Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has announced plans to include kosher, halal, and vegan military rations starting from December 2024.
The new ready-to-eat foods aim to meet the needs of military personnel, respecting their beliefs, health considerations, and ethical principles. They will be introduced following the completion of the development and approval process.
“Inclusive nutrition is not only about changes in dry rations; it is about changes in worldview”
According to the announcement, consultations have already occurred with various religious leaders and communities, and animal rights organizations such as Every Animal and UAnimals, which contributed to developing vegan rations with similar calorie content, nutritional value, ease of preparation, and price as traditional meals.
Halyna Litosh, director of DOT project portfolio management, shared: “As a part of the Euro-Atlantic family, we must adopt an inclusive culture and strive to meet the needs of the military as fully as possible.
“Inclusive nutrition is not only about changes in dry rations; it is about changes in worldview and our synchronization with the Euro-Atlantic vector.”
Respecting nutrition and beliefs
A 2020 study by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology revealed that 4.5 million Ukrainians were vegetarians, while about 800,000 were vegans. Many of them enlisted in the army, and in April 2022, soon after Russia’s full invasion, Ukrainian serviceman Petro Pavlov filed a petition asking President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to create military meals for vegetarians and vegans in everyday operations and combat zones.
Over 25,500 Ukrainians signed the petition, and President Zelenskyy tasked Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal with addressing the issue. Currently, vegan rations for the military are provided either by volunteers such as the Lviv Vegan Kitchen (vegconomist has been supporting the project since 2022) or by Every Animal, which sends soldiers plant-based foods through a dedicated program.
The vegan parcels include various plant-based meat, including products from the plant-based meat brands Eat Me At, soups, cereals, beans, and vegetables delivered by (brave) delivery company Nova Poshta. According to the animal rights organization, over 1,500 parcels have been sent to the defenders.
Dmytro Klimenkov, Deputy Minister of Defense for Ukraine, commented, “We know that many of our troops follow different religious traditions or have special dietary needs, so we actively work with religious communities and nutrition experts. We also understand the importance of ethical choices, so plant-based dry rations will be an important part of our new strategy. This is not only a matter of nutrition, but also of respect for the beliefs of each fighter.”
