By Janecze Wright
Fort Hood Public Affairs
FORT HOOD, Texas – Army and Air Force Exchange Service, Army Material Command and Fort Hood Exchange staff gathered early Nov. 3 at the T.J. Mills Food Court to celebrate the launch of the Flexible Eating and Expanded Dining (FEED) program.
The program allows Soldiers to use their meal entitlements to purchase approved menu items at seven different participating Exchange restaurants such as Charleys Cheesesteaks, Starbucks and Subway, expanding access to nutritious food options while making dining more accessible and appealing.
“FEED is the epitome of having our Soldiers be able to use their entitlement and expand their selection and their choices,” said Denise Hunter, senior vice president of the Services and Food Directorate, AAFES, speaking directly to the audience. “Our service members deserve the best. You’re giving them the best. You’re giving them more options than they had, and it’s the best, giving the best.”
The initiative is part of the broader Army effort to transform how Soldiers access food and improve the overall dining experience.
Geared toward Essential Station Messing, or ESM, Soldiers, the program requires users to simply scan their common access cards, or CACs, at approved dining locations to purchase select menu items using their meal entitlements.
The FEED program is just one of the initiatives representing a new era in military dining that reflects a growing emphasis on military dining modernization.
There are also campus-style dining facilities, or CSDVs, like 42 Bistro, which features global cuisines and modern amenities, and the future Lone Star Bistro CSDV, which will build upon the contemporary template of its predecessor, grab-and-go meals and expanded food options such as culturally diverse food trucks.
“We are in the middle of a generational overhaul of the Army Food Program,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Jacinto Garza, command sergeant major, Army Materiel Command. “Soldiers are voting with their feet and taking advantage of the new options and flexibilities. We owe it to our Soldiers – and to taxpayers – to continue our momentum and get this right.”
Click here for b-roll of the event
