Has anyone had any experience with ordering kosher food through the local commissary? I’ve heard that most commissaries can arrange to stock specialty items if requested, but the few times I’ve spoken with commissary managers they were not very helpful.
If anyone has any suggestions or experiences, please post them here. Aside from my own use, I would like to compose some kind of story that will help out others to do this.
I’ve had much better luck with Albertson’s than with the Commissary. Although I’ve also found that Kosher Butchers are very helpful. One small town I lived in, all the jews (all 20 or so) would get together and put in their order with the Kosher Butcher in the nearest “big city” - 1 hour away. The Butcher would drive up and deliver the goods to us every quarter or so.
I’ve had zero luck with the commissary. Albertsons, etc. are great, but the problem is that we are forced to drive 2+ hours to get kosher meats and cheeses (or pay a premium to have them shipped). This could turn into an even larger problem if we wind up getting stationed overseas.
If we live in a community with a larger Jewish community, then the civillian route is certainly the easier way to go. Unfortunately for us jarhead aviators, SoCal is probably the only spot where this would be the case.
My guess is that the commissary network already has something in their supply system, and it’s just a matter of getting the items routed to our local store. If that, in fact, is the case then it would make life a whole lot easier for us isolated folks. That’s why I’d like to hear from someone who has actually worked with the commissary on this issue; to see how the ordering would actually work.
In Germany we are facing a couple of other issues. As far as meats, frozen chicken and turkey are usually available as well as Hebrew National products, again frozen. There are no fresh meats. OTOH, all the beef in the commissary is imported from the US because of the concern of BSE, there is no availability of kosher beef through the commissary system.
Almost all of the packaged products and canned goods are imported from the US, so careful label reading serves as well as in the states. The is true, as well, for the frozen products to include pizzas, vegtables and fast meals.
When in comes to dairy products, most cheeses are also imported from the US, so we are facing the same issues as you. The main source of fresh dairy products, while not under certifcation, is inspected by our US vet personnel and handles only fresh dairy products and nothing that would be remoting considered outside of kashrut. So that leaves each person to decide their level of observance and willingness to live on soy milk, desire for yogurt, etc.
There is a small section of truly kosher products that hangs on from one passover to the next. It can become quite challenging to convince the commissary personnel that they MUST put last years Matzoh on sale before passover this year, which may give you an idea of how long some of it hangs out and the prices that get charged.
Two years ago I tried my best to get kosher food through the Fort Irwin, CA commissary and the managers were no help at all. I even took them around their store to point out the kosher food that they did stock (lots of packaged junkfood). I asked about getting special orders and was told that it wasn’t possible, so I emailed the Defense Commissary Agency. The commissary manager called my commander complaining that I’d gotten him into trouble, but still didn’t go out of his way to help me. The excuse was that I couldn’t get kosher items because my commissary was in a low category because of its size. Military communities closer to Marsh AFB had more options, but Marsh was still too far away for us to drive regularly. The commissary at Fort Bragg, NC was much more accommodating but they have a large population, a larger jewish community, and Bragg has a great Rabbi Chaplain. Bragg even stocked kosher chickens, frozen gefilte and chopped liver. I don’t remember ever seeing any red meat though, probably because of the reasons mentioned in other posts.
I know that My Own Meals supplies Glatt Kosher MREs for the military, and was wondering if that is what you are referring to. (We use their MREs in our Passover Seder Kits.)
MoMs is great, but I’m talking about regular food to eat in our home. MREs are fine for the field, and occasional use when traveling, but I can’t feed them to my family on a regular basis (at least with a good conscience). Right now, I have to make the 2 1/2 hour drive to San Antonio each month to stock up. In Florida, we actually ordered it through the mail (read: mucho dinero)!
It seems that commissaries can get kosher meats & cheeses, but only at larger facilities. I heard the same response Will did when I tried obtaining kosher food at NAS Whiting Field. The manager seemed willing to talk with me, but claimed that they were limited in what they could order because they were so small.
I thought this was a cop-out at the time, but perhaps it is the case. It seems like if it were in the DeCA system, then anyone could order it… I’d really like to know if anyone has successfully convinced a small commissary to carry kosher items.
When I first got to Wiesbaden, Germany my wife & I went to their small commissary. They had a few Empire chickens. We asked a clerk if they could get more as well as other kosher food. She told us she’d have to ask the manager and to get back to them. About a week later they gave us a list of items they could order and asked us to mark the items we wanted. There was no kosher cheese on this list nor was there frozen gefilte fish or chopped liver. I deployed less than 2 months later and they still hadn’t gotten more chickens in. The same clerk saw me there about a month later and apologized with some excuse about their shipment not coming in. We fortunately found a kosher market in Frankfurt which is pretty close to Wiesbaden. Since then they’ve gotten more chicken and turkey. But their kosher for Passover items were very small last year and very expensive. We were told they couldn’t order more because the previous year there was a lot left over. This was our “success” in getting kosher items from a small commissary.
1) in Japan (when we were not yet a military family) our friend int he airforce was able to special order kosher meat
2) now (we are an Army family) the West Point commissary said they could order kosher meat for me, but that it would be VERY expensive compared to what I could get if I am willing to travel a little bit. Not too difficult to find it outside the base, since it is NY!
As far as West Point goes, I believe that it’s not far from the Rockland County Jewish Communities of Monsey and Spring Valley. They have loads of Kosher shops there.
In the Australian Army while on course, in barracks, they order for me pre-cooked frozen food, which they heat up. Unfortunately I cant get MRE’s or kosher field rations, I just eat the ‘E’ ration which is the vegetarian menu. Wish I could get those darn MRE’s from MoM… they can’t import it into Australia and the army wont go to that trouble for 1 Jew.
Well, we sell Kosher MREs on our website, they are not only for military use. If you have the need and the time needed for shipping (cheapest way is by boat, 4-6 weeks) then we can sell them to you. They cost 5.80 per piece. We might be ‘expanding’ our menu for this Passover.
How much would it cost to ship say 10 meals? Is it just meals or a complete ration pack. We get given a ration pack which includes food for 24hrs, it includes 2 main meals, a soup mix, museli bars, chocolate, lollies and tinned fruit, cheese etc etc. Also I wonder if there would be any troubles with Customs and Quarantine getting that food into the country?
Right now we are selling Kosher for Passover Seder Kits (everything you need for 2 seders from matzoh, grape juice, haggadah, 2 meals, gefilte fish and dessert) and Kosher MREs separately. In the next week or so, we will be putting together a complete shelf stable meal (main dish, soup, dessert, cookie, raisins etc.). Check our website at http://www.judaicatreasures.com (Jewish Holidays section, Passover tab, Passover Food Pantry link).
Customs and quarantine issues I am not familiar with, better to find it out at your end. The MREs are not that heavy, I would estimate about 9.00 or so, the exact price I’d know when I weigh it and take it to the post office. Boat transit time is about 6 weeks, there are quicker times also (but a bit costlier).
My name is Mark Lewack (FWIW, I prefer Moshe or Moishe).
I am a Senior Chief Marine Science Technician. I am halfway through my 30th year of active
duty in the Coast Guard. I am currently stationed at Coast Guard Sector Baltimore (since 2002).
On Feb 1, 2007, I will retire from the Coast Guard, but G-d willing I will still serve the Coast Guard
in either a full-time Civilian position or the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
On the subject of Kosher food, I can say that although it is virtually impossible to get kosher
meats and traditional Jewish foods in the Commissaries stocked here in the DC - Baltimore area.
As has been pointed out, when you ask the Commissary Managers to stock Kosher meats and
traditional foods, there is much resistance to the idea. Nevertheless, they have never been
rude or disrespectful.
The lone exceptions are what you would find in most off-base supermarkets. While it is
impossible to get these foods to be stocked in the Commissaries, one still can maintain a
kosher lifestyle and save a bundle of money. In particular, the Fort Meade has alot of bakery
goods, some packaged fishes and soft cheeses, and many of the commercial products stocked
there have Hechshers (approved Kosher symbols, such as OU, Star-K, Kof-K, CRC, KVH, O-K, etc.).
In addition, there are several kosher butchers and suppliers in the Baltimore-Silver Spring (Wheaton) and Rockville communities that provide all of the Kosher food that my family
and I consume. If you require a listing of Kosher markets and restaurants in the U.S. or
abroad, visit:
