High-quality nutrition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine: Ministry of Defenсe announces first results of new food supply model

The State Operator for Non-Lethal Acquisition (DOT), the Ministry of Defence’s procurement agency, has completed the first stage of implementing the updated food supply model for military personnel in Kyiv and Kyiv region. Throughout the first half of 2025, new approaches were tested, enabling enhanced quality control and transparent pricing.

Key results of the pilot project:

• Tripartite contracts were concluded between DOT, the logistics operator “Ukrainian Transparent Company”, and producers. A total of 164 producers were qualified within the framework of signal tenders.
• An average of 500 tonnes of food products were delivered weekly to distribution centres.
• The total volume of supplies amounted to 5.56 million kilograms of food products.
• At the beginning of implementation, over 11% of food products were returned due to quality non-compliance, but thanks to tighter control, this figure gradually decreased.
• According to the survey results, 93% of participating producers confirmed their willingness to continue cooperation under the updated format.

The model introduced mandatory incoming quality control at the logistics operator’s warehouses with the involvement of DOT representatives. This enabled the timely detection of problematic batches and ensured that deliveries met established standards. 

A survey is also underway among service members who received food under the new model. Preliminary results show that more than half of respondents noted improvements in product quality, including higher quality, better taste, and deliveries became more regular. The survey will remain open until 15 July.

“For the first time, service members received food through a new supply model. It allowed us not not only to supply better food products to the troops, but also to identify strategic challenges. To improve quality, greater operational capacity is needed from all participants. But the result is clear: effective cooperation with the market has demonstrated that scaling up this model is necessary and possible,” said Halyna Litosh, Director of the Food Program at DOT.  

DOT is currently preparing to scale this approach to cover more regions. This includes improving cooperation with the logistics operator and producers, as well as adapting the regulatory framework. 

DOT encourages businesses to engage in supplying the Armed Forces of Ukraine and reminds them of the market consultation mechanism, which provides an opportunity to learn about requirements and ask questions. Contact email: [email protected].