Food fight: Aramark quits as prison vendor

Aramark, the huge national food vendor that has been fined repeatedly by the Florida Department of Corrections for contract violations, has told the state it will end their contentious six-year relationship and serve its last meal to the last inmate on Jan. 9, 2009. The action comes as the prison agency is inviting bids from rival food-service firms and considering doing the cooking in-house, with state employees supervising inmates.   

In a letter dated Sept. 8 to the state, Aramark Correctional Services President Tim Campbell cited food cost inflation as leading to an "unsustainable financial position" for his company. At the same time, as prison officials demand menu changes designed to improve quality while cutting costs, Campbell cited confidentiality provisions required under Florida's competitive bidding laws: "We have lost our ability to meaningfully discuss possible alternatives."

Aramark's brand is widely known across the country at major-league baseball parks and Republican political conventions. The Aramark deal is the latest privatization venture undertaken by former Gov. Jeb Bush that appears headed for an unsatisfactory ending.

Not everyone has been critical of Aramark's performance. Check out this letter written last January by House Speaker Marco Rubio, calling Aramark "a company of the highest integrity." (The Coral Gables lobbyist Courtney Cunningham was a member of Aramark's lobbying team when the firm landed the contract in 2001).   

Comments

Here's an idea for a replacement prison vendor: The Florida Fertilizer Association.

Here's an idea for a replacement prison vendor: The Florida Fertilizer Association.

How is it unsatisfactory when if done in house, the cost in-house would go up when food costs go up... the cost in-house would go up with new menu choices... asking a private company to do the job cheaper and at the same levels is one thing, but to ask them to do more or change without adjusting costs is crazy... Aramark did the right thing - if the state thinks they can do it cheaper, by all means, go for it...

Why not peg this as a failure on Charlie for not understanding the impact of change requests and increased costs... Could Charlie's administration not effectively negotiate a contract? Give me a break

[Heymon]

The whole prison system is wasting money left and right and the corruptions runs rampant. Next thing they will be talking about bringing PRIDE Industires back and what a joke that will be talk about a waste of money. Either way Florida taxpayers beware for you money at waste, I mean work.

[Thorny]

Marco Rubio, calling Aramark "a company of the highest integrity. They always pay their fines on time."

Many years ago my job included visiting the state prisons. I would usually tour the kitchen and eat lunch with the inmates in the prison cafeteria. Each prison bakery took great pride in its bread and always made it a practice to serve me fresh bread from the oven. I learned many years later, when a former inmate wrote a book about his experiences, that I should have dampened my enthusiasm for the bread. The inmate wrote about a big shot who periodically visited the prisons and savored the bread. He then went on to explain that he and his fellow inmates "used the warm dough as you would use a woman" and that they enjoyed watching the suit eat it and smack his lips. So be careful when you dine at Raiford. What might appear to be Hollandaise sauce might be man made.

And yes, the probably could have omitted the yeast and let the bread rise on its own.

[Ally]

Who cares what the inmates eat, just deliver them dog food because thats what they are in...the DOG House!!

Of course it is cheaper to keep it inhouse...the trustees prepare, serve, clean up. Gives them something to do and make a few cents. Even the guards at the food..at a nominal charge of course.

[Bud]

Let the inmates prepare the food---they should have been doing that all along. And while we're at it, all city,state, and local vehicles should have a number stenciled on them instead of tons of steel to make license tags and let the inmates clean ditches and cut grass on our roads and do all the necessary maintenance to keep them in top shape.

If Sysco can't sell Burmese Pythons as "grouper", maybe these guys can?

Aramark runs the cafeterias at some of Florida's state universities like FSU and USF too.

A SOLUTION:
At one time prisons were self sustaining. They ran the farms, cooked the food, maintained the highways, kept dairy farms, butchered the meat, built prisons, and kept themselves occupied. Now because of "prisoner rights" they spend their time lifting weights, watching television, reading pornography, performing preverted acts and preparing writs. Meanwhile all of cousins, inlaws and good old boys grow fat bellies eating boiled peanuts and throwing beer cans out of their pickup trucks while wearing their correctional officer garb. They are lower on the culture scale than community organizers. There is very little difference between those on the inside of the walls and their keepers. So lets just build a big double razor fence around the prison grounds (including the acreage) and let them have their way. Post the correctional officers around the perimeter, armed with ten gauge buckshot and Thompson submachine guns with orders to shoot on sight. Let them eat their boiled peanuts and drink their cheap beer while at the fence. Every now and then, expect a guard or an inmate to shoot or shiv one another. Thus, there will be some favorable attrition both inside and outside the prison wall, resulting in significant budget reductions.

Chain Gang Charlie

[J. Braddock]

I just started working for Aramark. At the institution I work at the inmates do everything, Cook, Serve, Prepare, Clean-Up, Store, Etc. But what I want to know is what happens to me after Jan 9th?

[John Milton]

When Gov. Bush "privatized" the kitchens it cost our family owned florida company $5 million a year in bid sales. From 1936 to the end in 1998 we delivered food to the prison kitchens. The state operated the kitchens for less, and florida companies benefited from the bid system. I say bring the money back to florida and let the state crank up the bid system and run the kitchens.

John Milton,Pres
Daffin Foodservice
Marianna,Fl.

[Carol]

To "Chain Gang Charlie":

You need to "catch up" on Florida prisons. The weights were removed years ago from all Florida prisons. An inmate that I know had one of his issues of "Men's Fitness Magazines" refused due to an ad at the back of it that showed too much of the midriff of a women posed in work-out clothes. The inmates in the jails, for the most part, would love to stay as busy as possible because it makes their time go by quicker. Many criminals are violent, but in the same respect - many are not. Sometimes,and more often than you care to think, some inmates are their own worst enemies. they've only victimized themselves. Perhaps the costs to perform this and many other services would be better approached by not filling and overfilling our prisons with people that aren't violent or a danger to society. Look at how many people are currently "doing time" because they have habitually driven on a suspended license or continue to carry a crack pipe, etc. Rethink this whole 85% of their sentence thing, and mandatory loss of gain time. This is what's sent this whole department of our fine state into the poor house.

[Florida Citizen]

I worked for DOC in the kitchen prior to ARAMARK taking over in 2001 and I'll tell you how we ran it....poorly. The food in the kitchen, like hamburgers and hot dogs, were constantly stolen by the officers and used during their softball games. We didn't keep any paperwork to justify the meals we served juvenile costing the state millions in federal reimbursement. Don't by the hype, government will not do this better and cheaper.

[Dupree Sanchez]

Want a story to write about??? Take a look at what happened when DOC took over inmate healthcare from a private contractor last year. They are now spending $50 MILLION more than when they had the services contracted. WE ARE IN A BUDGET CRISIS! Should we continue to cut services at university's, highschools, and social services to fund inmate healthcare and food service?

[Joan Larios]

I heard that the DOC's other food service vendor also cancelled their contract. Can anyone verify that? If that's true, maybe there something wrong with our DOC that companies can't work with them.

The last 5 or 6 posters are the kind of people we need making suggestions with our state being in such a financial mess. They make sense.

[get it right]

the state should be able to run the foodservice at a cheaper price. inmate labor, the same thing aramark does now,aramark doesn't pay to fix anything that goes wronge. something stops working they send in a repair request and the state fixes the equitment no matter what the cost . aramark had it good get paid for all the inmates on the compound no matter if they eat or not. cut corners to keep the profit up and my bouns check high.. the state can learn from private companys, learn to average meal on a tracking method, not cook for the for every inmate on the compound as was made to do before the state tried private companys

Prior to Aramark, the inmates prepared the food and the Correctional Officer oversaw the food service operation. Subsequent to Aramark, the number of Correctional Officers was reduced in food service. The Officers that were moved from food service where placed in other areas of security either at the prison they were at or at another prison. In additions, the Officers did not lose their rank. So, I don’t see how Florida saved money by contracting with Aramark since, the number of employed officers was not reduced. Maybe the State saved by reducing the number of positions, but you would not be able to tell this by looking at the continues number of vacancies. Also, the inmates prepare the food with Aramark. Prior to Aramark the inmates grew their own vegetables at number of the prisons. Was this not a savings? Can the State not in-house the oversight of food service and make the Officers become accountable for the receipt and issuance of food. Maybe it would be a cost savings to have the Department of Corrections Office of Inspector General to have team of employees randomly perform an unannounced site visit at the prisons and ensure the Officers accountability.

[get it right]

If people can remember to get aramark in doc in 2001, the menus were changed to costly items, this ran the cost per inmate up, well that gave reason for some people to get a private compay, and make some money on the side, but as good people of florida we just sat aside and went a long. aramark got the contract. lets see. get paid for every inmate no matter in only half eat that day, substitute costly item on the menu or just not order them,use ground chicken, not pay to have anything fixed when broke, dont clean the correctional officers will get it done cause they know the col, asstwd, or waren is gone get the behinds if it is not cleaned, cut items in recipe to save money, mix cake mix with rrecipes to save money, add ketsup when it calls for tomato past,recipe calls for 800 servings but strech it and get 950 add that water as one aramark supervisor stated water is part of the meal

The big problem w/aramark in the prison is that they don't properly train ther employees on maters of SECURITY or INMATE MULIPULATION at least that is the way it is at the institution I curently work at for aramark.

[Kitchen worker]

To all of the people on this posting board who think that aramark has only made things worse they are wrong. Aramark has done nothing but save the doc money since it has been here. They do it by being responsible for every aspect of foodservice in the doc. Many people belive that if the state takes over the foodservice again that it will be better and cheaper. Wrong the reason aramark came in the first place is because DOC is great at security(not counting) not foodservice. It will not be any better and it will cost alot more money. From the officers stealing all the food at the work release centers on the weekends, to food just disappearing from the warehouse. There will be problems incurred by DOC with this take over unless they follow the same procedures that a fortune 500 company has set in place. Aramark is by no means perfect at foodservice but the DOC has been and will be much worse if they go back to there old ways which got aramark here in the first place!!

[Employee]

Things are only going to get worse for the taxpayers of Florida.

[Jim]

I worked for the state of Ohio where the system was great, no contract vendor. Florida can do it as well. From reading the posts here it makes it seem like aramark was al mighty god.