Commissaries worldwide are offering plant-based meat options for burgers, ground beef and sausages that are trending well with patrons, said the Defense Commissary Agency’s director of sales.

More commissaries will be open on the Mondays before Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Defense Commissary Agency announced.

Starting Jan. 1, all service-connected disabled veterans, Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war and primary veteran caregivers will be eligible to shop at commissaries worldwide.

Kraft Heinz Company is voluntarily recalling select varieties of Breakstone’s Cottage Cheese product because they may be contaminated with extraneous red plastic and metal pieces, according to a Department of Defense All Food and Drug Activity message sent Nov. 15.

Mondelēz Global LLC is voluntarily recalling a limited quantity of Cheese Nips products because they may be contaminated with extraneous small food-grade yellow plastic pieces, according to a Department of Defense All Food and Drug Activity message sent Nov. 15.

Retired Rear Adm. Robert J. Bianchi, Chief Executive Officer of the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) and Department of Defense (DOD) Special Assistant to ASD (M&RA) for Commissary Operations was honored with the DOD Distinguished Civilian Service Award at the 64th Annual Distinguished Civilian Service Award ceremony held at the Pentagon on Nov. 14.

Tip Top Poultry, Inc. is expanding a previous recall of ready-to-eat poultry products because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to a Department of Defense All Food and Drug Activity message sent Nov. 18.

Christopher “Chris” T. Burns, the Defense Commissary Agency’s chief of staff, has been appointed to the Senior Executive Service and named executive director of the agency’s Marketing, Sales and Logistics Group. The announcement, effective Nov. 24, came today from Rear Adm. (retired) Robert J. Bianchi, DOD special assistant for commissary operations.