IDF to overhaul soldiers’ food by renovating mess halls, putting shawarma on menu

After countless complaints about the military’s poor food and cumbersome transportation system, the Israel Defense Forces presented a series of projects on Wednesday aimed at overhauling conscript soldiers’ service.

Briefing reporters, the military said 130 mess halls would be renovated, kitchen staff would be bolstered, and the nutritional value of meals would be improved, along with portion size and variety.

Breakfasts are to now include Tunisian sandwiches, bourekas, shakshuka, sabich, hummus, and falafel, as well as muesli, cereal and energy bars. Lunches would have shawarma, deboned chicken thighs (pargiyot), or hamburgers once a week under the new plan. According to the army, vegan options are also offered.

Soldiers will be asked to fill out a survey after each meal, for commanders to identify issues, after several recent media reports showed footage of animals running around kitchens and eating areas, as well as poorly made food.

The IDF has also begun to build some 80 “lounges” at distant outposts that will have ready-made food, including yogurts, waffles, frozen pizza, fruits and vegetables, and more.

The small buildings will also have refrigerators, toasters, a water bar, and microwave, as well as comfortable furniture for the soldiers serving there. Many such outposts do not have dedicated kitchens and cooking staff, but instead soldiers rely on rations or travel to a nearby base.

Soldiers have long complained about the quality and portion sizes of food in the army, as well as the difficulty in returning to base after weekend furlough.

Aiming to combat Sunday rush hour, the IDF said it launched a project — dubbed “Good Ride” — that established some 130 collection spots around the country where some 800 buses collect soldiers who need to travel to their bases on Sunday morning. Additionally, 14 “key” parking lots are to offer troops refreshments as they wait to be taken to their base.

With some 200 units already participating in the project, the IDF said it has resulted so far in 24% fewer conscripts traveling by train, and another 12% fewer by public buses, on Sundays, when congestion is at its height.

Separately, soldiers still using public transportation will no longer “pay” by showing their military ID card, but instead use a dedicated application that tracks the exact distance of their ride. The IDF says the move has so far saved it about half of the money it would have spent on public transportation for soldiers each year, paying NIS 300 million instead of NIS 600 million.

“In both the world of food and transportation, we are required to adapt our response to the expectations of the conscripts,” the head of the IDF Technology and Logistics Directorate, Maj. Gen. Michel Yanko said.

“In the field of transportation, we are in a better place, constantly working to maintain a high level of satisfaction and perfect the process. In the field of food, we have built a broad plan that will affect the scope and diversity of the conscripts’ nutrition, among combat troops in particular, already this year,” Yanko added.