Military Donates Leftover Ration Packs To Provide More Than 170,000 Charity Meals

Thousands of unused military ration packs are being donated to charity to provide more than 170,000 meals.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has been left with surplus food as a result of a reduction in training and exercises amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The packs will be given to FareShare, which donates food to more than 11,000 charities around the UK, including community groups, hostels for the homeless and lunch groups for older people.

According to the MOD, its procurement arm, Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), made the decision to distribute the 57,000 24-hour ration packs from storage.

Each one contains three meals and some snacks, totalling 4,000 calories a day.

Some of the cuisine on offer includes spaghetti meatballs, lamb rogan josh, Indonesian-style pork and Moroccan bean stew.

Sticky toffee, and chocolate, puddings are among the desserts, while Mexican sweet chilli peanuts, caramel cereal bars and fruit flapjacks are included in the snack options.

DE&S Director Logistic Delivery, Roger West, said: "The coronavirus pandemic has affected so much this year for everyone and for our Armed Forces this has included a reduction in training where these ration packs would have been eaten. 

"I’m delighted that we are able to find a way, through our relationship with FareShare, to see these meals being consumed by those that need them the most before their best before date."

It is the second time ration packs have been donated by the MOD.

In January, DE&S distributed 210 10-troop Operational Ration packs - amounting to 14,000 meals - to FareShare.

FareShare’s CEO Lindsay Boswell said: "We’re delighted to continue to be partnered with MOD to help them get their surplus food to good causes.

"Because these packs don’t need refrigeration, they are ideal for winter night shelters where volunteers need to make food quickly or to offer to families in temporary accommodation who might only have access to a kettle or a hob."

The MOD said the donation is part of its intention to reduce levels of unnecessary waste in an environmentally sustainable way.

Cover image: Royal Navy.