Department of Defense Nutrition Standards
INSIGHTi
Department of Defense Nutrition Standards
July 21, 2021
Introduction
Some Members of Congress have repeatedly expressed interest in maintaining a ready and capable
military. Meeting readiness and capability requirements includes preserving the health and fitness of
American servicemembers. Various factors, including physical fitness, body composition, access to
nutritious foods and the nutritional content of foods consumed, may affect the health of servicemembers
and their ability to conduct military operations. Nutrition—defined, in part, as the process of taking in and
using food for growth, liberation of energy, and replacement of tissues—may play an important role in the
health and fitness of the force. According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion within the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), poor nutrition
contributes to “many costly diseases, including obesity, heart disease and some cancers.” According to the
Department of Defense (DOD), obesity is a worsening issue for servicemembers. In the 2019 Health of
the Force Report “the overall prevalence of obesity has steadily increased since 2015” and had reached
17.9% among active component servicemembers.
DOD has undertaken various efforts to promote the health of servicemembers and military readiness. For
example, the 2011 Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction (CJCSI) 3405.1 is a DOD-wide policy that describes
the “Chairman’s Total Force Fitness Framework” which DOD considers a key component of military
readiness. The Framework includes seven components of fitness, including nutritional fitness, which
DOD defines as the ability to sustain performance through foods, dietary supplements and beverages in
adequate quantities, quality, and proportions in order to optimize health and performance.
Selected DOD Nutrition and Food Service Regulations
and Initiatives
Each military service maintains its own regulations for military dining facilities and food programs. The
following are selected examples of key DOD and joint service regulations and initiatives.
DOD Manual (DODM) 1338.10, DOD Food Service Program (DFSP), updated in 2020,
establishes responsibilities and standards for all DOD food service programs.
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DOD Instruction 6130.05, DOD Nutrition Committee, updated in 2020, establishes policy,
responsibilities and procedures for the committee.
Army Regulation 40-25/Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Instruction 10110.1/Marine
Corps Order 10110.49/Air Force Instruction 44-141 Nutrition and Menu Standards for Human
Performance Optimization, revised in 2017, establishes jointly agreed upon nutrition and menu
standards for all military services.
The DOD-wide Go for Green Initiative is one example of a DOD program aimed at making it
easy for servicemembers to find high-performance foods and drinks to boost fitness, strength, and
health. It educates servicemembers and improves on their food environment through menu
coding, standardized food cards, food placement strategies, and promotion of green-coded items.
The program uses a green, yellow, and red coding system (Figure 1) to inform servicemembers of
the nutritional value of what they are consuming.
Figure 1. Example Go For Green Placard
Source: Department of Defense. Human Performance Resources: Go for Green.
Who creates guidelines for servicemember nutrition?
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (ASD(HA)) provides guidance for sanitation,
nutrition education, and nutritional standards and serves as the approving authority for DOD-wide
nutrition standards developed by the Secretary of the Army. The ASD(HA) also chairs the DOD Nutrition
Committee, which authorizes exceptions to food service sanitation and nutrition requirements. See Figure
2.
DOD Directive 3235.02E assigns the Secretary of the Army as the Executive Agent to establish DOD
nutrition requirements (also called military dietary reference intakes (MDRIs)) for application to all DOD
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food service programs and operations. Researchers establish MDRIs based upon scientific evaluation and
recommendations by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Science, Engineering,
and Medicine, as well as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) developed by the U.S.
Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS).
Figure 2. DOD Nutrition Development, Oversight and Guidance
Source: CRS graphic derived from DOD Manual 1338.10, DOD Food Service Program, updated April 20, 2020. Notes: The
Combat Feeding Research and Engineering Board (CFREB) guides the Combat Feeding Research and Engineering Program
(CFREP), which the Secretary of the Army is responsible for executing.
Who provides oversight and sustainment logistics?
Service chiefs and secretaries are responsible for overseeing the implementation of guidance and nutrition
standards established by DODM 1338.10 and the Nutrition Committee.
The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD(A&S)) establishes DOD policy
on all matters related to subsistence logistics and delegates certain authorities to ASD for Sustainment
(ASD(S)). ASD(S) oversees the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and provides guidance to the DFSP via
the Joint Subsistence Policy Board (JSPB). DLA is responsible for global food logistics and drives
acquisition based on “best value, best quality, and nutritional adequacy at a reasonable price.”
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Questions for Congress
Congress may consider the following lines of inquiry to obtain further information on servicemember
nutrition.
Nutrition in the Military
The USDA and HHS dietary guidelines (i.e., DGA) were designed to promote health and
prevent disease, but the guidelines are not tailored to servicemembers, who may have
different nutritional requirements based on activity level, job type, and individual health
status. What is DOD’s strategy to evaluate potentially different nutritional needs?
What steps is DOD taking to change behaviors or advocate for healthier lifestyles among
servicemembers?
How does DOD measure success of the Chairman’s Total Force Fitness Program and
other nutritional programs?
DOD Feeding and Dining Facilities
How many military service dining facilities are currently meeting nutritional and menu
standards set by DODM 1338.10? How does DOD ensure its dining facilities meet
standards?
Are DOD’s dining facilities structured to aid in healthy eating choices?
How does DOD provide access to healthy foods to shift workers and when facilities are
closed? Does DOD use technology, such as refrigerated units, stocked with healthy
foods?
Menu Design
For whom are on-base dining menus designed? Are combat and non-combat professions,
or different sedentary or physical activity levels taken into account?
How are DOD recipes designed? Do cooking techniques account for both healthiness and
tastiness?
How does DOD coordinate with USDA and HHS on nutrition guidelines for
servicemembers?
Author Information
Erin Tompkins
Christian Bergtholdt
Defense Health Fellow
U.S. Air Force Fellow
Disclaimer
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This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff
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