I'm fine with eating dried fruits and roasted nuts. I don't see why there isn't more of that type thing in military field rations. Isn't that a tried and true means to preserve food for long periods while still being nutritious and delicious?
I've used MREs quite a few times, as they used to be much cheaper in surplus stores and handy for camping. There seems to be a fundamental difference in approach between Europe and the US.
The US seems to value longevity most (10 year shelf life rings a bell, I could be mistaken), and it's reflected in the taste, with sawdust flavoured crackers etc. European ration packs are much shorter shelf life (2 or 3 years, again not certain), but are much tastier as a result. The European ones have a lot more in the way of known brands with decent tea, coffee, chocolate etc.
The French are most adventurous with things like rabbit, duck, pate, venison etc. British had the best curry and puddings. Also seemed the most generous - something like 4,000 calories a day. Lots of snacks and sweets too, I guess to bump the calorie numbers.
Probably because dried fruit and roasted nuts are both pretty expensive compared to normal rations.
Also I’m pretty sure my digestive system would be pretty unhappy if I were eating primarily nuts and dried fruit for days or weeks on end.
Re expense: They spend millions on research to develop new MREs. If "Healthy, palatable food that already exists costs too much" is a primary basis for rejecting it, something is wrong with this picture.