About this Summary
This summary was created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) to help readers quickly understand the key points of the article.
It has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication. For complete information and full details, please read the full article.
- More than €9.5 million was spent feeding soldiers in 2025, while existing food plans were not being implemented satisfactorily in practice.
- Surprise inspections found hot meals below the 60°C minimum, with pork and potatoes measured in the danger zone for rapid microorganism growth.
- Orders at some outposts exceeded actual troop numbers by up to 100%, and the Audit Office said tighter ordering controls could save about €10,000 weekly.
- Survey results showed 73% of soldiers avoid certain foods, 69% rely on canteen products, and only around 20% of special-diet soldiers felt their needs were met.
An Audit Office report has identified significant weaknesses in National Guard food provision, ranging from food safety and quality checks to ordering and food waste. More than €9.5 million was spent on feeding soldiers in 2025.
The report, based partly on on-site inspections and 1,106 soldier questionnaires, found that the National Guard food system generally meets basic nutritional needs but that existing plans are not being implemented satisfactorily in practice.
This has resulted in waste, deviations from prescribed receiving procedures and risks concerning compliance with contractual requirements for the quantity and quality of meals.
Food served below safety temperature
One of the report’s key findings concerns temperature checks on prepared meals.
During a surprise inspection on January 22, 2026, delivery records showed a temperature of 65°C. However, measurements taken by the Audit Office using a certified thermometer found the pork was between 35°C and 45.2°C, while the potatoes ranged from 20°C to 50.2°C.
The contractual minimum temperature for hot food is 60°C.
The Audit Office said these temperatures fall within the “danger zone” of 5°C to 58°C, where microorganisms can multiply rapidly, concluding that food was not being maintained at the required safety levels.
Weaknesses were also found in delivery checks. In one case, the contractor’s thermometer did not correspond to the code recorded on the delivery document and was not appropriately certified.
An electronic scale used to check portions had last been inspected in 2022 and was subsequently found to be unsuitable for the specific check.
Orders up to 42% above requirements
The report also identified significant over-ordering at military outposts.
In an examination of orders, individual portions were found to exceed the daily authorised number of soldiers by 42% and 40%, respectively. At two specific outposts, orders were 100% and 57% higher than the number of soldiers actually present.
The Audit Office calculated that using a contractual provision allowing side dishes to be reduced by up to 50% where there is under-consumption could, in the scenario examined, cut daily food costs by 11% at camps and 12% at outposts.
This would amount to savings of around €10,000 a week.
73% avoid certain foods
According to the questionnaire, 73% of soldiers said they avoid or do not eat certain foods, mainly because of quality, taste, preparation or suitability. Legumes and fish recorded particularly low acceptance.
Meanwhile, 69% said they sometimes or daily rely on products from military canteens to meet their nutritional needs, while 41% said they eat food from outside their camps.
The Audit Office linked these findings to soldiers not consuming National Guard meals, resulting in wasted resources and additional costs for their families.
Overall satisfaction with food provision was described as moderate, ranging from 44.5% to 61%. The lowest scores were recorded for drinks, at 44.5%, and breakfast, at 48.9%.
Only around 20% of soldiers following special diets said their nutritional needs were adequately or fully met.
The report also found that the soldiers’ daily energy requirements have not been scientifically established and that meals have not been analysed for their carbohydrate, fat and protein content.
Health concerns and complaints
Around one in four respondents said they had experienced mild health problems, mainly gastrointestinal conditions, which they attributed to the food provided.
The Audit Office described this as a “serious indicator” regarding soldiers’ perceptions of the quality and hygiene of food provision. At the same time, the cleanliness of catering areas and equipment was rated positively.
Around one in five participants said they had submitted a complaint about food provision. However, only 18% believed their complaints had been resolved either fully or partially, while 75% said they had not been resolved.
Staffing and waste concerns
Of the 21 professional Class A cooks serving in the National Guard, four of the 17 active unit kitchens, or 24%, do not have a professional cook. At another unit, a professional cook is serving despite there being no active kitchen.
From the start of the current contract on January 20, 2025, until the completion of the audit on March 6, 2026, around 720,000 individual meals had been distributed in single-use packaging.
The Audit Office found that the packaging often ends up in general waste bins instead of being recycled.
Some 48% of catering units said they did not have recycling bins, while 52% said they were not served by a licensed collective waste management system.
Calls for tighter controls
The Audit Office has recommended establishing the National Guard Food Committee (TESEF), scientifically assessing soldiers’ nutritional needs and strengthening controls over the receipt and distribution of meals.
It called on the Defence Ministry, in cooperation with the Health and Agriculture ministries, to formalise the committee and define its responsibilities and operating procedures.
The report also recommends establishing soldiers’ daily energy requirements and the appropriate proportions of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, alongside laboratory analysis of meals and nutritional information for each portion.
To reduce waste, the Audit Office recommends using the new SEDITΕF system to identify excessive orders, allowing half portions at outposts and applying the contractual provision for reducing side dishes by up to 50% when under-consumption is recorded.
For food safety, it recommends supplying the seven units that provide food to remote outposts with certified thermometers to check the temperature of transported meals. Portable refrigerators should also be considered when temperature deviations are identified.
Additional inspections of the contractor’s facilities, as well as microbiological and chemical laboratory testing, are also recommended.
The Audit Office further calls for the menu to be upgraded and diversified, with more balanced and healthy options, increased use of fresh food, more breakfast and drink choices and more frequent provision of fresh fruit.
It also recommends reviewing meals with high levels of dissatisfaction, creating mechanisms for soldiers to provide feedback, giving greater consideration to special dietary needs and improving the complaints process.
Also read: West Nile virus detected in horse in Paralimni
For more videos and updates, check out our YouTube channel
