Waste of the Day: Beef Jerky Researched
Topline: The military’s Foreign Comparative Testing program has partnered with other nations to create new body armor, rockets, ammunition and, in 2012, chipotle-flavored beef jerky.
Pentagon officials spent $1.5 million meant “to improve the U.S. warfighter’s capabilities” on researching a “meat roll-up” for use as a “savory snack.” The money would be worth $2.2 million today.
That’s according to the “Wastebook” reporting published by the late U.S. Senator Dr. Tom Coburn. For years, these reports shined a white-hot spotlight on federal frauds and taxpayer abuses.
Coburn, the legendary U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, earned the nickname "Dr. No" by stopping thousands of pork-barrel projects using the Senate rules. Projects that he couldn't stop, Coburn included in his oversight reports.
Coburn's Wastebook 2012 included 100 examples of outrageous spending worth more than $18 billion, including research into meat snacks.
Key facts: The Foreign Comparative Testing program began in 1989 to see if military technology in use by America’s allies could be useful for U.S. troops. It had never been used for anything unrelated to combat until 2012, when the military gave a South Carolina-based food scientist cash to replicate a meat dehydration process from France.
The extra-thin beef slices were meant to look like a Fruit Roll-Up, and would be healthier and cheaper than ordinary jerky. They were placed on a conveyor belt and pressed onto a thin sheet of parchment paper so they could be used in sandwiches.
Potential flavors included salami, chipotle, turkey, pork and smoked ham.
The grant was awarded shortly after the Budget Control Act of 2011 required the military to reduce spending in other areas like training for new recruits and maintenance on aging equipment.
The jerky was still in development as of 2015. Open the Books was unable to find any indication the jerky product was ever used by the military, though the possibility does exist.
There is also no indication the Foreign Comparative Testing was ever used on food again.
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Summary: Everyone gets a little peckish sometimes, but there are better ways to explore new food options than using funds meant to improve national security.
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