Meals, Religious, Ready-To-Eat, Halal for the Yazidi?
Via National Journal
By now, we’ve seen images and video of U.S. aircraft delivering food aid to Yazidi refugees trapped on a mountain in northern Iraq, providing relief to the men, women, and children who have run out of food and water there. But what do these hungry refugees see when then they open the packages falling from the sky?
The boxes contain “Meals, Religious, Ready-To-Eat, Halal,” which are made up of an entree and sides, seasonings, and condiments, all Halal-certified, according to a Defense Department spokesman. Halal food is religiously acceptable for Muslims to eat, as defined by the Quran. Yazidis are not Muslims—they have many of their own dietary restrictions, including pork (which is also forbidden for Muslims), fish, and certain vegetables—but none of the menu items appears to include ingredients forbidden for Yazidis.
True to their name, each package requires little to no preparation before eating. Everything can be eaten cold, or can be warmed with the accompanying “flameless ration heater,” a small pouch that heats up when water is added. Each meal even comes with a napkin.
The meals also conform to strict nutritional requirements: each provides at least 1,200 calories and is made up of 11 percent to 13 percent protein, is not more than 35 percent fat, and is not less than 48 percent carbohydrates.