Tactical Foodpack ration meals and snacks are produced in Estonia and Germany by a former Special Operations Force medic, writes Bob Morrison.
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Sverre, the founder of Tactical Foodpack and now CEO of Tactical Solutions GmbH, a company based about 15km south-west of central Düsseldorf, decided to become involved in producing freeze-dried rations meal packs while serving as a medic with Estonian Special Operations. Looking back at his time with ESTSOF he reflects: “… sharing a nutritious meal with your teammates becomes priceless. Quality food that’s easy to prepare is essential when time and equipment are limited. Freeze-dried food is perfect when all you have is hot water and a spoon.”
While covering Exercise SIIL (HEDGEHOG) 2022, my colleague Carl Schulze picked up two of the latest Estonian ration packs of which Menu 3 contained one of the Tactical Foodpack main meal pouches; see Estonian 24-Hour Individual Combat Ration Pt 3. At that time these pouches were produced in Estonia, but to serve the wider NATO market Sverre decided to also set up a food production facility in Germany, where raw ingredients are a little cheaper and easier to source than in Estonia; the Baltic nation being at the north-eastern end of a very long European supply chain.
However to continue to provide jobs in the home country, where as a bonus wages are lower than in Düsseldorf, once freeze-dried (which of course considerably reduces both bulk and weight) the contents of Tactical Foodpack pouches destined primarily for Baltic and Scandinavian customers are shipped a couple of thousand kilometres north-east to original company Tactical Solution OÜ in Viljandi, much closer to many end users, for pouch filling and packing. A lot of the research work into new products, such as Tactical Foodpack Snacks for example, is also undertaken in Estonia.
I briefly caught up with the Tactical Foodpack range last year during a quick day-trip (between medical appointments which had impacted on my travel plans) to Enforce Tac 2024 in Nuremberg, but my limited time on the ground prevented me spending much time with Sverre. This year, however, I had a full three days at the expo and although there was considerably more to see at this massively expanding defence and security trade exhibition I made sure I had sufficient time to talk with the Estonian company boss. I also came away with two main meal pouches and two of the new snacks to add to my growing ‘ration pack larder’.
With a lot on my plate (no pun intended) in March and early April it has taken me eight weeks to get around to taste-testing all my Tactical Foodpack samples and then writing up my thoughts, but rest assured that the long wait is no reflection on the food. All four packs were excellent and every bit as enjoyable as the Buckwheat Pot and Turkey I sampled back in 2022, though the Salmon Pasta with White Wine and the Spicy Chicken Curry meals are possibly a little more ‘international’ than the original dishes which I felt were aimed more at Baltic States military tastebuds.
At present there are 15 Main Meal pouches, each generating over 500kcal when reconstituted, plus three Breakfast pouches generating between 427kcal and 468kcal apiece. All Breakfasts are vegetarian, as are four Mains, with one of the former and three of the latter being vegan for those who are that way inclined. Some are also Gluten-free &/or Lactose-free. According to Tactical Solutions their freeze-dried meals: retain 97% of original vitamins and minerals; retain their original texture and structure better than dehydrated foods; only require 5-9 minutes of preparation time; and can also be prepared with cold water. To achieve best results, however, they recommend using hot water in the 70-100°C range.
When I last tried a Tactical Foodpack meal I mentioned that they gave the quantity of water required to reconstitute, but did not provide an indication on the pouch. That issue has now been resolved and fill lines are printed inside the zip-locked resealable pouch; being horizontal (with a tear-off section above the zip) these pouches do not require a long-handled spoon if you prefer having clean fingers or gloves.
The company also now produces a range of ten snacks, including energy bars, jerky, freeze-dried apple chips and freeze-dried cheeses. Yes, you read that last one correctly. I have tried both the Apple Chips and the Gouda, neither of which actually need to be reconstituted with water. The sensation when eating straight from the pouch is a little strange, but the taste is pretty good. I realise this sounds like stereotyping, but I reckon my French sister-in-law would go nuts for the cheese. Tough! I’ve eaten it all.
These Estonian / German freeze-dried pouches are not only almost certainly bound to end up in more NATO ration packs, especially SOF and Arctic packs intended for the more specialist user, but as they are now also available for direct purchase and through some specialist outlets they are increasingly appealing to expeditionists, climbers, long distance rowers and the like.
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