Betty Davis Team Leader, Performance Enhancement & Food Safety DoD Combat Feeding Directorate

1. Betty Davis Team Leader, Performance Enhancement & Food Safety DoD Combat Feeding Directorate US Army Natick RD&E Center Update on Nutritionally Optimized First Strike Ration(NOFSR) Army Technology Objective (ATO) D.SO.2005.02October 2008

2. Background & Purpose • Background: • The FSR™ is a compact, eat-on-the-move ration designed to be consumed during short-term high-intensity missions • The FSR™ substantially reduces the size and weight burden to the Warfighter with features designed to enhance consumption, nutritional intake, and mobility • Components of the FSR™ include food items that are lightweight, easy to consume, and require little or no preparation • Snacking and caffeine have individually been shown to improve physical and cognitive performance • Purpose: • To determine if NOFSR better sustained ability to make correct decisions (cognitive performance) and perform physical work during repeated days of physically-demanding, near-continuous military field operations

3. Nutritionally Optimized First Strike Ration - Menus Packaging, Component Selection Room for Nutritious Food Source Material 2 menus that meet nutrition objectives + 700 kcal + 150 g + 400 mg

4. Experimental Design • Subjects: n= 50 Marines (46 men, 4 women) • 4-day dismounted FTX • ½ platoon provided FSR™ (n=26); ½ platoon provided MRE™ (n = 24) • Food consumption calculated from food logs and food waste • Activity measured by wrist-worn actigraph • Reaction time, logical reasoning ability, and mood measured with PDA-based tests on day 1, 3, 4 and 5 of FTX

5. Marines at Quantico Marines participating in PDA and saliva tests

6. Energy Intake Mean ± sd First Strike Ration™ Group Ate More

7. Reaction Time • Reaction time performance declined • during FTX (= expected) • Trend for FSR™ to better sustain performance Mean ± se

8. 24 hr Physical Activity No difference in activity between diet groups Mean ± sd

9. Mood • Mood state worsened during FTX (= expected) • Trend for FSR™ to better sustain mood Mean ± se

10. Summary NOFSR ATO 1st Study • Data supports greater food consumption with FSR™ compared to MRE™ • There are trends supporting that FSR™ items better sustains mood and alertness compared to MRE™ however, additional testing will be needed to confirm these observations • Additional study(s) to be conducted: • To increase “n” performed in May to quantify trends • To further test the effect of NOFSR on physical performance • Target Marine Corps Basic Officer Training School for first study and unit TBD for second (if it occurs)

11. Experimental Design (2nd Study) • Subjects: n= 39 Marines (36 men, 3 women) • 4-day dismounted FTX • ½ platoon provided FSR™ (n=20); ½ platoon provided MRE™ (n = 19) • Food consumption calculated from food logs and food waste • Activity measured by wrist-worn actigraph • Reaction time, logical reasoning ability, and mood measured with PDA-based tests on day 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of FTX

12. NOFSR ATO 2nd Study Testing being conducted Orientation and food distribution

13. NOFSR ATO 2nd Study Marines during FTX

14. NOFSR ATO 2nd Study MRE™ NOFSR NOFSR and MRE™ components not consumed during 1 day Marines taking PDA test on last day • PDA based cognitive testing was performed • Implications of not eating enough was discussed during the last day

15. Summary • Both NOFSR field tests were conducted at Quantico, VA during the Marine Corps Basic Officer Training School • Data still supports greater food consumption with FSR™ compared to MRE™ • Marines consumed approximately 300 additional calories when consuming the NOFSR • Overall Marines were not eating enough • Lack of time • Didn’t really equate food to performance • Preliminary data from 2nd study supports trends suggesting that FSR™ items better sustain mood and alertness • Spiral development insertions to provide the best for our Warfighter in the field