• FORT HOOD, Texas
The Army is currently conducting a limited-user assessment test for the Flexible Eating and Expanded Dining (FEED) initiative.
The program, being held here from Aug. 11-Aug. 25, is intended to give Soldiers more options with their meal entitlements.
FEED will allow Soldiers to use their meal entitlements outside of traditional Army-operated dining facilities for the first time.
During the pilot, 200 Soldiers from the 61st Quartermaster Battalion can swipe their Common Access Card (CAC) at select Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) vendors.
SOLDIER FEEDBACK
The Army is listening to Soldier feedback and is committed to meeting Soldiers where they are in today’s world, said Army Materiel Command Deputy Commanding General and Acting Commander Lt. Gen. Chris Mohan, who is responsible for the Army Food Program.
“We’ve expected Soldiers in barracks to follow the same eating patterns that we have maintained for decades,” Mohan said, noting that Soldiers today have expressed they want flexibility, including the option to eat later than dining facilities are traditionally open.
“We’ve expected Soldiers to figure it out,” he said. “We were swinging behind the pitch and failing them. We are on the cusp of totally changing that.”
CAMPUS-STYLE DINING
FEED is one of several initiatives in support of a campus-style dining environment, where the entire installation is the campus.
It supplements other expanded options in installation dining, including grab-and-go kiosks, food trucks and bistros; a growing meal prep program; and a campus-style dining venue pilot that will transform the traditional dining facility (DFAC) model.
While the Army wants Soldiers eating in dining facility-style venues where they also build camaraderie, Mohan said he recognizes that sometimes Soldiers will want other choices. The Army can’t expect Soldiers to eat in DFACs three times a day, seven days a week.
THE TEST
That’s where FEED comes in. During the pilot, Soldiers can choose from special menus with items approved by foodservice experts and dietitians at Freshens, Qdoba, Burger King and Starbucks at the T.J. Mills Food Court, as well as Subway and Starbucks at the Clear Creek Exchange.
The menus were also formed based on affordability in accordance with the set meal entitlement ranges.
Soldiers participating in the test are able to purchase multiple meal types — breakfast, lunch and dinner — in a single visit, using separate transactions for each. They can swipe their CAC once per meal type.
While the assessment is primarily to test system functionality, it will also provide a snapshot into Soldier preferences, said Rick Bennett, senior logistics management specialist in AMC’s Army Food Innovation and Transformation Division.
“It’s about accessibility,” he noted. “If a Soldier can’t make it to a dining facility, that Soldier now has somewhere to go to get a meal without forfeiting their entitlements.”
Throughout the test, representatives from AMC, AAFES, the unit’s Human Resources representatives and other stakeholders will be on-site to troubleshoot, assist Soldiers and collect feedback.
Feedback gathered during the assessment will shape future efforts and potential expansion of the FEED program.
TRANSFORMATION
FEED is not meant to replace traditional DFACs, but add additional flexibilities for Soldiers, Mohan explained. Transforming the way the Army feeds its Soldiers is critical.
“When Soldiers pass up that benefit and that entitlement every single day, we fail them, and we are changing that,” he said. “It’s imperative that the Army gets this right. Our goal is to ensure that Soldiers remain the best-sustained, best-fed and fittest fighting force in the world.”
Source: U.S. Army via army.mil
Edited by Larry Lapka
