How Much Biltong to Send in a Care Package for Israeli Soldiers
For one soldier, send about 6 to 12 ounces of biltong in sealed single-serve bags, mixed with other food that needs nothing. For a unit, work from roughly one small bag per soldier per day for the stretch you are covering. This guide explains how those numbers are worked out, which formats survive the trip, and the mistakes that waste a package.
Why biltong suits a soldier's care package
- No refrigeration. Sealed with an oxygen absorber, it keeps three to six months without a fridge.
- No preparation. Open and eat, in a vehicle, a tent or a guard post.
- Real protein. Around 36 g in a 3 oz bag of Original. It is food, not a treat.
- Light for what it gives. Dried meat carries a lot of nutrition per ounce, which matters when postage is by weight.
- Kosher. Every bag is certified Glatt Kosher, which matters for units where it matters, and it is meat, so it cannot go into a dairy package.
How much to send
The anchor that works: one 1 oz mini per soldier per day is a real snack without crowding out meals. Scale from there.
| Who it is for | How much | Best format |
|---|---|---|
| One soldier, a thank-you | 3–6 oz | A sampler or a few minis |
| One soldier, a package meant to last a couple of weeks | 8–16 oz | Minis, mixed flavors |
| A squad of 8–10 for a week | About 3.5–4.5 lb | Minis, so nothing is opened and left |
| A platoon of 30 for a week | About 13 lb | Minis in quantity: talk to us directly |
The squad figure is simply eight to ten soldiers, one ounce each, for seven days. If the package is one of several items, half those amounts is fine. If biltong is the main thing you are sending, the full amount is right.
Minis, not big bags
This is the single most useful decision. A 1 oz mini is finished in one sitting, fits in a uniform pocket, and never sits half-open in the heat. A 3 oz bag is fine for one person at a base. A pound bag, however good the value, is wrong for a soldier: once it is opened, the clock starts, and nobody in the field has a way to reseal it properly.
Which flavors
Send a mix. Original is the one almost everyone likes. Loaded Garlic is savory and not hot. Peri Peri has real heat and is a favorite with some and too much for others. With a group you have never met, roughly half Original and the rest split between the other two is a safe spread.
Getting it there
We ship within the US only, so a package reaches Israel through someone else: an organization, a program, or a person flying over. Before you buy, confirm three things:
- How the package reaches the soldier. Many families and communities do not post directly to a unit. They send through an organization that collects in the US or in Israel and delivers in bulk. Ask that organization what they accept, and in what packaging.
- Current import rules for meat. Rules change. Check with the organization or the shipping carrier before ordering, not after.
- Kashrut requirements. Some units and organizations specify which certifications they accept. Ask, then check our certificates against their list.
Mistakes that waste a care package
- Repacking into your own containers. You lose the seal and the oxygen absorber, which is the whole preservation system.
- Sending one flavor in bulk. Nobody wants the same thing every day for a month.
- Packing it next to anything that leaks or smells strongly. Dried meat takes on odors through a damaged bag.
- Sending three small packages instead of one larger one. Every shipment is a delay and a customs event.
- Mixing meat and dairy in one package for a recipient who keeps kosher. Pack them separately or choose one.
Sending on behalf of a group
If you are collecting for a synagogue, school or community rather than one family, the quantities get large quickly and ordering through a retail cart becomes awkward. Contact us with the number of soldiers and the date you need it by, and we can plan a batch around it.
Try it: Kosher Jerky Care Package Planner. Enter how many people and how long; get the number of minis.
