Monday.
The provisions need to be nutritious, protein-rich, tasty, lightweight, safe to eat and shelf-stable, according to the Army documents.
In a similar vein, a California startup named Biosphere was recently awarded a $9 million Defense Department contract for the development of portable bioreactors that can produce protein rations from air, water and unspecified energy sources.
The technology will be used to provide 2,800 calories per person per day for up to 18 service members, with plans to scale the system to support 250 personnel, the company said in a statement last week.
It was not clear whether the Biosphere contract was related to the Sam.gov announcement. The notice was issued to identify interested sources, with no contract to be awarded from the announcement, the document said.
The command did not respond to a question Tuesday about the contract, which has a duration of three years and six months.
It falls under the Pentagon’s Other Transaction Authority, which allows the Defense Department to bypass some federal acquisition regulations and accelerate the fielding of new technology.
The effort to improve field rations and ease supply-chain issues downrange focuses on protein because of the nutrient’s importance for sustained physical and cognitive performance and muscle recovery.
“Traditional protein sources can be bulky, heavy, and require extensive processing to achieve the necessary shelf stability,” command officials said in a statement Monday.
Alternative proteins “offer the unique ability to customize rations” along with the possibility of targeting certain organisms to produce specific nutritional compounds, the statement said.
Once developed, the meatless rations could be included in Meals, Ready to Eat, and the technology used could be applied commercially, officials said.
Anyone interested in working with the Army on developing these alternative proteins must be able to conduct consumer research aimed at enhancing “the acceptability and consumption of alternative proteins within a military population,” the Sam.gov notice said.
