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The April issue of Harper’s has a feature about the Prophet-approved MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) the U.S. military feeds its Muslim soldiers, prisoners, and associates (Afghan translators, Iraqi soldiers). Writer Jen Banbury draws a comparison between the difficulties of supplying whole armies with Islamically sanctioned halal rations and the general challenges of our various wars. Anything with vanilla, which contains alcohol is forbidden, as are most mass-produced bakery items, which contain a “nonessential amino acid derived from human hair,” and of course, meat must be slaughtered within very specific guidelines.
J & M has been making these MREs since the early 90s; they’re certified by Chicago’s Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America. Meals like Florentine lasagna, cheese tortellini, beef stew, lamb and barley, and chicken and black beans, have a one-year shelf life and are accompanied by products such as Nature Valley granola bars, Taster’s Choice coffee, and (in what sounds another potential case of detainee abuse), New York Style-brand bagel chips.
