Bulgarian Soldiers Go Hungry as Army Catering Service Collapses

The Bulgarian professional soldiers are receiving food allowances in cash after their catering service collapsed. Photo by BGNES

Three of the four firms providing catering services to the Bulgarian armed forces have pulled out of their contracts leaving the men and women in uniform without properly provided daily food rations.

The problem has arisen at the beginning of June as the catering companies did not agree to continue their contracts with the Defense Ministry after May 31, reported the 24 Chasa Daily citing Deputy Defense Minister Valentin Radev.

Thus, as of June 1, the vast majority of the Bulgarian servicemen on duty have start to bring home-cooked food when or duty or to sneak out to nearby pubs, restaurants and bars.

Bulgarian Army has started to pay cash food allowances of BGN 10 per day to those soldiers on duty eligible for free food.

The catering services were introduced to the Bulgarian Army in 2006, the rationale being that the army officers themselves should only be dealing with military matters, and should be relieved of food provision responsibilities. The catering contracts were signed with four firms Bultabax 2000, Petrobild, Sale Commerce Ltd, and P. Dusman Ltd without de facto public procurement tenders.

The experimental catering worked well at the beginning while the draft was still in place in Bulgaria because the conscripts were obliged to eat in the army canteens. But the service ran into disrepute as the last conscripts were sent home in 2007, replaced by the mercenaries who could eat wherever they wish.

Meanwhile, the quality of the catering service has declined with smaller rations and higher prices.

According to current Deputy Defense Minister Radev, the major problem was the provisions of the public procurement contracts which did not allow the military officers to supervise the quality of the catering services.

Catering firms have complained that they are struggling because of the unpredictable number of soldiers who might take advantage of their services. One of the firms, Petromax, claims that it is owed BGN 6 M by the Defense Ministry for food that it provided since 2009.

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