Food safety and quality control: Best practices in the Indian Armed Forces

The Army Marches on its Stomach". To provide nutritious, wholesome, safe and quality food to the large Indian Armed Forces, spread over various terrains, ranging from the icy Himalayas to the burning deserts of Rajasthan or the humid jungles of the North East and over various platforms like tanks, ships and aircraft is a challenge. The major issue in this is to procure and supply the food while ensuring that it is safe and retains its quality till it is cooked. This vital part of the supply chain viz from farm to the military cook house is the responsibility of the Army Service Corps (ASC) supported by the Army Medical Corps (AMC) and the Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC). The Food Inspection Organization of the ASC lays down the best practices to be followed in terms of inspection, sampling, analysis, dispatch and issue of both fresh and processed edible foodstuff. The Armed Forces have their own network of Composite Food Laboratories for sampling and analysis of the food items. To ensure superior quality the Defence Food Specifications are much higher than legislated by the Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI) for the general public. This paper highlights the best practices followed to ensure food safety and quality control in the Indian Armed Forces.