Military should be given MREs for free , on demand.
MREs cost a fortune, civilian food is cheaper.
I don’t know how much French Army rations cost but the ones from the 80s included pate, Cognac, and a full 20 pack of smokes.
By the way, the food stamp situation is for married GIs and families which means a whole lot of MREs per day per household and expecting young wives and kids to eat them.
I have never been able to firmly pin down the cost to the military of an MRE except that they do cost more than the cooked food for feeding troops.
This is the pricing I see at the Defense Logistics Agency—a case of 12 for $189.30 which is for 4 GIs for one day.
https://www.dla.mil/Troop-Support/Subsistence/Operational-rations/