| abstract | - Food is one of the basic necessities of life, along with air and water; when weight and encumbrance is an issue, concentrated Survival Rations are the solution, allowing for a full day's nutrition to be carried in a pocket. In the Frontier Sector, there are several types of survival rations, ranging from the ultra-basic survival pills dispensed by spacesuit helmets to full-blown MRE's which include water, full meals and even heating elements. The most common versions encountered are Basic Survival Rations (Also known as "Basic Ration Bars") and the Standard Survival Rations available only in four-day packs. A Basic Survival Rations Packet contains enough concentrated food and water purification tablets for one person for one day, at a cost of 1 Cr per day. These packets usually take the form of bars or pellets and are commonly sold individually or in five-packet packages. Each packet includes one water purification tablet (sometimes called a Soames, after the chemist who invented the tablet), scored so that it can be divided into quarters; each quarter capable of purifying one liter of water. A Standard Survival Rations Package comes in a small box containing four airtight, foil-wrapped packets; each packet contains a food concentrate that looks like crumbly dust. When water is added, the dust quickly becomes a delicious meal of protein and vitamin-packed mush. One packet will feed one person for one day. The powder includes water purification chemicals, making separate Soames tablets unnecessary. Each package of four packets costs 2 Cr, making these more economical than basic bars, but the need for a separate water source and spoon (the packet itself serves as a disposable bowl) makes them less convenient for many.
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