Pouches that can be resealed are changing the way troops drink. Drink pouches developed by the DOD Combat Feeding Directorate at the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center in Natick, MA - in partnership with packaging companies Pactech in Rochester, NY, and Kapack in Minneapolis, MN - allow warfighters to pour water into a package holding a powder mix, shake and consume the beverage from the opening. If they want to save some for later, the plastic zipper seal holds it in.
Field data showed that almost half of the Soldiers are not consuming the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE-) beverage base mix because of the inconvenience of using and cleaning the canteen cup, said Lauren Milch, a physical scientist at Combat Feeding who managed package development. Pouring the mix into a canteen full of water is prohibited according to Army doctrine, so the packages are frequently thrown away unopened.
"The 12-ounce beverage pouch is the first project from the Individual Combat Ration Team's Improved Packaging for Combat Rations program aimed at reducing packaging and increasing consumption," explained Vicki Loveridge, a senior food technologist and project officer for improved packaging. "Including a resealable plastic bag was a partial solution, but the drink pouch takes care of everything by replacing the current dry mix package with a disposable drinking vessel," she continued.
Originally intended to replace the MRE beverage base mix, the beverage pouches could be used for any of the military ration beverages or liquid foods, such as dairy shakes. For hot cappuccino or cocoa, the pouch was designed to fit into the flameless ration heater. "A rectangular drink pouch with a plastic zipper was evaluated in 1991, but it was shelved because the cost was considered 'extravagant' at 25 cents apiece," Loveridge noted.
In the last 3 years, researchers developed prototype pouches with nonreclosable tear-off spouts, reclosable sports-type pull caps and twist-off caps that were studied along with the final package design. "We wanted something reusable, and they didn't want or need a pouch to stand up, just a way to set it down," Loveridge explained. "The extra expense of a stand-up pouch was unnecessary, and it's a harder pouch to keep from cracking."
In the first twist-off cap pouch evaluation in 2001, 91 percent of the troops consumed their beverages, but the twistoff cap was too bulky and expensive. The latest prototype has a tear-off portion just above a resealable interlocking plastic zipper on top and slight hourglass shape for easy holding. "What's very different from what you see at the grocery store is the zipper with a multilaminate foil and 3-year shelf-life requirement," Loveridge said. "It's difficult to incorporate a zipper without compromising the foil."
With four studies already showing substantial percentage increases in the number of troops using the beverage pouch, another field test is scheduled to determine how warfighter performance improves with increased hydration.
An order of 7,000 beverage pouches has been placed for two Combat Feeding developmental products - the Remote Unit Self Heated Meal and First Strike Ration. An electrolyte-based drink powder beverage pouch was approved for four varieties of the MRE menu and could be fielded as soon as September 2004. "The drink pouch is something they really need, and it's designed to add minimal cost," Milch interjected. "We hope it takes off in popularity like the miniature bottles of Tabasco sauce and flam el ess ration heater."
For more information about the Soldier Systems Center, go to http://www.natick.army.mil.
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