Cold-weather field feeding: an overview.

Extremely cold environments are a challenge to military field feeding operations due to freezing and inadequate intakes of rations and water. The U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine conducted a series of three cold-weather field feeding studies to test, modify, and contribute data for the development of Cold-Weather Feeding Doctrine. Conclusions from these studies show that command emphasis is essential for ration and water storage and distribution to prevent freezing, and adequate ration and water consumption to prevent weight loss and dehydration. Since any ration mix can be configured to meet cold-weather feeding requirements, the decision of which ration to use should be based on logistical support and constraints, mission requirements, and water availability.