Pop Tarts – Breakfast Treat And Military Tool

What popped into your head this morning for what to have for breakfast? Was it a Pop-Tart? Well, those rectangular breakfast pastries aren’t just for eating when you arise. The military has cleverly put Pop-Tarts to use to negotiate with pirates, provide humanitarian relief, and keep troops energized. Plenty of interesting information pops up when you delve into the delicious treats.

What’s A Pop-Tart

Does anyone NOT know what a Pop-Tart is? (Please come out from under your rock if you are clueless about this product.) Basically, Pop-Tarts are a shelf-stable toaster pastry. Two layers of thin, rectangular pastry crust hold a sweet filling inside. Although not originally frosted, some current varieties of Pop-Tarts do offer a frosted top.

The pastries are wrapped in foil packets, and, since pre-cooked, may be eaten immediately upon opening. However, if desired, they may be heated in a toaster or microwave (PSA: Don’t microwave Pop-Tarts IN the foil packets unless you want to share breakfast with firefighters.)

As of 2024, over twenty standard Pop-Tart flavors exist. But limited edition and seasonal flavors are also produced. For example, Red, White, and Blueberry Pop-Tarts arrive in the summer to help celebrate July 4th. (What could be more American than a breakfast food in a red crust with a blue filling covered by white icing?)

Pop-Tarts First Pop Up

Pop-Tarts first hit the grocery stores in 1964. They were an immediate hit with the first shipment selling out in two weeks’ time. The grocery shelves meant to hold them stood empty as a tribute to their instantaneous popularity. (Raises visions in my mind of shelves devoid of TP during the early days of the pandemic.)

William “Bill” Post (no affiliation with the cereal company) created the pastry in a mere four months. Kellogg’s hired the former Keebler employee to take on this task as it rushed to beat rival Post. The latter company had been working to develop a product called Country Squares. In a nod to Andy Warhol’s trendy pop art movement, Kellogg’s named its new creation Pop-Tarts with a clever word play.

Sixty Year Later

Fast forward six decades. Pop-Tarts are still around and are as popular as ever. Kellanova, a Kellogg’s spinoff, now sells the the breakfast food, producing over three billion (that’s billion with a “B”) each year. The company racked up $985 million in sales in 2023.

Not Just On The Breakfast Table

Although initially envisioned as a food consumers would eat at the breakfast table, the Pop-Tart has now left the house. In fact, they may be found and eaten outdoors. Specifically, US troops can receive the treat in what they call MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat). These rations offer Pop-Tarts in one of two flavors–brown sugar cinnamon or chocolate chip. Some military members claim the Pop-Tarts in the MRE’s taste better than store-bought ones.

Pop-Tarts make everyone happy. The troops get a familiar and delicious treat. (And they probably don’t get that often out in the field!) Their military superiors are satisfied a quick source of carbohydrates has been provided giving their team a temporary energy boost during activities.

Interestingly, Bill Post, the creator of the Pop-Tart, was in the Army Air Force. He served with occupation forces in Japan after World War II. Who know what he ate while in a strange and war-torn land. Perhaps those memories helped inspire him to come up with Pop-Tarts.

Putting Pop-Tarts To Work

Despite the crack about military intelligence being an oxymoron, service members have devised smart ways to use Pop-Tarts to their advantage. They’ve thought outside the Pop-Tart box to utilize them, not as weapons, but for persuasive tactics and humanitarian relief.

Back in 2009, the US Navy lured a Somali pirate on board the USS Bainbridge. And what did they lure him with? The offer of a chocolate Pop-Tart. (I could find no information as to whether the sailors toasted it for him.) The pirates held merchant mariner Capt. Richard Phillips hostage (as in the Captain Phillips Tom Hanks portrayed in the movie of the same name). A standoff ensued, and negotiations for Phillips’ release did not commence until the pirate came aboard the Navy vessel. Success! Pop-Tarts save the day!

Pop-Tarts assisted on a grander scale In Afghanistan. An initial bombing campaign by the US began on October 7, 2001. For months thereafter, American aircraft air dropped millions of yellow-colored food packets for humanitarian daily rations. Included in those packets were, you guessed it, Pop-Tarts. A total of 2.4 million ready to eat and shelf-stable Pop-Tarts were delivered to food-deprived Afghans through these air drops. The pastries helped with hunger relief and showed the recipients Americans were their friends. (But we were NOT friends with the Taliban who got NO Pop-Tarts from us.)

What’s Next For Pop-Tarts?

The next place Pop-Tarts will be found may surprise you. Would you like to watch them on Netflix? Comedian Jerry Seinfeld has written, produced, and starred in a movie called “Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story.” (I’ll be he also ate Pop-Tarts in addition to his writing, producing, and acting.) This production is history adults and kids may find enjoyable. Viewers might even eat Pop-Tarts instead of popcorn while watching the movie which comes out May 3d.

Lasting Legacy

Sadly, Bill Post died on February 10, 2024. But he lived for years to see the popularity of the pastry product he created. Certainly he was also pleased others acted creatively to use his Pop-Tarts to do good. Whether folks enjoy them out of the toaster at the breakfast table, get energy from them while in the field, distribute them to stave off starvation, use them as a negotiation tool, or provide them as a friendly gesture, Pop-Tarts are a positive creation for which we are indebted to Mr. Post.

WONDER-ing Woman:

Do you eat Pop-Tarts now or did you as a kid? Are you surprised something like Pop-Tarts is included in humanitarian aid packets? How are Pop-Tarts best eaten–straight from the box? Frozen? Microwaved? Toasted?