A self-heating meal provides an independent heat source to a food ration so it can be heated for the end user to enjoy a hot meal anytime, anyplace. The ability to heat without the need for electricity, gas or naked flame defines the meal as ‘self-heating’. Since 1994 our HeaterMeals® product lines have combined Luxfer Magtech’s patented ‘flameless heating technology’ with nutritious meals to create the original self-heating meal kits for the general public.
What are MRE meals?
The early self-heating meal came in the form of the military MRE or ‘Meal, Ready to Eat’™. This was a food ration pack containing an entrée and nutritious fruit and snacks and all that a soldier would need to sustain them for a given length of time (usually a 12-hour MRE ration pack or a 24-hour MRE ration pack). MREs are compact and can be carried easily in the field. The self-heating capability came with the onset of our company’s Flameless Ration Heater, or the FRH. In the early 1990’s Luxfer Magtech worked with the US military to design a portable and independent heat source to heat MREs in the field, quickly and effectively. The end product was the Flameless Ration Heater (FRH), which was a lightweight heater bag that the soldier could use to heat their ration within 12 minutes of the FRH being activated. The FRH subsequently became a standard piece of equipment contained within every US military MRE.
How does a self-heating meal work? Or really, how does a flameless ration heater work?
Our self-heating technology is based on the exothermic reaction going on in the flameless ration heater. The user will open up their heater bag, place the food pouch or tray inside and add water (or the supplied saline solution pouch for a HeaterMeals® kit) to start the heating process. The magnesium/iron alloy in the heater pad reacts with the activation fluid to create an exothermic reaction that will emit heat onto the food ration and change the temperature + 100f, from its starting ambient temperature. In 10-12 minutes, you will then have a hot meal without any electric power, a microwave or the need to start a fire.
What is shelf stable food?
An added advantage of our HeaterMeals® self-heating food kit product lines is their extended shelf life (or being ‘shelf stable’). The meal kits are available with shelf lives ranging from 1 year for HeaterMeals Plus and up to 5 years for the HeaterMeals® EX and Ex Plus meal kits. The extended shelf lives of HeaterMeals EX and HeaterMeals EX Plus therefore make them a great fit for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief. Luxfer Magtech also offers Vendor Managed Inventory at a low cost for customers who don’t have the warehouse space for large quantities of meals but would need them immediately in case of an emergency.
Where can I buy an MRE, ration packs or self-heating meals?
We of course have self-heating meal kits for sale through our HeaterMeals® website @ www.heatermeals.com. For more detailed information on our HeaterMeals® product lines, including data sheets on all our food and beverage products, please visit our corporate website @ https://luxfermagtech.com/products/food-beverage/
For HeaterMeals® wholesale or govt. pricing please contact :
Erin Lee – 513-772-3267
GSA Contract #: GS-07F-5473R