An Economic Analysis of Alternative Tray Pack Sizes

Abstract

In March 1989, the U.S. Army Quartermaster School requested Natick to analyze the effects of converting the current tray pack container to a 6/9 and to an 8/12 portion tray pack container. Force structures for field feeding were derived from data collected at Fort Carson, CO. Nine field feeding profiles were established from several task force level organizations, and personnel fed ranged from 480 to 928 troops at 6 to 18 field feeding sites. These profiles were matched against five tray pack modules, which showed overissue data for the various combinations. Additionally, actual food waste was recorded during a field training exercise. Also, an industry survey was conducted to estimate the economic impact of converting/retooling for the proposed tray pack sizes. These conversions were found to be cost-prohibitive. Results showed the current half steam table size, when configured for the 18-person meal module, to be the most cost-effective alternative. Keywords: Rations, Food waste, Tray packs, Economics, Containers, Field feeding, Cost analysis, Food packaging.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1990
Accession Number
ADA226962

Entities

People

  • Donald J. Billoni
  • Mark M. Davis

Organizations

  • Bentley University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Artillery
  • Containers
  • Conversion
  • Cost Analysis
  • Costs
  • Economic Analysis
  • Economic Impact
  • Engineering
  • Force Structure
  • Meals
  • Packaging
  • Standards
  • Task Forces
  • Training
  • Vegetables
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Gender and Food Studies
  • Materials Science