Yes, this is edible, and doesn't taste that bad.

Regardless of how tasty Chocolate #9 gels are, we will need to eat something else on our trek through the  desert. Options for prepackaged food are somewhat limited. There are a wide variety of backpacking meals, but these need significant amounts of water to rehydrate, and you need to have a stove to get the water hot. I’m not sure how much water we’ll have access to, but I know we won’t have a stove.

So, what does that leave? MRE’s of course. Everyone’s favorite military food is readily available at your local army navy store and comes in great flavors like beef stew, sloppy joe,  and this wonderful orange goop, otherwise known as pulled chicken with buffalo sauce. They don’t need water to reconstitute, and they come with their own chemical heaters. May not be filet mignon, but it sure beats an energy bar for dinner.