The Ministry of Defense will strengthen control over the quality of food for the military
16 May 15:28
Procurement of food products for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the second half of 2025 will be subject to enhanced quality control. This is stated in the report of the State Logistics Operator, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
What will be the main aspects of quality control?
According to the procurement agency of the Ministry of Defense, the new contracts provide for mandatory laboratory tests of sweet cream butter and hard cheeses, which have become leaders in the number of complaints from military personnel. Now, products in these categories will not be able to enter the Armed Forces without an official protocol from an accredited laboratory. This will help reduce the number of cases of counterfeit products being supplied to military units.
The new contracts also contain additional sanctions for suppliers for uncoordinated substitutions of goods without adjusting the request by military units.
As reported, in the first quarter of 2025, the State Logistics Operator imposed penalties on food suppliers to the Armed Forces of Ukraine totaling more than UAH 6 million. The reason was the detection of counterfeit products, including dairy products that did not meet state standards.
Food supplies are monitored online
The State Logistics Operator has introduced the DOT-Chain IT system, which allows authorized representatives of military units to file reports of violations (complaints) regarding product quality, completeness and timing of deliveries online.
First, it was possible to submit online complaints about product quality. And then, thanks to the digitalization of the process, the military were able to submit online complaints about all types of violations related to food supplies – quality, completeness and timing of deliveries.
For example, the system automatically detects discrepancies between ordered and actually delivered goods, records delays, and based on this information, automatically generates complaints, whether it is late delivery or shortages of certain food items.
These and other changes were the result of a systematic analysis of the results of previous procurements.
What procurement is planned for the second half of the year
The expected value of the procurement announced by the State Logistics Operator on May 15 is over UAH 22.5 billion.
Procurement is announced for supply to all regions except Kyiv and Kyiv region, where an updated procurement model is in place.
You can view the announcement at the link on the Prozorro website.
How food has been supplied to the Armed Forces since the beginning of the year
The State Logistics Operator reported stable contract fulfillment. As of today, it has
– more than 160 million kilograms of products have been shipped;
– over 103 million liters of drinking water have been delivered;
– about 20 thousand vehicle trips have been made;
– over 30 thousand applications from military units have been processed.
Positive trends in defense procurement are noticeable
In its 2024 public procurement review, Transparency International Ukraine noted, among other things, positive changes in defense procurement.
For example, it notes an increase in the number of competitive procurements, which should prevent abuse and price gouging.
The review mentions the introduction of the 24-hour rule in simplified defense procurement and emphasizes the importance of specifying the grounds for using non-competitive procurement methods.
