IDF Promises Better Transportation and Food for Soldiers before Passover
In recent news, the IDF has been receiving harsh criticism regarding the low-quality and insufficient food by the soldiers, as well as a lack of transportation. Soon after, the Technological and Logistics Directorate of the IDF vowed to ensure the provision of shuttle services and better food for the troops, just in time for the Passover holiday. The military also announced that it is important to bring about a change in the experiences and quality for the troops, especially in terms of medicine, food, infrastructure, equipment, and transportation.
It was further revealed that combat troops will be given priority in the matter and will be seeing changes by the middle of April. These changes will be implemented across all soldiers, starting from transportation and food. This plan was announced to reform the manner in which the military of the State of Israel feeds around 200,000 soldiers. It was announced following various sharp rebukes that came from the experiences of troops, drafted into the army of the people. They posted numerous pictures of moldy salads, animals in the kitchen, as well as the small size of the portions, on social media.
Furthermore, parents have also been complaining repeatedly about their children not receiving an ample amount of food, during their service. Media reports have also surfaced regarding the issue. In addition, the army was also struggling to cover the cost of feeding the soldiers while various food services of the IDF were privatized in the last couple of decades. This meant that quality food becoming shorter in supply for the soldiers, especially those in basic, as well as advanced training. A senior officer belonging to the directorate highlighted the announcement, saying that it is the responsibility of the IDF to ensure that the troops receive good and enough meals, along with convenience.
As part of this newly developed outline, the IDF will be raising its food budget by no less than 25%. It will also be adding diverse and new dishes for breakfast, as well as dinner. In addition, the list of new dishes to be served will include Tunisian sandwiches, baguette with sabih, baguette with shakshuka, falafel, and hummus for breakfast. A grab-and-go meal will also be made available, which will comprise of energy bars, muesli, or cereal. Where lunch is concerned, troops will be able to receive grilled chicken, shwarma, or even a hamburger, whipped from real beef. On the other hand, vegan meals will include shwarma tofu, grilled tofu, vegan hamburger, and schnitzel tofu.
The main emphasis, however, will be on combat troops that are engaged in lengthy operational missions, which require physical strength. The military will also be expanding the food choices further to accommodate people who have food intolerances and allergies. For example, as of now, there are no less than 1,000 soldiers in the IDF who have celiac disease. Moreover, the IDF has started the installation of 80,000 fighter lounges, where soldiers in combat troops will be able to have unrestricted access to easy-to-prepare food, like jachnun, pizza, cereals, Belgian waffles, energy bars, and yogurts, all day long.
