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New food choices are on the way to legacy dining facility guests as the Department of the Air Force overhauls its 28-day rotating menu model to better fuel the uniformed human weapon system.
The menu changes, rolling out to installations in the near future, deliver healthier options and more variety, bringing the DAF more in line with the Department of Defense Go for Green program.
“A recent Government of Accountability Office audit showed us three areas that needed to be strengthened, and while we were evaluating our menus, we decided to make significant changes,” said Tammy Lindberg, Air Force Services Center registered dietitian and nutritionist.
The DAF operates two dining facility categories: legacy, which are operated primarily by Airmen, and Food 2.0 that contracted industry partners operate. The team at AFSVC headquarters centrally designs the legacy DFACs menus versus Food 2.0 operations that have menus designed and marketed by industry partners. Although the legacy menus are created centrally, each installation is authorized to make local changes to add variety and regional flair.
The DAF operates 54 legacy and 28 Food 2.0 DFACs.
“For too long, our legacy dining operations haven't kept pace with the evolution of our menus at 2.0 facilities," said Tech. Sgt. Meghan Kotko, AFSVC Air Force Food and Beverage manager. “This transformation bridges that gap, ensuring consistently modern and dynamic menus across the board.”
AFSVC is working closely with Defense Logistics Agency partners to roll out the new menus. The major changes, the first since 2019, include more than 50 new recipes with at least 30% of the menu being healthier code GREEN items. For example, “stealth health” additions like whole wheat hamburger buns will be the default offering in place of ultra-processed white buns.
The AFSVC food and beverage team is passionate and dedicated about making a positive impact on DFACs and members in the field, Kotko added, so installations should look forward to a variety of food choices and new recipes that “mark a significant step forward in offering flexible and adaptable dining options.”
Many of those changes are the result of comments made by Airmen and Guardians during a recent Air Force Food and Beverage survey.
“We listened and they wanted healthier food options,” Lindberg said. “Our team is here to support the legacy DFACs. We understand menus become static unless changed and look forward to feedback so menus can continue to be updated as preferences change.”
Lilelani Au, assistant food operations manager at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, agreed.
“Customers are always requesting more variety and healthier options,” she said. “We’re hoping the headquarters team has been able to find a nice balance that our customers will like, with the ability for us to prepare the items in large quantities. We’re excited to see what’s coming.”
| Date Taken: | 03.18.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.25.2025 12:41 |
| Story ID: | 493692 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 79 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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