By Jefferson Wolfe Fort Lee Public Affairs Officer
FORT LEE, Va. — For those who want food loaded with protein that is quickly purchased and prepared, there is a new option at Fort Lee.
The commissary is one of five in Virginia hosting a pilot for the new Prepared Food Chicken Program, an initiative aimed at providing affordable and convenient meal options for military families.
The program introduces a selection of ready-to-heat, chilled chicken products. The new display will have chicken wings, tenders, wraps, sandwiches, chicken salad and other items.
“The objective is to be a meal solution center,” said James Taylor, the chief of fresh deli, baking and prepared foods for the Defense Commissary Agency.
The new products will be available for lunch and dinner and will be “ready to eat, ready to heat or ready to cook,” he said.
A ribbon-cutting hosted by Military Deli Bakery Services took place March 6 to mark the official launch.
“I’m excited to see what the impact will be and the value it will actually bring,” said Command Master Chief Mario S. Rivers, the Defense Commissary Agency’s senior enlisted advisor to the director.
Many younger people, including service members and their families, are looking for high-protein items that are easily prepared, said Patty Wilson, vice president of deli services for Military Deli Bakery Services.
“That’s what they’re telling me,” she said. “We want protein, we want variety.”
The Defense Commissary Agency partnered with Tyson Foods to provide a variety of flavors and products, and the individual delis will also prepare many of the offerings in-store, Wilson said. The stores will also change out items seasonally to keep the product mix fresh.
“Grab-and-go and prepared food options are one of the fastest-growing areas of food service,” Rivers said.
The new pilot is a good example of industry and government working together, said Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas J. Skelton, the senior enlisted advisor for the Army Sustainment University.
“That’s the kind of partnership we need more of,” he said.
The five commissary locations in Virginia include Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Naval Air Station Oceana and both commissaries on Joint Base Langley-Eustis.