House Audit Committee Finds National Guard Conscript Meals Satisfactory

Nicosia, Cyprus. Members of the House audit committee said on Thursday that meals for National Guard conscripts are in a satisfactory state overall, as they discussed a special report by the Audit Office. The report’s findings were presented to the committee by Audit Office director Akis Kikas.

Audit Office findings

Kikas told the committee that €10 million is set aside every year to feed conscripts. He rated the meals as satisfactory for both quantity and quality, and also pointed to efforts to limit food waste. In his words, “The Audit Office’s assessment is that the food is very satisfactory.”

The audit combined unannounced inspections and meal tastings at catering sites and military kitchens with a questionnaire. The questionnaire went to 1,100 conscripts chosen at random across Cyprus.

Procurement and catering

Christina Stefanou, who represents the public procurement directorate of the treasury, said external catering began as a pilot scheme in Larnaca in 2018 and in Nicosia in 2019, after a tender run by the defence ministry. Military kitchens obtain their ingredients under a treasury framework agreement, and raw materials account for €3.3 million of spending.

Ministry response

Stelios Kountouris, deputy permanent secretary at the defence ministry, called the overall findings positive. He said a number of improvements had been put in place already or were in progress.

According to Kountouris, an electronic ordering system has been introduced to cut waste and has produced encouraging results. He added that individual dietary needs are being taken into account. He also confirmed that hiring of professional cooks is under way and has reached the evaluation stage.

A representative of the health ministry said the menus were drawn up in cooperation with clinical dietitians.