Feasibility Test Of Civilian Contract Food Service In Army Enlisted Dining Facilities Fort Myer Virginia PDF Download

A 10-day nutrition survey was conducted at Ft. Myer, Virginia. It included assessments of food and nutrient consumptions in the Tri-Services Dining Hall, clinical and biochemical (blood and urine) evaluations of nutritional status of men eating at the dining hall, and attendance and meal patterns of the dining hall patrons. This Tri-Services Dining Hall was operated under a civilian contract for everything from procurement through clean-up to evaluate if there was a monetary and manpower savings through this concept. Although most combinations of 3 meals daily (1 meal/meal period) would provide the daily military allowances, it was possible to obtain 3 daily meals that contained less than the recommended allowances of iron for women and of vitamin A, thiamin, and niacin for both men and women. However, 64.3% of the personnel ate only 1 meal/day in the dining hall, 25.4% ate 2 meals, only 8.4% consumed 3 meals, and the remaining 1.9% had more than 3 meals/day in the dining hall. The major clinical observation was the high incidence of caries and debris of the teeth. With a large percentage of personnel eating only 1 meal/day in the Dining Hall, the meal pattern analyses showed that the most utilized combinations were single meals with 17 to 19% of the people eating at 1 of each of the 3 regular meal periods, 9.7% during late supper, and 2.1% during midnight breakfast. Plate waste values were over 15% of that served for many of the foods included most of the salads, cakes, pies, and soups.