On June 19, the state enterprise “State Rear Operator” (SRO) of the Ministry of Defense canceled the purchase of daily food sets for the military, which were supposed to include halal and kosher products.
Until the end of the year, they planned to contract 180 thousand dry rations for 61.05 million UAH. Each box was supposed to contain nine rations: seven regular, one halal and one kosher.
Four lots of 45 thousand sets were announced, but none received offers from participants.
The intention to expand the list of rations arose in autumn of 2024 after a survey in the Army+ application. Of the more than 9,000 military personnel surveyed, about 25% indicated the need for inclusive nutrition – taking into account religious, medical or ethical restrictions.
In April, the Ministry of Defense approved a new technical specification. Four more were added to the usual 14 menus – two halal ones for military personnel who adhered to Islamic dietary standards, and two kosher ones – for those who professed Judaism.
They include dishes made from lamb, beef, chicken and turkey. Like regular dry rations, the rations consist of three meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and contain: biscuits, crackers, first and second courses in retort bags, coffee, sugar, honey, jam, spices, napkins and disposable spoons.
The new technical specifications (TS) take into account not only religious standards, but also high requirements for certification, packaging and control.
According to the Customs Union, halal sets must be accompanied by a Halal certificate. It is issued by the official Muslim body of Ukraine with the status of “Spiritual Administration” or a foreign institution accredited in the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The certificate is issued after checking all stages of production. In addition, the primary packaging of products must take place under the supervision of a Halal expert, and the packaging must have the appropriate marking.
The same rules apply to kosher menus: the Kosher certificate can only be issued by a body registered in Ukraine, authorized by religious organizations of Jewish communities. Production processes are also checked, primary packaging is under the supervision of a Kosher expert, and the set has the appropriate marking.
The SRO clarified that on April 15, an updated technical specification for daily field food sets came into force, which, in addition to traditional rations, also provided for inclusive ones, in particular halal and kosher.
“This is a completely new procurement item not only for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but also for the market as a whole – as of the date of signing the CU, not a single manufacturer had certificates of conformity for retort pouch production processes,” the agency said in a statement.
After the updated bids were submitted, SRO announced a procurement that, according to the proven need, provided for the joint placement of both standard and inclusive rations in one box. However, given the technological complexity of manufacturing inclusive sets and the requirement for joint packaging, not a single participant submitted a proposal – such a model is not yet available on the market from manufacturers.
In this regard, SRO, together with the Central Directorate for Engineering and Infrastructure Support, is reviewing approaches to the formation of group packaging of dry rations and, as a result, lots for the procurement procedure. After approval, new tenders will be announced, since, based on the results of several market consultations, manufacturers confirmed their interest in establishing mass production of halal and kosher dry rations. (URP)