{"id":45669,"date":"2025-10-16T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2025\/10\/16\/why-the-armys-food-service-modernization-must-go-beyond-imitation\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:29:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:29:03","slug":"why-the-armys-food-service-modernization-must-go-beyond-imitation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2025\/10\/16\/why-the-armys-food-service-modernization-must-go-beyond-imitation\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Army\u2019s food service modernization must go beyond imitation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Imagine stepping out of your barracks and finding multiple food options within walking distance: a dining hall with several micro-restaurant concepts, a grab-and-go market for essentials or even a coffee shop. That\u2019s what real campus-style dining looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right now, the Army is trying to replicate that model. Several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2025\/10\/15\/alcohol-sales-stay-possible-in-planned-army-campus-style-dining-halls\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2025\/10\/15\/alcohol-sales-stay-possible-in-planned-army-campus-style-dining-halls\/\">modernization initiatives<\/a> are underway, fighting through layers of bureaucracy, outdated policy and institutional inertia. The goal? To improve the soldier dining experience and increase meal card entitlement usage. But even with those efforts, one must ask: Is the university dining model truly generalizable to the military setting?<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2025\/10\/15\/alcohol-sales-stay-possible-in-planned-army-campus-style-dining-halls\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Army-photo-convenience-dining.7385866.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Alcohol sales stay possible in planned Army campus-style dining halls<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Contracting document language is raising questions about features that might be included in the Army \u201ccampus-style\u201d dining facility pilot program. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before my time as an Army dietitian, I worked in university dining at Ohio University. Even in the early 2000s, the student dining environment far outpaced what the Army offers today. Students could flexibly use meal swipes across dining halls, grab-and-go concepts and campus markets. Didn\u2019t want to sit and eat? No problem, grab your food and go. Miss a few meals during the week? Use your meal swipe as a cash equivalent, a set dollar amount per meal, at a campus market (think an Army &amp; Air Force Exchange Service shoppette, minus the alcohol). Some schools even allowed local restaurants to accept those dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now contrast that with the Army\u2019s use-it-or-lose-it meal card system, where garrison dining access often resembles a food desert. Since 2022, Army Materiel Command (AMC) has been pushing modernization efforts. Pilots like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2025\/08\/22\/pilot-program-at-fort-hood-gives-soldiers-more-dining-options\/\" rel=\"\">Flexible Eating and Expanded Dining (FEED)<\/a> initiative aim to expand essential station messing (ESM) redemption sites, while the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.army.mil\/article\/288820\/army_launching_campus_style_dining_concept_to_enhance_soldier_experience\" rel=\"\">Campus-Style Dining Venue (CSDV)<\/a> initiative seeks to contract out base dining facilities to create more appealing dining experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These efforts signal progress. But they won\u2019t be enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This isn\u2019t just a question of imitation. It\u2019s a question of environmental differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Army life doesn\u2019t mirror college life. Even the word \u201ccampus\u201d is misapplied. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/campus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/campus\">Its origin traces to the green outside Nassau Hall at Princeton<\/a>, not the 40,000-acre footprint of Fort Hood. Universities are walkable. Installations are not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Class schedules are flexible. Army training schedules are not. College students decide when, or if, they go to class. Soldiers don\u2019t choose whether to report to formation, motor pool or PT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For universities, dining is part of the amenities package. Whether a student eats junk food or skips meals altogether isn\u2019t the university\u2019s concern. But in the Army, nutrition is operational and fuels the warrior ethos. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2024\/06\/27\/military-needs-better-recipe-for-feeding-troops-auditors-say\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2024\/06\/27\/military-needs-better-recipe-for-feeding-troops-auditors-say\/\">It shapes physical readiness, recovery, injury risk and long-term health<\/a>. What\u2019s on the plate today determines combat capability tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And in a world of formations, hard times and competing priorities, food choice is one of the last liberties soldiers hold. But when the Army fails to meet their needs, they\u2019ll use that liberty to eat elsewhere. Or not at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Universities often choose between contracted and self-operated dining models. The Army has historically leaned toward self-op garrison feeding. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.army.mil\/article\/277128\/amc_hosts_food_service_leading_change_summit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.army.mil\/article\/277128\/amc_hosts_food_service_leading_change_summit\">But as culinary specialists shift their focus to field feeding, a garrison labor gap is emerging<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FEED initiative outsources soldier feeding to food courts, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/opinion\/2025\/09\/04\/army-undermines-holistic-health-program-with-poor-nutrition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/opinion\/2025\/09\/04\/army-undermines-holistic-health-program-with-poor-nutrition\/\">a move some argue undermines health and fitness efforts<\/a>. The CSDV model <a href=\"https:\/\/www.military.com\/daily-news\/2025\/06\/25\/upcharging-food-selling-booze-armys-plan-privatize-dining.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.military.com\/daily-news\/2025\/06\/25\/upcharging-food-selling-booze-armys-plan-privatize-dining.html\">proposes contracting to fill that gap<\/a>. But let\u2019s be honest: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/09\/29\/senator-alarmed-about-barracks-privatization-seeks-answers-from-dod\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/09\/29\/senator-alarmed-about-barracks-privatization-seeks-answers-from-dod\/\">Privatization has not always benefited soldiers and families<\/a>. A better approach may be reinvesting in a self-op model that develops local talent \u2014 spouses, dependents and retirees \u2014 into food service professionals. This doesn\u2019t just strengthen on-post employment; it builds nutrition literacy in the home and plants seeds for long-term military family readiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Replicating university dining venues alone will fall short. Army installations dwarf even the largest campuses, let alone some models the <a href=\"https:\/\/dining.columbia.edu\/news\/us-army-representatives-tour-columbia-dining-facilities-escorted-chef-robert-irvine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/dining.columbia.edu\/news\/us-army-representatives-tour-columbia-dining-facilities-escorted-chef-robert-irvine\">Army has toured<\/a>. Existing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajpmfocus.org\/article\/S2773-0654(24)00111-1\/fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.ajpmfocus.org\/article\/S2773-0654(24)00111-1\/fulltext\">nonappropriated food venues are already saturated with ultra-processed options<\/a>, contributing little to performance or health. What\u2019s needed is a systems-based approach grounded in performance nutrition and designed to navigate competing resources and logistical barriers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Whole-food access: <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC12348073\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC12348073\/\">Expand access points for fresh produce, lean proteins and minimally processed foods<\/a>, ideally near barracks and family housing. Think micro-markets stocked with nutritious staple items, not just chips, candy and energy drinks.<\/li><li>ESM at the commissary: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.military.com\/daily-news\/2025\/06\/25\/upcharging-food-selling-booze-armys-plan-privatize-dining.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.military.com\/daily-news\/2025\/06\/25\/upcharging-food-selling-booze-armys-plan-privatize-dining.html\">Numerous exceptions to policy have been made in other food modernization pilots<\/a>. One more is needed: Allow cash equivalents to be used at the commissary, not just for prepared foods, but for raw ingredients as well. This would boost ESM utilization and expand access to nutrient-dense, performance-supportive options.<\/li><li>Hub-and-spoke food models: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stripes.com\/branches\/army\/2025-08-29\/fort-hood-army-dining-meals-soldiers-18918042.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.stripes.com\/branches\/army\/2025-08-29\/fort-hood-army-dining-meals-soldiers-18918042.html\">Centralize food production<\/a> to improve labor efficiency and product quality, and distribute meals to where soldiers live and work, accounting for soldier geographic sprawl and transportation barriers.<\/li><li>Market-style options: University dining continues to evolve. At Ohio University, a campus dining venue was renovated to include a market offering <a href=\"https:\/\/fesmag.com\/topics\/project-profiles\/facility-design-project-of-the-month\/15954-shrinking-the-back-of-the-house-to-showcase-service-at-ohio-university\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/fesmag.com\/topics\/project-profiles\/facility-design-project-of-the-month\/15954-shrinking-the-back-of-the-house-to-showcase-service-at-ohio-university\">fresh, minimally processed food options and a teaching kitchen.<\/a> The Army should take note.<\/li><li>Utilize untapped labor pools: Self-op university dining often relies on student labor. The Army can do the same with underemployed military spouses and family members, offering them training, income and purpose while building community resilience.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Modernizing Army food service isn\u2019t just about mirroring college campuses. It\u2019s about building a nutrition infrastructure that holistically supports soldier health, readiness and retention. That requires more than trendy venues or digital kiosks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It demands bold policy, operational alignment and a clear-eyed recognition that nutrition isn\u2019t a perk. It\u2019s part of the warfighting function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Jordan DeMay is an Army officer specializing in nutrition, human performance, and military health care delivery. He previously served as the nutrition lead for the Army\u2019s Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) System, a health care administration fellow at Defense Health Agency headquarters and the officer-in-charge of two military treatment facility dining facilities. He holds master\u2019s degrees in nutrition, health care administration and business administration from Baylor University. He is board-certified in sports dietetics and is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect\u202fthe official position of the United States Army or the Department of Defense.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Modernizing Army food service isn\u2019t just about mirroring college campuses. It\u2019s about building a nutrition infrastructure to holistically support soldiers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":88331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":14,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[78,160,29,14,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[5479],"class_list":["post-45669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ausa-digital-show-dailies","category-daily-news-roundup","category-digital-show-dailies","category-land","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"EFDDUSIN3ZGZVFMT6MNZUPXR4Y","arc_canonical_url":"\/opinion\/2025\/10\/16\/why-the-armys-food-service-modernization-must-go-beyond-imitation\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why the Army\u2019s food service modernization must go beyond imitation - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Modernizing Army food service isn\u2019t just about mirroring college campuses. It\u2019s about building a nutrition infrastructure to holistically support soldiers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why the Army\u2019s food service modernization must go beyond imitation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Modernizing Army food service isn\u2019t just about mirroring college campuses. It\u2019s about building a nutrition infrastructure to holistically support soldiers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2025\/10\/16\/why-the-armys-food-service-modernization-must-go-beyond-imitation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-16T20:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T04:29:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jordan DeMay\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jordan DeMay\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/land\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/16\\\/why-the-armys-food-service-modernization-must-go-beyond-imitation\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/land\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/16\\\/why-the-armys-food-service-modernization-must-go-beyond-imitation\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Why the Army\u2019s food service modernization must go beyond imitation\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2025-10-16T20:00:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T04:29:03+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/land\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/16\\\/why-the-armys-food-service-modernization-must-go-beyond-imitation\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1013,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/land\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/16\\\/why-the-armys-food-service-modernization-must-go-beyond-imitation\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/6480164.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"AUSA\",\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Digital Show Dailies\",\n\t                \"Land\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/land\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/16\\\/why-the-armys-food-service-modernization-must-go-beyond-imitation\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/land\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/16\\\/why-the-armys-food-service-modernization-must-go-beyond-imitation\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/land\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/16\\\/why-the-armys-food-service-modernization-must-go-beyond-imitation\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Why the Army\u2019s food service modernization must go beyond imitation - 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