Nutrient Intakes of NAS/Alameda Personnel Before and After Conversion to a Cash a la Carte Food Service System.
Abstract
A nutrition survey, conducted by Letterman Army Institute of Research at Naval Air Station, Alameda (NAS/Alameda), California, was designed to evaluate the nutritional impact of conversion from the existing mixed ration-in-kind (RIK) commuted ration (COMRAT) standard dining hall system to an all-COMRAT Cash a la Carte system. Phase I was conducted in March 1975 to study the existing mixed RIK/COMRAT system. Phase 2 was conducted in June 1976 as an interim study following conversion to the Cash a la Carte system which was implemented on 1 March 1976. Phase 3 was conducted in August 1976 following a 5-month stabilization period. Phases 1 and 3 encompassed dining hall, biochemical/clinical examination, and total dietary intake aspects. Only the total dietary intake aspect was assessed in Phase 2. Conversion of RIK personnel to COMRAT status markedly reduced dining hall utilization from 31.6% in March 1975 to only 11.1% in June 1976. Implementation of item-pricing and renovation of the dining hall were not effective in stimulating a compensatory increase in dining hall utilization of COM-S (8.3% in 1975 vs. 11.0% in 1976). These conclusions can be projected to other military installations that, like NAS/Alameda, offer many readily available alternative food outlets. Conversely, these conclusions may not apply to those military bases where alternative food outlets are not conveniently accessible to the potential dining hall patron. The major nutritional impact of the item-pricing policy was to reduce milk and milk product consumption and, consequently, calcium and riboflavin intakes per dining hall meal were reduced.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA062834
Entities
People
- C. Frank Consolazio
- David D. Schnakenberg
- John E. Canham
- Michael S. Morris
- Terrel M. Hill