New Food for Soldiers

Today, on January 18, a tour was organized for journalists at the central food base of the Armenian Armed Forces. Journalists were introduced to the food prepared for soldiers and the conditions for its preservation.

"The food base has a new refrigeration system, and the volumes have been increased, which allows perishable food items to be stored under appropriate temperature and humidity conditions. After delivery, supplies are distributed to territorial bases according to established procedures and centralized logistics to units," said Ara Vardanyan, head of the food service of the Armed Forces Logistics Department.

Ara Vardanyan also informed that there have been certain changes in the soldiers' diet. A number of important food items will be added in 2019 and will be allocated to soldiers after a competitive process. During the winter period, natural honey, pork lard for cooking, as well as an increased portion of garlic are planned for one soldier’s ration. The aim is to boost the immune system.

"In 2018, the competitive process was completed, and starting from May, lavash (Armenian flatbread) will be allocated at 40% of the bread available to everyone in the diet. We have also added tanapur (Armenian soup) in the 2018 diet, which is provided to soldiers on combat duty at the front in a ready-made form, while in permanent deployment locations, yogurt is provided and tanapur is also prepared once a week, which has received high praise. In 2019, we are planning to include a type of canned potatoes that can be used during combat duty either as fried or mashed," said Ara Vardanyan.

It is also planned to supply 7 types of instant soups made from 6 types of cereals, with the 7th being pre-prepared borscht dried by infrared methods. This is intended for those serving at the front, with a simplified cooking process: hot water just needs to be added, and the soup is ready, while in stationary units, the first courses are prepared from fresh vegetables. This means that soldiers will have 7 different types of soups available throughout the week.