Cross-Service Comparison of Plant-Based Procurement in the U.S. Military

Demand for plant-based options in the U.S. Military is growing. Across all branches, the military serves 37 million meals-ready-to-eat (MREs) annually, with overall meals served totaling over one billion. As such, the military is one of the largest food purchasers in the country – and they’re currently looking to increase the number of plant-based field rations they offer and looking to manufacture plant-based proteins as well.

To support food manufacturers interested in supporting the military’s efforts to feed enlisted Americans, PBFI has created an easy-to-use tool that provides a comparative analysis of plant-based food specifications across U.S. military branch buying guides. It tracks the inclusion of various products—such as burgers, meat analogs, and meatless options—across the Army, Air Force, Navy, and USMC, highlighting shifts in terminology, new product additions, and ongoing areas for growth like the normalization of tofu.

Plant-based products in the buying guides

Filter by service branch, isolate the categories that changed, or narrow to the most recent guide from each service. Rows carry forward exactly as written in the source guides, including raw and fully cooked designations.

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Entries reproduce the language of each buyers' guide. NEW marks a category appearing for the first time in that service's newest guide.
✓ Carried ✓ NEW Added in newest guide removed Dropped from newest guide placeholder Spec listed but not effective — Not included

What the Guides Show

The updated military buyers' guides show a gradual but clear shift toward normalizing plant-based proteins as viable menu options. Terminology moves away from "vegetarian" and toward "plant-based," and several new plant-based items appear across services. Adoption remains uneven. The Navy shows the strongest movement toward center-of-plate treatment, while the Army, Air Force, and USMC still retain "side entrée" language for some plant-based options, and tofu remains largely inactive or absent across all services.

  • Shifts that Encourage Plant-Based: Navy and Air Force both move away from "vegetarian" and toward "plant-based" descriptors. The USMC already used plant-based language, though its older guide titled Chapter 9 "Further Processed Products (Plant-Based Included)." The V6 2025 guide renames it simply "Product Blends" and adds a formal standalone "Plant-Based Product Requirements" section in the introduction, with an actual definition of plant-based.

  • The Navy’s 2026 Upgrade: The Navy made the most significant shift, and the only one of its kind, in 2026 by dropping "side entrée" language entirely and upgrading plant-based proteins to full center-of-plate status. Under the earlier guide, two burgers had to be served to count as an entrée. Now one suffices. The Army, Air Force, and USMC all still use "side entrée" language in their newest guides for some plant-based options.

  • New Plant-Based Options Added

    • Chik'n patties added across Navy, Air Force, and USMC in their newest guides.

    • Meat analog ground, raw added to Navy, already carried by the other branches.

    • Meat analog burger, raw added to Navy, already carried by Air Force and Army. USMC does carry a fully cooked meat analog burger, just not a raw version.

    • Breakfast sandwich added to Navy and USMC.

    • Tempeh added to Navy and USMC, already carried by Army and Air Force.

  • Where New Plant-Based Options Can Grow: Tofu remains the only plant-based protein that no service has fully activated. The Air Force continues to carry it as a placeholder spec marked "not effective." The Navy removed even the placeholder in its 2026 update, leaving tofu referenced only as a noodle ingredient. The Army and USMC never included it at all. Shelf-life concerns, displacement by tempeh, or a stalled spec finalization could each explain the gap. The Army, Air Force, and USMC all still use "side entrée" language in their newest guides for some plant-based options, which caps how these products can appear on a menu regardless of whether the spec exists.

Underlying data

Nutrition specifications for all plant-based products across these buyers' guides are compiled in a companion spreadsheet: view the nutrition specs