After years of dedicated federal policy work led by Mercy For Animals, the U.S. military is making a monumental shift in its food procurement. Starting in 2027, the military will replace the four existing vegetarian MREs (meals ready to eat) with fully plant-based options.
This policy change means that four of the 24 MRE menu options will be completely free of animal products. Mercy For Animals estimates that the U.S. military issues over 37 million MREs annually and that this shift could result in about 6.5 million plant-based MREs served each year.
What Are MREs?
When service members are in combat or other demanding situations where cooking facilities are not possible, the military provides individually packaged meals ready to eat. Each MRE contains an entrée, a side dish, snacks, beverage powder, a utensil, and accessories such as matches.
MREs are especially important because in situations where they are consumed, no other food options are usually available. This means MREs must be as nutritious as possible.
Service Members Want Plant-Based Options
Although MREs are an important resource for service members, no plant-based MREs are currently available.
That’s why Mercy For Animals led the charge on this much-needed change to military food procurement. In 2022, we conducted a survey of 226 active-duty service members and found that a whopping 81% believed the military should provide more plant-based options, and 69% said plant-based MREs should be available. Over half of those surveyed also said that, if given the option, they would choose plant-based MREs over animal-based ones.
Rallying for Reform
Mercy For Animals worked tirelessly with more than 25 dedicated volunteers connected to the military—including recruits, active-duty members, and veterans—to pressure Congress and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) of the Department of Defense (DoD).
By championing the reform in Congress, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) helped us secure critical language in the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act, passed in 2022. This language was a significant step, requiring the DLA to study service-member demand for plant-based MREs and submit a plan for offering them.
While the mandated report was not submitted by the September 2023 deadline, our foundational policy work drove the conversation forward within the DoD.
The Pentagon’s Game-Changing Announcement
On September 22, 2025, Pentagon News announced the outcome of this sustained pressure, with Julie Edwards, a senior technologist at the Combat Feeding Division and a registered dietitian, sharing some insight into the upcoming changes:
- Work is currently underway on items for MRE 47, scheduled for release sometime in 2027.
- A common request was to incorporate more plant-based items.
- The Combat Feeding Division has already developed new plant-based options for snacking, including animal crackers, a recovery bar, a protein bar, and fruit-flavored cereal.
- The four vegetarian meals now available to troops are slated to be replaced with fully plant-based options.
This is an incredible victory that will potentially spare thousands of animals suffering and cruelty at factory farms and ensure that compassionate choices are integrated into one of the world’s largest institutions.
Calling for policy change can help tackle the root causes of animal suffering. When you support our policy initiatives, you help promote lasting change that benefits farmed animals on a large scale. You can help us continue this and all our critical work by making a gift today.
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