Hungerbuster Combo Meal Pack
Firstly a few
FAQ’s
What is an MRE?
MRE is an typically an
American abbreviation for meals ready to eat. It is usually used in a military
situation to describe their ration pack food.
Are Hungerbuster Meals freeze dried?
Rather than freeze-drying the
food it is presented ready to eat – reducing fuss and preparation time, in
exchange for an increase in weight. Having nutritious food that can be
eaten instantly without complicated preparation is a major bonus in emergency
situations.
What do I need to heat a Hungerbuster Hot Meal?
They can be eaten hot or cold;
we recommend hot for maximum taste enjoyment. Hungerbuster food is precooked
and extremely easy to prepare - heat & eat so not a lot
effort is required to prepare them.
A pot and a fire or gas cooker or a flameless
heater sleeve - it couldn't be easier. You can eat it straight out of the pack,
no dishes ... no worries.
Can I use the Hungerbuster range as a survival
pack?
Yes, the
sturdy durable nature of the packs means they can be stored in a stable
environment (below 20 deg C) for up to 3 years. They are ideal as emergency
food for any situation.
These are also the same meals
supplied to the entire New Zealand armed forces and used by 70% of the
Australian armed forces.
Is Hungerbuster suitable for long term storage?
It has a
minimum 24 month shelf life, subject to being stored in a stable environment,
not exceeding 20 deg C.
What is the pack?
The
Hungerbuster Combo Ration Pack is a complete 24 hour food pack to keep you
going easily for the whole day. The pack includes:
|
Breakfast
|
Lunch
|
Dinner – 1 of the following Main Meals
|
Other
|
|
· Muesli with milk powder
|
·
Instant Noodles
·
Crackers
·
Yeast Spread
·
Fruit Spread or Jam
|
· Beef and Vegetable
· Chicken Pasta and Vegetable
· BBQ Beef
· Pasta Salad
|
·
Instant Noodles
·
Choc Bar
·
Candy Chocolates
·
Muesli Bars
·
Fruit Grains
·
Sweetened Condensed Milk
·
Instant Coffee
·
Tea Bag
·
Sports Drink Powder
·
Chocolate Drink Powder
·
Salt
·
Sugar
|
|
Total weight
of pack = approx 1200g
Average Energy content per pack = 13,000kj
|
Now for the Review:
There are four different main meal
flavours to choose from: BBQ Beef, Beef & Vegetable, Chicken Pasta &
Vegetable and a Vegetarian Pasta Salad pack. There isn’t as much variety as the
freeze-dried products but there is something for everyone (including a vegetarian
option).
I found the variety of
products in the pack a great quality and everything tasted great. A lot of the
food included in the pack isn’t necessarily made by the brand, an example being
the plain biscuits for a morning snack with the yeast spread are branded Arnott’s Sao’s and, although not
branded, the small candy chocolates taste exactly like Nestle
Smarties.
The pack advertises the
average energy content per pack to be 13,000kjs which can seam like a lot
however if your out camping, hiking or hunting you’ll need the extra kjs to
keep your energy up. With my experience the breakfast and morning tea (muesli
bar) were just the right potions so I wasn’t starving by lunch time. The lunch
was a little ‘light’ for me but with the extra fruit grains and candy
chocolates I was pretty filled.
For dinner I tried the
Beef and Vegetable stew and apart from being delicious it was very filling when
combined with the noodles. One tip (probably very obvious to everyone but me at
the time) is when heating your main reuse your water to heat through your
noodles but make sure you drain them really well before mixing with the stew.
The stew had enough sauce/juices to make it enjoyable without the noodle juice making
it too runny.
Something to point out is
some feedback I’ve received from friends about the chocolate bar in the pack being
slightly discoloured with a white colour. Although I didn’t experience this I thought
it warranted investigation. After some google research I discovered that
the chocolate is still safe to eat. An explanation can be found here.
Overall the packs have a
great variety of products in the pack ensuring you won’t get bored halfway
through, great tasting mains and fuss free preparation. If your able to carry
the extra weight (freeze-dried packs usually weight about 800-900g) then taking
a MRE pack is definitely the way to go!
Where can I
buy and how much?
Hope for the
best, Prep for the worst!
