Meal, Combat, Individual ration

The Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) was a United States military ration of canned and preserved food, issued from 1958 to 1980. It replaced the earlier C-ration, to which it was so similar to that it was often nicknamed the "C-ration", despite the term never being used officially. The MCI was eventually superseded by the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) in 1980, with retort pouches replacing the cans, contained in a cardboard box for lighter weight.