Editor's note: When the Red Army, the predecessor of the People's Liberation Army, was engaged in the revolutionary war in the 1930s, its soldiers got less than 1 penny a day to buy nonstaple food and firewood. Today the PLA offers its soldiers foods with balanced nutrition. In the past 90 years, the PLA has greatly improved the quality and nutrition level of the foods it serves. Two military experts share their views with China Daily's Zhang Zhouxiang. Excerpts follow:

Nutrition standards will improve further

The nutrition standards of a military are decided by two main factors: the importance its leadership attaches to nutrition, and the development level of the country.