Oklahoma’s $74 million deal to privatize food service in state prisons was canceled because the selected vendor failed to meet nutritional standards.
Aramark, the sole competing bidder, alleged that Trinity Services Group was able to offer a lower price because its proposed menu was low in protein and high in fat and sodium. State officials did not flag the deficiencies during the bidding process.
Protein accounted for about 11.5% of calories over a four-week master menu period, which fell short of the 15% requirement in the request for proposal. On most days, sodium exceeded a 3.5-gram cap and fat made up about 35% of calories, well above a 30% threshold mandated in the bid. Trinity’s estimated cost for each non-Kosher or Halal meal, including administrative costs, was $1.68.
The proposed menu fell on the low end of recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which states healthy adults should get anywhere from 10 to 35% of their daily calories from protein. The guidelines also recommend getting no more than 35% of daily calories from fat and consuming a maximum of 2.3 grams of sodium per day.
In a 43-page protest letter, Aramark argued the nutritional deficiencies were beyond correction and that the state had no choice but to void the contract. The Department of Corrections’ request for a master menu containing 55% carbohydrates, 30% fat and 15% protein was fairly standard, multiple experts told Oklahoma Watch last month.
“Trinity should have been rejected as nonresponsive and its price proposal never opened or evaluated, and Aramark should have been selected for contract award,” the petition letter reads.
The Office of Management and Enterprise Services stopped short of granting Aramark’s request to be the state’s prison food vendor, but upheld the protest and canceled Trinity’s contract on June 6.
Representatives from Aramark and the Trinity Services Group, regarded as the two largest players in the multi-million-dollar correctional food service industry, did not return phone calls or emails seeking comment.
Emily Barnes, founder of the Oklahoma prisoner advocacy group Hooked on Justice, said she’s glad the contract was cancelled but is disappointed state officials didn’t catch the issue sooner. She said poor food quality can cause several issues behind bars, including chronic illnesses and spikes in violence.
“To me, it just seems like they’re trying to save money,” Barnes said.
The Department of Corrections plans to issue another bid to outsource its food service, touting the shift as a way to increase prisoner satisfaction with food service and lighten the load on agency resources. A timeline has not been set.
For now, prison officials will play a key role in Gov. Kevin Stitt’s Make Oklahoma Healthy Again initiative, modeled after the federal commission established under Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Once the acquisition of the Lawton Correctional Facility is complete on July 25, the agency will be feeding more than 20,000 prisoners daily.
Director Steven Harpe or an agency designee is tasked with reporting any use of artificial food coloring in its food programs, including Red Dye 40, and developing a formal usage policy by the end of August. Harpe or a designee will also sit on the MOHA Advisory Council, tasked with making recommendations on policies, directives, programs, and proposed regulations or legislation related to the MOHA Initiative.
Keaton Ross covers democracy and criminal justice for Oklahoma Watch. Contact him at (405) 831-9753 or Kross@Oklahomawatch.org. Follow him on Twitter at @_KeatonRoss.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
