Ukrainian military to offer halal, kosher, vegan MRE options starting December 2024

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense announces plans to diversify military MRE rations, addressing religious, medical, and ethical needs. New options, including kosher, halal, and vegan meals, will be available from December 2024 after consultations with religious and animal rights groups.

byYuri Zoria

28/08/2024

2 minute read

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has announced plans to significantly expand its military Meal Ready-to-Eat (MRE) ration options to accommodate the religious, medical, and ethical needs of servicemembers. The new range of meals, set to be available from December 2024, will include vegetarian, kosher, and halal options.

The initiative aims to provide a wider variety of products in the dry rations, ensuring that servicemen and servicewomen with specific dietary requirements are adequately catered for.

Deputy Defense Minister Dmytro Klimenkov emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating,

“Our goal is to meet all the needs of our servicemembers, taking into account their beliefs, health, and ethical principles. We strive to create conditions where every defender of Ukraine feels comfortable and confident.”

The Ministry, in collaboration with its procurement agency “State Logistics Operator” (DOT), has already conducted consultations with representatives from various religious communities, including the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, as well as Islamic and Jewish communities. Animal rights organizations “Kozhna Tvaryna” and UAnimals were also involved in the discussions.

Halyna Litosh, Director of Project Portfolio Management at DOT, highlighted the alignment with Euro-Atlantic standards, saying,

“As part of the Euro-Atlantic family, we must adopt an inclusive culture and strive to fully meet the needs of the military. Inclusive nutrition is not only about changing dry rations; it’s about changing our worldview and synchronizing with the Euro-Atlantic vector.”

Following the consultations, participants agreed to continue cooperation in developing updated MRE rations. Religious communities, civil society organizations, and market representatives will provide their inputs, comments, recommendations, and developed versions of rations to the relevant department of the Ministry of Defense.

A petition to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to develop a vegetarian MRE for the Ukrainian Army passed the margin of 25,000 signatures required for the petition to be considered by the Ukrainian president back in September 2022.

One of Ukrainian reforms of catering in the Armed Forces introduced NATO-type MRE rations back in 2015.

Related:

In a Ukrainian soldier’s mess tin: balancing abundance and malnutrition on the Ukrainian frontlines
Vegetarian MRE may appear in Ukraine’s Armed Forces: petition to President garners 25,000 signatures
The Ukrainian meal pack. Do the soldiers like it? (2014)

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