Food ration bar

A food ration bar (also known as emergency food bar or compressed food bar) is a type of biscuit generally included in emergency rations and compact field rations. A cross between a hardtack and an energy bar, these shelf-stable products provide a high caloric density and are generally made of grain flour, sugar, and vegetable oil.

Food ration bars may be consumed directly or broken up and mixed with water for a porridge. The composition depends on usage: humanitarian versions place a focus on protein content and nutrition fortification,[1] while naval products place the emphasis on it being non-thirst-provoking.[2]

Some example ration bars are:

• High energy biscuit, a World Food Program standard product for humanitarian use (not to be confused with the generic term)[3]
• A-28 (rice) and A-29 (wheat), two USDA humanitarian standard products[4]
• BP-5 Compact Food, fortified[1]
• Datrex, for lifeboat use[2]

Food bar standards are issued by maritime agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard[2] and humanitarian agencies such as the World Food Program,[3] each for their respective use cases.

Food ration bars under the name of 压缩干粮 "compact dry food" are a core part of the Military food of the Chinese People's Liberation Army for field and emergency use.[5]