So while we don't have the current tender documents yet, we know that many millions more are being spent on food for the BDF. But is that value getting to the soldiers in the field, or are political operators just continuing to cream off the top?
Yesterday, the General told us that while they're not running a 5-star restaurant, the food has gotten better:
Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez, Commander, BDF
"In looking at the budget, we also see that the spending on food for the BDF has increased sharply since 2020. Going from $4.1 million to $5.9 million to $5.4 million, then jumping to $10.6 million in 2023, $13.3 million in 2024, and $15 million in 2025. And so that's almost three times the increase we've seen in six years. But yet, we still see the soldier eating food like rice, beans, and sausage. Is there any disconnect there?"
"Not necessarily. The world has changed a lot since 2020. Some people tend to forget we had a huge pandemic that caused a lot of inflation, prices rising, etc. So our budget has been adjusted to reflect inflation, increasing costs, everywhere worldwide. I'm sure we can look back and remember, 'Hey, remember we used to pay X amount of dollars for the same item that now costs maybe about $5 more.' So that has been considered when the budget has been increased. In terms of the quality of the food and everything, we are actively working to better the quality of the food that we feed our soldiers. It's a work in progress, and it's happening slowly, and it's very challenging to do that. I mean, we have to feed thousands of soldiers every day. And some items we might not be able to afford. Others we need to get rid of because of the health concerns that they may cause. But it's not an easy thing to do. It takes time, and it takes a lot of trial and error to change the diet and the nutrition that the soldiers get. In Belize, our culture is rice and beans, flour tortilla, fried jack, all of that. So we have to kind of include it, but then we have to consider the health considerations as well. So it's challenging."
Jaleeza Roberts:
"Do you feel as if over the 6 years the food has improved based on what you've seen?"
Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez, Commander, BDF
"It has improved. It has improved. We're not at a five-star restaurant, but it has improved. I can testify to that. It's not the best yet, but it's certainly better than five, six years ago."
