The B ration (or Type B Ration) was a type of field ration used in the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

. Field rations such as the

A ration A-ration is a term used in the United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Forc ...

, B ration, and emergency rations consisted of food items issued to troops operating in the field.Ration Breakdown Point Operations. (1967). United States: Department of the Army. pp. 3–4 Like the A ration, the B ration required the use of trained cooks and a field kitchen for preparation. However it consisted entirely of semi-perishable foods (i.e. canned and

dehydrated food Food drying is a method of food preservation in which food is dried (dehydrated or desiccated). Drying inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mold through the removal of water. Dehydration has been used widely for this purpose since a ...

) and so did not require refrigeration equipment.Combat Field Feeding System (CFFS). (1986). United States: U.S. Army Quartermaster School. pp. 23–25Not Eating Enough: Overcoming Underconsumption of Military Operational Rations. (1995). United States: National Academies Press. pp. 7–8 As of 1982, the B ration consisted of approximately 100 items which were issued in bulk and packaged in cans, cartons, pouches and other packing material. An individual ration had a gross weight of 3.639 pounds, measured .1173 cubic feet and could supply approximately 4,000

calorie The calorie is a unit of energy. For historical reasons, two main definitions of "calorie" are in wide use. The large calorie, food calorie, or kilogram calorie was originally defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of on ...

s. B rations were organized into a ten-day menu cycle which ensured a variety of different meals each day and could be altered as the service needed. The advantage of the B ration was that it provided balanced nutrition in all climates and individual components could be easily substituted with fresh foods when they became available, a practice highly encouraged to avoid food monotony. However the meals could not be made without trained cooks and required significant investment. Preparing a meal for 100 personnel using B rations required two to three hours for two cooks to prepare (plus additional personnel to help with serving and clean-up) and on average 75 gallons of potable water. UGR-Express

By 1995, the B ration had remained largely unchanged since the 1970s and so a modernization program was underway to increase quality and decrease cost. However, in an effort to simplify logistics and ensure all necessary ingredients were provided, a new concept known as the Unitized Group Ration (UGR) was created. Developed by the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center in conjunction with the U.S. Quartermaster Center and School, the UGR combines the A ration (minus the perishable items), B ration,

T ration T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is deri ...

and additional brand-name items into a unified system. The UGR-B has several different varieties, including a tray-based heat and serve (T-rat) form, heated by hot water immersion when a field kitchen is not available, or the express form, with a self-heating module and disposable accessories.UGR-E factsheet

References

{{USmilitaryrations Military food of the United States