NEWS RELEASE

Defense Commissary Agency

Corporate Communications

1300 E Avenue, Fort Lee, VA 23801-1800

Tel:  (804) 734-8000, Ext. 8-6105  DSN: 687-8000, Ext. 8-6105 

FAX: (804) 734-8248  DSN: 687-8248

www.commissaries.com

Release Number:        15-21                                                                                                                        

Date:                              March 4, 2021

Media Contact:           Kevin L. Robinson, public affairs specialist

Tel.:                               (804) 734-8000, Ext. 4-8773

E-mail:                         kevin.robinson@deca.mil

‘Fuel with us’

Commissaries begin launch of dietitian-approved, ready-to-eat stations for on-the-go troops

By Kevin L. Robinson,

DeCA public affairs specialist

FORT LEE, Va. – The lifestyle of a young service member can be beyond hectic with ongoing deployments and constant training rotations.

To help these busy service members access quick, nutritious meals and snacks, the Defense Commissary Agency launched the first phase of its dietitian-approved fueling station program at 22 commissaries in February. More stores will be added later this month in phase two of the roll out.

The stations offer service members nutritious fueling foods they can use to build a meal or enjoy a before- or after-work out snack – items they can take on missions or stock in their barracks, said Bill Moore, DeCA director and CEO.

“Our fueling stations help show young service members that their commissary is a great destination for dietitian-approved, quick meals and snacks that are tasty and won’t require them to spend their time frequenting fast food establishments,” Moore said. “We hope to further our footprint of being their meal-time location to help maximize their performance and their health.”

The following commissaries have fueling stations: in Virginia – Fort Belvoir, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Fort Myer, Langley Air Force Base, Naval Station Norfolk, Fort Lee and Naval Air Station Oceana; in Maryland – Naval Air Station Patuxent River and Andrews Air Force Base; in Florida – Naval Air Station Jacksonville and MacDill Air Force Base; in Oklahoma – Fort Sill and Tinker Air Force Base; Fort Bragg South, North Carolina; Fort Benning, Georgia; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; McChord Air Force Base, Washington; Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Fort Riley, Kansas and Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi.

The fueling stations vary in size, space and makeup by store based on available space. All items for the stations are approved by Deborah Harris, registered dietitian and DeCA health and wellness program manager, MPH, RD, CDE.*

“The fueling station has been well received by our patrons,” said John Blythe, store director at Fort Belvoir, one of the pilot locations for fueling stations. “It offers a vast selection of healthier food, snack and refreshments that allows our patrons to make healthier nutritional choices. Our dedicated merchandising unit allows for a convenient central point of sale with products that have been dietitian-approved! We have noticed a significant sales lift on these products and we are proud to support the installation in their health and wellness needs.” 

Before launching the program, the commissary agency piloted it in 14 stores to promote the concept to those installations that their commissary can support weekly grocery shoppers as well as young soldiers who need a quick meal and snack destination, said Bonita Moffett, DeCA sales director. 

“Commissaries are a key player in the ‘fueling for performance’ messaging being delivered throughout the force that connects the importance of nutrition and diet to overall readiness,” Moffett said.

*Harris has a Masters of Public Health degree, and is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator.

“Our fueling stations target young service members who may not be cooking their own meals nor be in the habit of a weekly shopping pattern,” she added. “Our ready-to-eat program can save customers’ time and money while raising the nutritional focus of our younger shoppers by giving them a quick meal and snack option besides fast food.” 

The refueling station launch follows the commissaries’ release of the new Dietitian-Approved Thumb program (DAT) which uses DeCA-designed software to analyze and identify products in most of the commissary food categories based on up to 86 of the FDA-defined health attributes. The attributes analyzed identify dietitian-approved foods that limit added sugar, sodium and unhealthy fat while offering whole grains, healthy fats, fiber or lean protein.

Whether it’s fueling stations or the DAT nutrition guide, DeCA is engaged in identifying the commissary as one of several DOD focal points for health and wellness in the following ways:

• Targeted messaging such as “Cook More Meals at Home,” “Dietitian-Approved,” “We did the Work for You,” and “Fuel with Us,” to connect young troops with the nutritious items in their stores
•  Increasing stock lists of dietitian-approved and ready-to-eat, single serving and ethnic frozen entrees 
• Working with industry partners to promote “Better for You” products and incorporating past military leaders as brand ambassadors to reinforce to service members  that the commissary is their top option as a fueling source
• Raising the ante with installation health advisors, branch dietitians, wellness center staffs, morale-welfare-recreation (MWR) outlets and liaisons with enlisted troops to help educate younger customers about nutrition and healthy eating patterns

“The commissary scores the highest on the installation per the Military Nutrition Environment Assessment Tool and this further reinforces that we are the place to access nutritious foods to include ready-to-eat meals,” Moore said. “We should be considered by our military community as a key asset in achieving health and wellness goals, as well as supporting their individual readiness.

“We want our service members, especially those on the go performing their missions, to know their commissary is a safe, quick and easy option to meet their fueling needs,” he added. “Although this effort was launched with our busy service members in mind, we hope that busy families use it, too.”

-DeCA-

NEWS RELEASE

Defense Commissary Agency

Corporate Communications

1300 E Avenue, Fort Lee, VA 23801-1800

Tel:  (804) 734-8000, Ext. 8-6105  DSN: 687-8000, Ext. 8-6105 

FAX: (804) 734-8248  DSN: 687-8248

www.commissaries.com

Release Number:        12-21                                                                                                                        

Date:                              February 18, 2021

Media Contact:           Kevin L. Robinson, public affairs specialist

Tel.:                               (804) 734-8000, Ext. 4-8773

E-mail:                         kevin.robinson@deca.mil

‘Salute to Excellence’

Commissaries’ Freedom’s Choice Enhanced Water earns more industry honors for taste, label design

By Kevin L. Robinson,

DeCA public affairs specialist

Note: To read this release online, go to the DeCA website.

FORT LEE, Va. – The Defense Commissary Agency’s Freedom’s Choice Enhanced Water received the Private Label Manufacturers Association’s 2020 Salute to Excellence Award virtually through the PLMA’s Private Label Week event Feb. 1-5.

DeCA’s commissary store brand product emerged as a winner in the water category out of over 700 product submissions from 55 North American retailers in 68 categories. The submissions were tested and judged by evaluators from consumer and industry groups.

Taste was among the attributes lauded by PLMA judges. This is a key component to the product’s quality, said Bill Moore, DeCA director and CEO.

“The taste of our water is enhanced through an electrolysis process which is recognized as the premier technology for creating pure drinking waters,” Moore said. “The added electrolytes create a healthful drinking water that is perfect for after workout refueling – without adding calories.”

Because of social distancing restrictions linked to COVID-19 safety precautions, the PLMA replaced its traditional award display at its Chicago Trade Show with a “Salute to Excellence” winners video aired during the association’s virtual Private Label Week.

The water’s package label also drew praise. The look was a collaborative effort from the JPG Global and the SpartanNash design teams, said Jennifer Ferrell,DeCA’s private label program manager. SpartanNash is DeCA’s private label distributor.

“With the label design we wanted to capture the fluidity of the ocean along with the colors of our Freedom’s Choice logo,” Ferrell said. “We also wanted a design that would stand out from other waters so our customers would understand the elevated benefits of our product.

“Many of our customers have a dedicated exercise regimen, and we knew it was important to get the design and taste right while still ensuring optimal mineral replenishment,” she added. “We believe that this design accomplishes this, and we’re so honored that our industry colleagues noticed.”

DeCA’s Freedom’s Choice Enhanced Water was initially recognized in August 2020 when it received the 2020 Gold Vertex Award for packaging.

Besides the Freedom’s Choice brand, which includes food products, DeCA’s commissary store brands lineup also includes the HomeBase brand for non-food items including paper towel and tissue products, garbage bags and other household items.

Commissary Store Brands are also sold under TopCare (health and beauty), Full Circle Market (natural and organic food options), Tippy Toes (baby products), Flock’s Finest (wild bird food); Pure Harmony (pet food) and Wide Awake (coffee beverages). Crav’n Flavor (comfort food favorites) will be coming soon to commissary shelves.

Crav’n Flavor, TopCare, Full Circle Market, Tippy Toes, Flock’s Finest, Pure Harmony and Wide Awake are not exclusive to DeCA.

Since DeCA introduced its private label program in 2017, the agency has added over 1,000 private label products. Store brand sales in fiscal 2020 were over $136 million and the program moved almost 62 million units.

-DeCA-

St. Patrick is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. The legends that surround him that he drove the snakes out of Ireland and shared the Trinity through the use of the Irish clover, the shamrock, led to the celebration of St. Patrick. The secular holiday began in the United States in the 1700s and has grown over the years. While the potato famine occurred in Ireland, there was meat readily available in America, making corned beef a welcome addition to the potato and making dishes like corned beef brisket a staple for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

The International Aisle is a bevy of options for traditional Irish goods. Start St. Patrick’s Day with Irish Oatmeal that is truly hearty. There are several stone-ground mustards available in the International Aisle with varying levels of spice or kick. A seasonal favorite is Irish Potato Flakes – once made and kale or cabbage added with heavy cream makes the traditional Irish mashed potatoes of Colcannon.

Outside of the International aisle, the meat department offers plenty of options. Pre-packaged containers of brisket with carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and spices are all ready to go in one convenient package. When you get home, all that is needed is to put it in a stew pot with the required amount of liquid and viola – a traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal is ready to go. If you prefer, corned beef can be picked up in the meat department. The produce section offers a bounty of potato choices in addition to carrots (maybe even mix up the colors with rainbow carrots) and cabbage. Pickling spices are available in the Deli and/or spice aisle.

If Irish Seafood Chowder is your celebratory dish for St. Patrick’s Day, pick up any variety of seafood from the seafood counter from salmon, trout, or shellfish. The vegetables for the stew vary based on taste but can include celery, potatoes, or cabbage.

If you want to make your own pickling spice mix, hit the spice aisle to pick up whole peppercorns, bay leaves, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, allspice berries, ground mace, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, or ground ginger. The recipe for corned beef and cabbage pickling spices vary, so stick with the spices you know and use after making the pickling spice mix. Some basic pickling spice mix would be mustard seeds, allspice berries, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.

If you want pre-made Irish Soda Bread, check out the deli for a selection of different sized loaves of bread, some made into the size of muffins. The deli is a great place to get sugar cookies in shamrock shapes to decorate at home or even pre-decorated for a non-traditional but sweet treat.

For the adults in the home, if Irish Coffee is the cocktail of choice to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, pick up a strong, bold ground coffee and sugar from the commissary in preparation. If you are looking to make it a 21 and up only cocktail, don’t forget to stop by the Class 6 or Package store for Irish Whiskey like Jameson.

Things to get from the Commissary for your St. Patrick’s Day Celebration:

• Corned beef
• Cabbage
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Pickling Spices
• Stone-Ground Mustard
• Seafood as desired
• Celery
• Irish Oatmeal
• Irish Soda Bread
• Shamrock Cookies
• Heavy Cream
• Strong Ground Coffee
• Sugar

What will you eat this St. Patrick’s Day?

FORT LEE, Va. – Commissary overall worldwide customer savings were 25 percent for fiscal 2020, reported the Defense Commissary Agency.

The latest savings report reflects the market basket average that compares the pricing of commissary products with retailers outside the gate.

When it comes to delivering the commissary benefit, the savings are the thing for Bill Moore, DeCA’s director and CEO.

“To me it’s all about the benefit; how do we deliver the 23.7 percent savings our Congress mandated,” Moore said. “The analogy I like to use is for every dollar spent in the commissary, you have roughly saved yourself a quarter compared to what you would have spent outside the commissary. Across the agency, if we have $4 billion in revenue, we’ve saved our customers around the globe a $1 billion in their grocery expenses with the 25 percent savings we achieved in 2020.”

Congress requires that DeCA maintain the global savings at levels reasonably consistent with the fiscal 2016 baseline of 23.7 percent. “I am confident in the way we measure, the savings are real,” Moore said. “I do believe we need to better educate our eligible patrons on the savings and then we have to earn their trust. I want to show them how we calculate and develop those savings, and then let them reach their own conclusions.”

The customer savings reflects DeCA’s partnership with its industry partners to consistently offer patrons the lowest prices possible through programs such as the agency’s Your Everyday Savings (YES)! Program. YES! lowers prices year-round on trending items that commercial retailers often reduce temporarily as “loss leaders” to attract customers into their stores hoping they’ll buy their higher-priced products.

DeCA also sells private label products, known as commissary store brands, which offer high-quality products at even lower prices. “Every grocery chain offers private label items, and it’s an option our patrons expect in their commissaries,” Moore said. “I’m very excited about the private label opportunities we have, and how we will refine our strategy going forward.” 

The customer savings report also shows figures specific to each geographic area, indicating how much, on average, a patron could expect to save on grocery purchases in comparison with local grocers in that area. DeCA measures savings for a region so it can better monitor how much commissary patrons actually save in the geographic area in which they shop.

The agency also checks local prices at major retailers near commissaries, quarterly, to see how DeCA pricing compares in order to ensure that commissary customers are saving money when they shop their commissary.

Because the cost of living varies by geographic region, Congress requires DeCA to report on savings regionally. DeCA compares prices with commercial grocers, including at least one supercenter, in the local area of each commissary in the United States. The savings comparison measures 38,000 items at a regional level and local prices of about 1,000 products, which are representative of a shopper’s typical market basket.

“It is all about the benefit,” Moore said. “I do believe the savings make a significant difference to our customers’ quality of life. Even after my father retired from the Army as a combat veteran, I remember him and my mom passing several grocery stores for their weekly visit to the commissary because of the savings.”

            The fiscal 2020 patron savings versus the fiscal 2016 baseline are provided as follows (percentages rounded to the nearest tenth):

For information on savings by region, see the tables below.

FY 2020 SAVINGS VS. BASELINE OVERALL
AREA	FY 2016 BASELINE % SAVINGS	FY 2020 % SAVINGS
Total U.S. (including AK & HI)	20.2%	21.1%
Overseas	44.2%	42.6%
Global	23.7%	25.0%

Table 1

FY 2020 SAVINGS VS. BASELINE U.S. BY REGION
REGION	FY 2016 BASELINE % SAVINGS	FY 2020 % SAVINGS
New England (25 stores)	21.4%	21.8%
South Atlantic (22 stores)	19.9%	18.7%
North Central (13 stores)	20.2%	21.4%
South Central (26 stores)	18.1%	18.9%
Mountain (15 stores)	17.6%	20.0%
Pacific (22 stores)	20.9%	22.6%
Alaska & Hawaii (7 stores)	32.6%	33.2%
Total U.S. (130 stores)	20.2%	21.1%

Table 2

Note: Baseline percent savings for all U.S. commissaries shopped in Fall 2016 (177 commissaries)

-DeCA-

1. An orange – maybe just one if you live overseas and dealing with OCONUS prices, but stateside one whole bag can stretch across your entire family’s stockings! Apples are also awesome additions to the stocking – any fruit that won’t bruise while in the stocking.
2. Dried fruit – dried mango, apricots, figs in the produce aisle are healthier versions of fruit snacks.
3. Spiced nuts – usually on an end cap or in the produce aisle, pre-shelled nuts with holiday spices are a yummy treat and perfectly fit in a stocking.
4. Cookie decorating décor – fun sprinkles, tube icing, almond extract are the perfect stocking stuffers for the little baker – get in on the baking after the holidays with some fun decorating items from the baking aisle.
5. Hot cocoa packets – Grab a packet or two of specialty cocoas to try a variety!
6. Single-serve coffee – for the adults, consider a new canned coffee or instant coffee powder for a caffeine pick me up.
7. Cider packets – specialty flavored cider packets like caramel apple or apple spice are a fun addition to the stocking without having to commit to a whole box.
8. Spice mix – the International aisle has a bounty of spice mixes from all around the world – curry or enchilada mixes are perfect to pair with that holiday turkey for fun leftovers, grab a packet or box to put in the stocking.
9. Sauce – the International Aisle has jarred sauces like tikka masala, adobo, or marinara – there are so many options, consider getting one for yourself!
10. International Treats – One more time for the International aisle – from German bread mixes to British cookies, you really can’t go wrong with choosing a treat from this aisle.
11. Movie style candy – check out the candy aisle to grab each family members’ favorite movie candies to prep for a family movie night
12. Holiday treats – Check out the holiday display for other International Holiday foods like mince pies, German cookies, or the traditional fruit cake – try something new!

The commissary is a great place to stock up on stocking stuffers. Foodstuffs can add pizazz to meal making, which we could all use a little extra of this year. Bonus that this is a one-stop shop if you are already shopping for the holiday meal! Happy Shopping!