IDF: The Most Vegan Army in the World

STRICTLY SECURITY | Veganism is a growing phenomenon around the world, and Israel is no exception. In a country where military service is compulsory, there are implications on the army with the number of vegan soldiers growing every year. How is the I.D.F. dealing with it? Jonathan Regev has the story.

Story:

The Israeli military is the most vegan army in the world with one in every eighteen soldiers — more than five percent declaring themselves as vegan. According to a recent report by the Israeli military, the number of vegans has increased twenty-fold in the past three years, with the majority serving in the Intelligence Corps. This new reality presents various challenges for the army first and foremost when it comes to food.

"There are replacements for vegans. We have soy replacements with soy milk and yogurts for breakfast. For lunch there are vegetables with mushroom there are nuts and almonds. In the field there is also a vegan replacement rich in protein," Lt. Col. Yafit Edri, I.D.F. Head of Culinary Development said.

As the number of vegan soldiers rises, so does the demand for a proper response. The military kitchen — once notorious for feeding soldiers mostly with spam, is providing much more than that today, with a special emphasis on the needs of its vegan soldiers.

"All of our kitchen commanders are chefs who receive special training. This year we had 6 different courses for vegans where the chefs received different menus and tried the food," Edri explained.

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