The Pentagon said it still has hurdles to overcome as it seeks to improve on-base food options and quality for service members despite ongoing efforts to change that highlighted in a report released Wednesday, according to Military.com.
Recent Department of Defense (DOD) data show that soldiers and sailors have struggled to get enough to eat on base, infrequently utilize the on-base dining options and often feel food insecure, the report stated. Scathing testimonies of failed inspections, raw chicken and inconvenient opening hours at on-base cafeterias were highlighted in government watchdog reports and an app one Army veteran created recently for people to rate the quality of barracks and facilities, as officials note they are still a long way from solving the problems according to Military.com.
Each of the services has taken steps to improve food availability and quality and are running pilot programs to increase access and awareness to food options, according to the Wednesday report. The Army is adding mini-markets and food trucks or kiosks at other locations across bases, according to the Wednesday report. Meanwhile ,the Marine Corps and Navy are working on tracking how often sailors and Marines use their food cards. (RELATED: Raising Pay Can’t Fix Military Recruiting, But It Would Help, Experts Say)
Officials said the agency has only just begun collecting the information it needs to address troops lacking the time, money or awareness of food options on bases throughout the U.S., Military.com reported.
Making food more available to servicemember is “something the services are leaned into very heavily,” a senior DOD official told Military.com on Wednesday.
“They have been doing a lot of work trying to make sure that the way service members, the single service members, who live on the installations, in the barracks, have access to food,” the official said.
In 2022, the Pentagon found that low food security increased from 14% to 21% and very low food security increased from 10% to 20%, the official told Military.com on condition of anonymity to discuss the report.
On OCT 30th, the @FortJackson team opened the doors for the new Victory Fresh initiative! In partnership with @RobertIrvine Victory Fresh offers healthier meal options for service members, civilians, and guests who may be short on time.@USArmy@TRADOChttps://t.co/FHG9VsHUHs
— U.S. Army CIMT (@USACIMT) November 6, 2023
Low food security means a family’s financial limitations reduce the quality and variance of food in household diets, while very low food security implies skipped meals and inability to buy enough food, according to USDA definitions.
However, the data is not recent enough to measure the impact of Congressionally-enacted pay raises, the addition of a Basic Needs Allowance for military members with dependents who fall below 130% of the poverty line.
“Among single enlisted service members living on base, those who are food insecure were less likely to eat in the dining facilities than food secure members,” the defense official told Military.com. Most of the single enlisted respondents said they avoided on-base dining options due to “not liking the food or bringing food from or eating at the residence.”
Escaped raw chicken in the DFAC only to get a raw burger at @McDonalds. Everything comes full circle. pic.twitter.com/bMlYWvpkhG
— Happy Captain (@EODHappyCaptain) January 22, 2023
A recent Navy report found that some sailors faced such long commutes to and from the shipyard where they worked they had little time to eat or sleep, according to Military.com. Other sailors living on a barracks in an industrial area near the shipyard had few options nearby.
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