Humanitarian daily ration

Humanitarian daily rations (HDRs) are food rations intended for humanitarian crises. Each is intended to serve as a single person's full daily food supply, and contain somewhat over 2,200 calories. They have shelf-lives of about 3 years, and their contents are designed to be acceptable to a variety of religious and ethnic groups.

The rations were first used in Bosnia in 1993.

The meals are designed to be able to survive being air-dropped, without a parachute. This is safer for refugees than parachuting large pallets of rations, as well as preventing meal hoarding by individuals.

The meals cost approximately one-fifth of the cost of a meal ready to eat.

HDRs are also made available through organizations such as The Salvation Army to aid victims of poverty in the United States, and were distributed during Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita to victims of the disasters by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Packaging and distribution


The HDR packages are delivered in cases of packages, each containing a small selection of food items based on predetermined menus and an accessory pack containing red pepper, pepper, salt, sugar, spoon, matches, an alcohol-free moist towelette, and a napkin.

HDRs are typically air-dropped into the disaster area on large pallets. The HDRs initially dropped in Afghanistan were yellow before it was realized that the packages were the same color as the bomblets in American cluster bombs, which were also dropped in Afghanistan. Later packages were made in an orange-pink color described as "salmon".

Typical contents

 * Main Entree, two of:
 * Lentil or Barley Stew
 * Yellow or Herb Rice
 * Red Beans and Rice
 * Beans and Rice with Tomato Sauce
 * Peas in Tomato Sauce
 * Beans with Potatoes
 * Shortbread
 * Fig bar
 * Vegetable crackers
 * Peanut Butter
 * Strawberry Jam
 * Fruit pastry (much like a Pop-tart)
 * Accessory Pack containing:
 * Book of matches (unprinted)
 * Salt, pepper and sugar packets
 * Packet of crushed red pepper
 * Moist towelette (alcohol-free)
 * Paper napkin
 * Plastic spoon

Flameless ration heaters, found in MREs, are not included.

American Humanitarian Daily Ration program in Afghanistan
On October 15, 2001, The United States announced a Humanitarian daily ration for Afghanistan.

On October 24, 2001 Rear Admiral John Stufflebeem announced fears that the Taliban planned to poison American food aid. Stufflebeem said that since the program had been started on October 7, 2001 the USA had dropped 785,000 rations.