When it comes to feeding soldiers, it’s not just the food supply chain that’s important: The military must also address issues up the chain of command to ensure soldiers are getting the nutrition they need, government auditors argue in a new report.
The Defense Department is working to improve nutritious options in military dining halls to keep troops strong and healthy, but gaps remain limiting officials’ ability to manage nutrition programs and evaluate their effectiveness, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Monday.
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“Poor health and nutrition are major issues that threaten police forces’ ability to recruit and retain healthy and fit personnel,” the report said.
Effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation of nutrition programs on military bases requires clear guidance from the top, developed by a congressionally mandated committee, the auditors wrote. The Pentagon has not yet established that committee.
The inspectors also urged military officials to improve food labeling as well as expand healthy options on bases.
Pentagon officials had not commented on the report’s recommendations prior to its release and did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Military Times.
The US military operates more than 400 dining halls around the world, most of which are Army-owned, but soldiers have long complained about a lack of healthy food options on bases, with limited opening hours, food servers serving too little and few protein sources for soldiers at the back of the line.
To help soldiers find the healthiest options in military cafeterias, the military has launched a color-coded nutrition labeling program in the Marine Corps called “Go For Green,” or “Fueled to Fight.”
The green, yellow and red labels indicate the percentage of saturated fat, total fat, fiber and sugar contained in certain foods, as well as how they are processed and prepared. Green means “frequently eaten,” yellow means “occasionally eaten,” and red means “rarely eaten.”
But auditors found that some facilities have not fully implemented the labeling program. In addition to color-coding foods, bases are required to follow placement and advertising guidelines, such as putting “green” foods at the top of the lunch line, adhering to minimum and maximum numbers of “green” and “red” foods, and hiring a certain number of employees trained in the program.
GAO inspectors recommended requiring the Service to develop guidance on the steps dining establishments should take to incorporate each required element into their nutrition labeling programs.
Auditors said stronger guidance could ensure that the food on soldiers’ tables meets minimum nutritional standards and labeling program requirements and help soldiers make informed decisions about their diets.
The auditors argued that the inconsistencies could lead to “suboptimal food choices and confusion among service members and distrust in the labeling program.”
Soldiers who participated in four of the five discussion groups run by GAO said they didn’t believe nutrition labels were accurate and that they ignored them when making food choices, according to the report.
The Defense Department has pledged to create a congressionally mandated “Leadership Cell for Food Transformation” by September 2022, but that team has yet to materialize.
Military health officials told GAO that they have drafted a charter for a “Defense Food and Nutrition Board” tasked with developing policies and procedures to reform the military’s food enterprise.
But disagreements over who should lead the committee have prevented it from starting its work.
The undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment was initially proposed to co-chair the committee, but that plan fell through when acquisition officials worried the committee would duplicate an existing Pentagon nutrition committee, the GAO wrote. Meanwhile, Pentagon health officials argued the committee had “insufficient expertise and influence” on military food activities, the report said.
But the committee’s delays “have hindered important oversight of food processing efforts,” the auditors said. They recommended the secretary of defense clarify or adjust the responsibilities of the committee’s leadership.
While the military and DoD collect feedback on the meals offered at military installations, GAO suggested a stronger set of goals and performance indicators would help track whether those options are providing soldiers with a balanced diet.
Another major obstacle to healthy eating on base is the array of other facilities, such as officers’ clubs, bowling alleys, snack bars and commercial restaurants, that aren’t held to the same nutritional standards as taxpayer-funded dining halls and that have longer hours of operation. These facilities make up at least three-quarters of food vendors on bases, according to the Department of Defense.
For example, the report found that one large base had 47 retail dining establishments that were open from 5 a.m. to late night, but only 14 military dining facilities, most of which closed by 6 p.m.
Restaurant chains with at least 20 locations and other businesses must publish calorie data on their menus, but that’s not enough, the GAO said.
The auditors recommended that military health officials and the future Defense Food and Nutrition Board develop a strategy to increase healthy options at retail stores and more clearly define their role in providing nutritious foods on military installations.
Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book, “Strategies for Supporting Military Families.” She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla. and Athens, Ga.
