Food in Military Life

There are certain fundamental features in military foods and rations that differentiate them from civilian foods. The differences lie, not in the basic foodstuffs, staples and food preparations used traditionally in the diets of different people but in the manner in which the foods are defined and their portions or quantities fixed as daily requirements for work performance. These are based on scientifically determined guidelines for calorie content and nutrition profiles of various food items. It is made mandatory for the authorities to provide the daily entitlements for the personnel serving in the Armed Forces. For civilians, though similarly determined guidelines exist for good health and nutrition, these are in the nature of recommendations. Beyond this, there is no onus on anyone (the government or employer) to provide a civilian with either the recommended quantity of food or compensate in cash the cost of the food under the terms of employment. If the employer chooses to provide any food at all it is mostly in a subsidised form but never free.

Living in Barracks: Traditionally the men in arms have been housed in camps and cantonments separate from civilians in the belief that their interaction must be kept to the minimum for the soldiers to be effective in their job.