A
retort pouch is a type of
food packaging made from a
laminate of flexible plastic and metal foils. It allows the sterile packaging of a wide variety of
food and drink handled by
aseptic processing, and is used as an alternative to traditional industrial
canning methods. Packaged foods range from
water to fully cooked, thermo-stabilized (heat-treated) high-caloric (1,300 on average)
meals such as
Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MREs) which can be eaten cold, warmed by submersing in hot water, or through the use of a
flameless ration heater, a meal component introduced by the military in 1992. Retort pouches are used in
field rations,
space food,
camping food, and brands such as
Capri Sun and
Tasty Bite.