Military Hygiene and Hygiene in Emergency Situations - K.O. Pashka 2005

Fundamentals of organizing and conducting sanitary supervision and medical control over the nutrition of military personnel and the civilian population in field conditions.
Organization of nutrition and duties of officials

Organizing meals both in stationary troop deployment and in field conditions is the duty of A number of officials. Within a military unit, the commander personally approves the menu (ration breakdown) and, either directly or through deputies, daily monitors the quality and full provision of prepared food to the unit's personnel. The duties of the deputy commander for logistics include organizing wholesome meals and ensuring that each service member receives the proper food allowances.

The HEAD of the unit's food service organizes the operation of all food facilities and is responsible for their sanitary condition, manages food supply logistics, monitors the proper storage of food products, checks their wholesomeness, ensures compliance with hot meal preparation technology, and guarantees that personnel receive their full nutritional allowance. Together with the head of the medical service, they compile the menu and personally conduct control-demonstration cooking of meals with the unit's cooks within established timeframes.

The commander of the field feeding station (FFS) is directly responsible for the timely and wholesome preparation of food in field conditions, the preservation and delivery of food products to service members (or the civilian population) in accordance with established standards, as well as the sanitary condition of the field feeding station, kitchen utensils, equipment, and tableware.

Providing food to the affected population, when circumstances force them to receive prepared meals at field feeding points (FFPs), acquires a communal character similar to that of military personnel. As a rule, food supplies in the field are handled primarily through centralized delivery to the military unit in accordance with established provisioning standards. Food preparation at the FFS is carried out According to the menu under the constant Supervision of the command, medical, and sanitary-epidemiological services.

Ration standards determine the assortment and quantity of food allocated per person per day. Nutritional standards are divided into basic standards (Standards Nos. 1–6, 9) and dry or in-flight rations (Standards Nos. 10–14). The notes to these standards indicate additional food items issued to specific categories of service members and other persons specified therein. Ration standards are approved by a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

In field conditions, field-kitchen rations, dry rations, and supplemental rations can be used to feed personnel (or the population). Field-kitchen rations are used to prepare hot meals primarily at the FFS. Dry rations include canned meat or meat-vegetable products, concentrates, sugar, and tea. They are issued directly to personnel for self-catering when preparing food at the FFS is not feasible. An individual can subsist on dry rations without detriment to health for 3–5 days.

Supplemental rations are issued to airmobile troops, divers, officers, and other designated categories.

According to research data, the Energy Expenditure of service members in peacetime can range from 14650 to 18840 kJ (3500–4500 kcal) per day. Accordingly, the assortment and quantity of food in army rations are sufficient to compensate for the personnel's energy expenditure.

Under actual combat conditions, during intensive combat training exercises, and when conducting search-and-rescue operations in emergency areas, energy expenditure is believed to increase up to 23440–24280 kJ (5600–5800 kcal) per day. Therefore, monitoring the delivery of the full due food allowance to every individual becomes of paramount importance in field conditions.

In cases where difficulties arise in supplying the required quantity of food products, personnel (or the population) can maintain a sufficiently high combat readiness (work capacity) and preserve Homeostasis for some time, provided they have unlimited access to wholesome Water, even with a deficit of up to 10460 kJ (2500 kcal) in their daily diet.

Meals for sick service members in the medical posts (infirmaries) of military units are organized in accordance with Ration Standard No. 5 (therapeutic).

Patients undergoing Treatment in a medical company receive meals according to the hospital standard. Their food is prepared in the medical company's kitchen by staff cooks. For individuals with chronic gastrointestinal diseases during field deployment (if conditions permit), dietary meals are also organized according to Ration Standard No. 9 (dietary). Responsibility for organizing dietary meals for patients and meals within the medical company rests with the head of the medical service.

Military specialists operating under METABOLISM/18.html">The Influence of hazardous factors additionally receive therapeutic and prophylactic Nutrition.

The duties of a medical officer in monitoring unit personnel nutrition include:

- participating in The Development of a rational nutritional regimen and compiling menus taking into account the specifics of combat training;

- exercising systematic medical control over the quality of nutrition;

- monitoring the sanitary condition of food facilities and the personnel involved in their operation.

In military units where personnel are provided with field-kitchen meals according to Ration Standard No. 1 (combined arms) and Standard No. 3 (naval), the following meal schedule is generally established: hot food under Standard No. 1 is issued three times a day—for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; while under Standard No. 3, it is issued four times a day—for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and evening tea. Breakfast should be served before training begins, lunch after main training sessions conclude, and dinner 2–3 hours before lights out. Intervals between individual meals must not exceed 7 hours. Meal times are determined by the daily routine approved by the unit commander. The daily ration Standard No. 1 is distributed by energy value as follows: breakfast – 30–35%, lunch – 40–45%, and dinner – 30–20%; for Standard No. 3: breakfast – 20–23%, lunch – 40–35%, dinner – 30–35%, and evening tea – 10%. The distribution of the nutritional regimen may be altered by the unit commander depending on specific combat training conditions and taking the medical officer's recommendations into account. For example, during hot weather, it is advisable to reduce the caloric content of lunch and increase it at dinner.

Flight personnel are provided with hot meals 4 times a day. Intervals between meals must in all cases not exceed 4–5 hours. On days when flights are not performed, the number of meals may be reduced to 3 times a day, with the ENERGY VALUE OF the ration products distributed among meals as follows: breakfast – 30%, lunch – 50%, dinner – 20%.

On flight days, crew members consume food 1.5–2 hours before flights commence.

The food products of Ration Standard No. 2 (flight) are distributed by energy value on flight days as shown in Table 4.1.

Class="center">Table 4.1 Distribution of daily food intake by energy value on flight days