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Nutrients are consumed by drinking certain beverages, Insight into which beverages service members in Army
such as vitamin C contained in juice, and the vitamins A, dining facilities are interested in seeing available comes
D and calcium provided in milk, Person-Whippo explained. from regularly scheduled Food Service Management Board
The military, she advised, does not intend for beverages to Meetings held by installation food program managers. “This
be a supplemental source of specific vitamins and does not is where decisions are made for adding new products to
recommend specific nutrients. the catalogues,” Smith said. “Soldier diners are invited to
Instead, she explained, “All required nutrient levels can attend and provide their input into changes in menus or
be met through the foods offered in the galley.” beverages within our DFACs.”
Also part of the Navy galley beverage assortment are Similarly, the Navy collects sailor preference and overall
milk; lactose-free or soy milk; juice; sugar-free low-calorie menu feedback through monthly menu review board min-
blending powders; coffee; hot teas; iced tea, sweetened and utes. “Changes are made to the menus every six months to
unsweetened; soda with at least two caffeine-free options, account for the time required for sourcing new items world-
one dark and one light; and one low-calorie soda contain- wide,” Person-Whippo explained. “Time is also needed for
ing fewer than 40 calories. Sports drinks include Gatorade depleting Subsistence Prime Vendor inventory.”
and Powerade. Another consequence is that culinary specialists are re-
“Lactose-free or soy milk options are appropriate for quired to receive training when new recipes are added to
patrons who have lactose intolerance, or desire a non-animal- the Armed Forces Recipe Service.
based option,” Person-Whippo said. Marine Corps food service regularly reviews the bever-
Energy drinks are not available through taxpayer-funded age and dessert categories to maintain compliance with the
galleys; however, sailors can purchase these items through Military Dietary Reference Intake (MDRI) standards. Each
the Navy Exchange outlets, she explained. vitamin and mineral serves a purpose in contributing to
Army dining facilities feature a similar beverage assort- the performance and functionality of the body that helps
ment that includes sports drinks while prohibiting energy Marines to meet the mission.
varieties. Changes are made to the assortment in response Marines also are regularly surveyed for their opinions
to customer demand and input, as well as by considering on choices available in the mess halls, including bever-
quality and nutritional value. ages, and the results are used to make any adjustments in
Erica Smith, dietitian, Joint Culinary Center of Excellence, variety necessary to maintain customer satisfaction. “Ma-
considers calcium and vitamin D as essential for increasing rine patrons are encouraged to utilize the ICE (Interactive
bone density and preventing fractures. Customer Evaluation) web-based system to leave a satisfied
The criteria for evaluating which beverages to choose for or dissatisfied comment about the products or services,”
hydration come down to the amount of calories consumed. Holladay said. “Based on the acceptability factor, nutrient
“They can be a very positive or negative addition to the density and the feedback from the ICE, food service officers
dining facilities,” Smith said. “Negative sodas and juices and the mess hall managers will make the necessary adjust-
provide such a high sugary content, therefore providing ments and final determination for any menu changes.”
additional calories that may lead to weight gain. An example Marine Corps mess halls within the continental United
of a positive would be water, milk and lower-calorie bever- States (CONUS) are managed under two Regional Garrison
ages. They hydrate without adding additional calories.” Food Service contracts, one for installations on the East
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