Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A. Nurhazwani, A. Nurul-Aziah & M.R. Aikal-Liyani
Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Business, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Kelantan, Malaysia
ABSTRACT: The study was to evaluate the nutrient content of menu provided to recruits in the Basic
Recruit Training Centre, Port Dickson, Malaysia. From a 4-week cycle menu, the menu during the 3rd
week was randomly chosen to obtain an average nutrient content. Nutrient content of menu was evalu-
ated for 7 days from three main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and snacks (morning and tea breaks) and
was compared with the Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs) of Malaysia and the military dietary rec-
ommendation for Malaysian Armed Forces,
Perintah Majlis Angkatan Tentera
(PMAT) to determine the
nutritional adequacy of the menu for male recruits. The energy from the menu was within the range of 2772
to 2843 kcal, and met the energy recommendation of RNIs for general male aged 19 to 29 years but it did
not meet the energy recommendation for recruits in training based on military dietary recommendation,
PMAT. Protein from the menu has exceeded the RNIs and PMAT recommendation (17.4% to 18.3%). Fat
content of the menu exceeded the recommended range of 20% to 30%. Carbohydrate was not sufficiently
provided by the catering within the recommended carbohydrate range of 55% to 70%. Nutrient values for
vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, sodium and zinc met the recommendation of RNIs
(100% of RNIs). However, the levels of calcium and dietary fiber in the menu were suboptimal. Therefore,
corrective action should be taken to ensure the nutrient content of menu provided is sufficient for the physi-
cal activity level of recruits during training especially from carbohydrate food sources.
Keywords
:
Nutrient content, menu, contract catering, basic recruit training, military foodservice
1 INTRODUCTION
know if the menu provides an adequate nutrient
for basic recruit training.
Starting from 1999 onwards, some military
cookhouses in Malaysia were subcontracted to a
contract catering in order to improve the facilities,
food, and services, including the military cook-
houses in the basic recruit training center. The
types of dishes provided by the contract catering
are more or less the same with the cookhouses,
with some new dishes incorporated. However,
while the cookhouses used fully fresh food ingredi-
ents to cook the menu, the contract catering envi-
sioned the ready-made paste, packed in flexible
plastic retort pouches with some freeze-dried com-
ponents, as main cooking ingredients, added with
fresh food materials (Kor Perkhidmatan Diraja,
KPD, 2010). Menu was planned based on the
regulation in the Order of the Military Council,
Perintah Majlis Angkatan Tentera
(PMAT) Malay-
sia (PMAT, 2003). The contract catering offers a
4-week cycle menu for the soldiers. They have the
standard food portions when serving the food to
the soldiers according to the military dietary rec-
ommendation for Malaysian Armed Forces,
Perin-
tah Majlis Angkatan Tentera
(PMAT, 2003).
Basic recruit training is the prerequisite before
joining Malaysia military for recruit's age between
18 to 24 years old (Ministry of Defense Malaysia,
MINDEF, 2011). Recruits are in the transition
phase from a civilian to a soldier and are not yet a
soldier. They are trained in the basic recruit training
centre, Port Dickson where the basic health needs
for soldiers are regulated by the military institu-
tion (Marshall & Meiselman, 2006). This training
center is a semi closed food system, in which the
contract catering serves as the primary foodserv-
ice for the recruits and other ranking officers. It is
compulsory for the recruits to eat within the cater-
ing facilities while the other ranks can select to eat
elsewhere (Zainon, Menu Planner, personal com-
munications, December 13, 2010). Thus, energy
and nutrient intakes as well as food choices of
recruits are greatly influenced by the food system
(Smith, Davis-street, Rice & Nillen, 2001). Hence,
this presents a challenge to the contract catering,
especially the menu planners, who must compete
by items offered that appeal to the soldiers for suf-
ficient energy intake during training. They need to
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