Healthy eating options more accessible at Hawaii Exchanges

By Marisa Conner, Army & Air Force Exchange ServiceFebruary 21, 2023

Healthy Eating Options More Accessible to Military Community through the Exchange
The Army & Air Force is committed to expanding healthy options for military communities with better-for-you choices at restaurants, Expresses and micro markets. (Photo Credit: Army & Air Force Exchange Service) VIEW ORIGINAL

DALLAS – The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is making it easier for service members and families to make healthy dining choices.

As part of its BE FIT 360 program, which focuses on holistic wellness, the Exchange offers fresh, healthy choices for meals and snacks at restaurants, Expresses and micro markets.

All of the Exchange’s 1,600 restaurants offer better-for-you options, and participating Exchange restaurants offer $2 off entrée salads every Wednesday. In 2022, the Exchange opened 40 new restaurants, 70% of which were BE-FIT-approved brands such as Bun-D, Qdoba and Subway.

Shoppers can find healthy snacks, including fresh fruit, trail mix, nuts, veggie chips, yogurt and more, at the Express.

For service members and civilians who may not be near an Exchange restaurant or Express on installation, there are a growing number of micro markets. These fully automated self-serve convenience stores offer fresh salads, sandwiches, fruits, vegetables and other meals and snacks that support a BE FIT lifestyle.

“The Exchange is all-in on supporting nutrition and wellness for the military communities we’re honored to serve,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Osby, the Exchange’s senior enlisted advisor. “The Exchange continuing to expand BE FIT offerings so service members and families have more healthy eating options wherever they go.”

The Exchange’s commitment to providing nutritious options extends to vending machines around installations, with items such as baked chips, dried fruit, trail mix and other snacks that fulfill National Automatic Merchandising Association Fit Pick requirements. Such items contain fewer than 35% of calories from fat, fewer than 10% of calories from saturated fat and fewer than 35% total weight from sugar.

Warfighters and families can learn more about better-for-you options by visiting the Exchange’s BE FIT hub page at ShopMyExchange.com/BeFit, where they’ll find nutritional information for Exchange restaurants, menu guides and more.

In Hawaii, authorized patrons have four Exchanges they can shop at:

  • Hickam
  • Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe (not an AAFES facility)
  • Navy Exchange (not an AAFES facility)
  • Schofield Barracks

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Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen, Guardians and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 54th-largest retailer in the United States. 100% of Exchange earnings support military communities. In the last 10 years, your Exchange benefit has provided $3.4 billion in earnings for critical military Quality-of-Life programs.

To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at http://www.shopmyexchange.com or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ExchangePAO.