PHILADELPHIA –– The Defense Logistics Agency is widening its food offerings for service members dining in remote field locations around the world.
A variety of short-order items now appear in the menu of field rations, including a Philly steak hoagie, chicken nuggets, Italian sausage sub, beef enchilada, chicken wings, pepperoni and cheese Stromboli, hamburgers and hotdogs.
The new rations supplement the original unitized group ration dinners that feature entrees like prime rib, chicken cordon blue, and spaghetti and meatballs. DLA Troop Support officials say it’s a way to offer choices when a dining facility isn’t in reach.
“We are always happy to provide new food alternatives for our young men and women wearing the uniform,” DLA Troop Support Commander Navy Rear Adm. David Baucom said.
The U.S. Army Quartermaster Joint Culinary Center of Excellence and the Army Natick Soldier Systems Center conducted research and testing necessary to make the new items a part of the rations package.
The UGR-A is a mix of perishable and non-perishable items prepared in a mobile kitchen. They contain a nutritional combination of food groups, including vegetables, beverages, meat, poultry, desserts, and condiments that provide a balanced diet for service members in the field.
A Department of Defense combat support agency, DLA provides the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, other federal agencies and joint and allied forces with a variety of logistics, acquisition and technical services. The agency sources and provides nearly 100 percent of the consumable items America’s military forces need to operate, from food, fuel and energy, to uniforms, medical supplies, and construction and barrier equipment. DLA also supplies more than 80 percent of the military’s spare parts.
Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., DLA has about 27,000 employees worldwide and supports more than 2,178 weapon systems. For more information about DLA, go to www.dla.mil, www.facebook.com/dla.mil or http://twitter.com/dlamil.