Public Servant Lifestyle

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced its plans to take on the modern four horsemen of the apocalypse - obesity, heart disease, diabetes and the cheeseburger.

MoD has joined with two of Europe's leading research organisations, to form a partnership that will examine all aspects of Defence catering, nutrition and future ration requirements. The intention is to develop menus that optimise physical and mental performance and address the growing problems in society of obesity and over reliance on junk food and their impact on military personnel's health and fitness.

Brigadier Jeff Little, Director of the Defence Catering Group, said: "The UK Armed Forces has traditionally fed its soldiers very well, but even though many are happy to regularly stock up on steak and chips, we have a duty to provide meals that combine taste with a healthy diet. This involves getting a healthy balance between fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and sugars.

"The partnership will look at all aspects of defence feeding, from ration packs to field kitchens and we hope to start introducing changes within 12 months. It's an incredible challenge, because the environments where we operate present some of the greatest challenges in the catering spectrum - they are not usually conductive to haute cuisine."

Choices

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) regularly recruits up to 18,000 people every year - and the physical fitness of these recruits, as well as of serving personnel - is an important part of preparing for military operations. As such all serving Armed Forces personnel have to pass an annual fitness test. In recent years the MoD has spent considerable effort developing meals suitable for people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. More than 20 different types of ration packs are currently available to soldiers involved in military operations, ranging from Halal to vegetarian meals.

Brigadier Little added: "While we are always seeking to improve on what we feed to servicemen and women, we have come a long way in increasing the variety of what is available. However, generating the cultural change required for a generation brought up on cheeseburgers and TV dinners will be considerably more challenging and no-one expects immediate results. However, if MoD can be seen to deliver improvements, I believe other parts of society can learn and benefit from our experience. This is why we believe this partnership is so important and worth supporting."

The Defence Catering Group is a part of the Defence Logistics Organisation - a key element of the MoD, the DLO is responsible for supporting the UK Armed Forces throughout the various stages of an operation or exercise; from training, deployment, in-theatre training and conduct of operations, through to recovery and recuperation ready for redeployment. Defence Catering Group is responsible for the quality and types of meals prepared for the UK’s Armed Forces.

PSP Ltd is not responsible for the contents of external websites.

More information available in Eating In, Healthy Alternatives, Recipe Ideas, Supermarkets, Vegetarian, Incentives & Rewards, To Your Door