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A flameless ration heater (FRH), colloquially an MRE heater, is a type of self-heating meals packaging included in U.S. The heater is a plastic bag stuffed with magnesium and iron powders and table salt. When a meal pouch is placed in the bag and water is added, an exothermic reaction happens which rapidly boils the water to heat the meals. Before the development of the FRH, service members heated their meals by boiling the meals pouches in a canteen cup heated over a lit Sterno gel or portable stove. 5 This was sluggish, especially in chilly weather, and was made more difficult in windy or wet conditions. It additionally produced a visible flame that was undesirable at night. 2 Sometimes they heated the pouches by placing them on a sizzling vehicle's engine block or exhaust manifold. Because of these issues, service members steadily ate their meals chilly either as a result of a scarcity of a winter heating solution source, an absence of time, or each.