Does the Army and/or DoD have a responsibility to provide special food/menus for dietary restrictions or preferences?

CW5 Russell D Campbell — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 20:32:46 -0400

Such as vegan and gluten free?

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 20 at 2014 8:54 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 20:54:28 -0400

Chief, I am assuming you are asking not to hear the AR repeated that you probably know like the back of your hand, but philosophically...should the Army be catering to "special" diets that are fads or lifestyle choices (as severe allergies to common food items tend to be disqualifying).

No, I do not think that the military should have a responsibility to provide gluten-free, lactose-free, "cruelty"-free, carb-free, sugar-free, etc meal options. I include demanding that your food be cooked separately in this same category.

As a vegetarian Jew, it was always up to me to figure it out, even though technically, by regs, my meals should have been provided (I personally felt that the reg covered the issues as independent - I disagree it can be extrapolated to mean I should be provided vegetarian Kosher meals). I ate grilled cheese sandwiches made on the same grill as hamburgers. I ate plain (flavorless) egg noodles as my entire meal many, many times. I took the duty of unloading MRE boxes so that I could be sure to get a vegetarian meal (and not that inedible veggie burger), which by the way are some of the most popular meals...maybe there's a lesson learned there: people would rather have no meat, than disgusting meat.

I recognize that my lifestyle choice of being vegetarian is a first-world problem where we can choose to turn our noses up at food. When you make a choice like that, it's up to you to maintain it. Don't expect the world to bend to your needs just because you recently discovered Buddha, Dr. Oz, or P-90X.

Response by SSG Ed Mikus made Jul 20 at 2014 9:04 PM

SSG Ed Mikus — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 21:04:03 -0400

Chief,
I do not believe the Army should cater to people for their own choices, i have however had soldiers put on special diets by their doctors, the commander submitted a memo to the chow hall and they provided him special meals for they duration of the diet.
For temporary medical reasons i think the Army should help if possible, for personal reasons the Army should not.

Response by SGT Steven Eugene Kuhn MBA made Feb 7 at 2015 7:17 AM

SGT Steven Eugene Kuhn MBA — Sat, 07 Feb 2015 07:17:31 -0500

Is the Army an Airline? They even get it wrong most of the time and we pay for that. I do not see the point of being catered to; what happens in battle? In the Sandbox? A separate MRE ofr each person who is on a diet; Vegan, Vegetarian, Paleo, low carb and so on? ... No.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jul 12 at 2015 7:58 PM

PO1 John Miller — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 19:58:08 -0400

Chief I did find the following website (take it for what it's worth since it's not a *.mil site) that addresses dietary needs of Jewish and Muslim military members:
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/kosher/kosher_soldiers.php3

Military buys special meals for Jewish, Muslim troops

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Response by SPC George Rudenko made Jul 12 at 2015 8:34 PM

SPC George Rudenko — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 20:34:28 -0400

Only if there is a diagnosed illness/disease/injury. If not, go spend your own money lol

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Jul 17 at 2015 9:09 PM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 21:09:56 -0400

I have a simple and easy fix if the SM is in garrison and is AD. Give the SM BAS and they are on their own. It will be their responsibility. When it comes to food preparation in the food, cooks might have the ability not to have cross contamination with certain red meats with other red meats and with other non meats like veggies. It could work,

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Feb 22 at 2018 3:48 PM

SGM Bill Frazer — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 15:48:50 -0500

preferences do not matter- that is a like, not a restriction nor religious thing. And I have seen meals to include MRE's that meet religious concerns.