DEMACO

The largest capacity fresh pasta machine- by DEMACO

Napoleon was recognized as a master of logistics and he famously noted, "An army marches on its stomach". These modern military field rations are from the United States and Canada. These rations pack a high calorie meal in a relatively lightweight and compact pouch compared with older rations based on canned foods. At one time, about ½ of the main entrées in the U.S. Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) contained some form of pasta, such as spaghetti, macaroni, ravioli, tortellini, fettuccine or noodles. These main entrées are ready to eat without preparation, although a flameless heater is available. The reduced moisture food is in retort pouches with a minimum shelf life of 3 years. A fighting Marine typically burns over 4,200 calories a day, and a U.S. MRE has 1,200. They are packed in a sturdy cardboard box of 12, a pallet of which can be parachute delivered for resupply.

From the Pasta Museum at DEMACO.

Consolidated Macaroni Machine Corporation presses making spaghetti at the H.J. Heinz Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania circa late 1920s. The photo showed workers trimming the ends of spaghetti that was hanging on sticks loaded on a trolley. The process of giving the spaghetti a "haircut" was called "bobbing". After the spaghetti was hung on sticks, it required a trim to ensure the lengths were even.

The Heinz plant employed a unique way of transporting pasta from the press room to the drying rooms by using a suspended trolley system. Sticks holding freshly made spaghetti were placed on trollies suspended from a rail on the ceiling. The workers could easily push the trollies loaded with spaghetti to the drying rooms, where the sticks were then unloaded from the trolley and placed in the dryer.

Consolidated became DEMACO in 1952.