Beef Jerky: $639,884
A Pentagon project dedicated to testing technology from our allies in order "to improve the U.S. warfighter's capabilities" is using a process developed in France to develop a new form of beef jerky that resembles a Fruit Roll-Up. "The Pentagon could have simply purchased meat snacks from the numerous companies already producing these popular treats rather than creating its own brand of jerky," Coburn's report says. The Pentagon isn't alone, though: The Department of Agriculture gave a $283,884 grant to the Sunburst Trout Farms, which produces trout jerky and other fishy products, to help expand the market for those foods.
