Army's "ready to eat" meals getting tasty makeover

American troops have been consuming MREs -- "meals ready to eat"-- in combat and training for 35 years. These MREs keep troops alive, but also have given life to some unappetizing nicknames, like "meals rejected by everyone," "meals rarely edible" and "meals rejected by the enemy."

Now, the military's top chefs hope to change that by bringing the biggest change to the menu in decades, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Albert.

From tactical maneuvering, to taking down targets and emergency rescues, members of one particular company from the Army's Old Guard are burning 3- to 4,000 calories a day during their training at Fort A.P. Hill. They are living the maxim, "An army marches on its stomach." But complaints about the food are a daily staple.

Of a scale of one to 10, one soldier rates it a "three or four."

Whipping up rations is the job of the Defense Department's Jeremy Whitsitt. But he's not just looking for a tasty recipe.

"It is all about increasing war fighter performance," said Whitsitt. "Not just trying to keep them alive. No. We want to them help them fight and we want to help them win."

In the Army's test kitchen at Natick Research Center outside Boston, his team combines the military's top culinary and scientific minds with high-tech equipment. They are creating the next generation of MREs stuffed with added nutrients, like a chocolate protein bar fortified with vitamin D and calcium -- components that help to improve bone health and reduce stress fractures.

They also designed a lemon pound cake recipe to improve muscle performance with full omega three fatty acids, which studies show also may deter the effects of traumatic brain injuries.

The Army cooks can increase the levels of vitamins and nutrients because they are changing the way the food is preserved. They have eliminated the need for sustained heat, which kills vitamins and flavor.

The test kitchen also makes sure the 36 million MREs the military buys a year make it to the troops, surviving air drops and rough handling.

A new plastic developed by Army engineers is not only lighter - reducing the soldier's load -- but helps the food last longer and taste better.

But perhaps the biggest culinary coup is the dish troops have craved for decades - pizza.

The problem lies in keeping the bread, cheese, sauce and meat together in one package for three years without spoiling.

"We have a saying around here that 'chemistry happens.' You can't just stop the chemical reactions that are taking place," Whitsitt said.

But through science, Whitsitt and his team think they've perfected the pie.

"We're able to control the water and stop it from going from the sauce into the bread by binding the molecules," he said.

Back at Army training, some soldiers got to test the new menu.

"That's actually really good. It actually tastes like a cold pizza, like a typical pizza from the night before," said Pvt. Bryce Keller. "This is delicious. I like this a lot," he said, thanking the scientists who had worked on developing the menu for 20 years.

The pizza delivery is scheduled for 2017. They're also tailoring MREs to different parts of the world and the way our soldiers are going to fight in the future. If the next war is in the Pacific or in the Arctic, they will have meals ready for those climates.