Letter to DOJ and Federal BOP RE: Federal Bureau of Prisons Food Service & Commissary Operations Solicitation

On May 4, 2026, we published a report, Private Food, Public Harm: Privatized Food Service in Prisons and Jails, which found that privatized food service in US prisons and jails raises serious concerns about nutrition, food safety, and oversight. The report focused on Aramark Correctional Services, which has the largest share (35 percent) of the US correctional food services market. If the agency proceeds to a formal solicitation, we anticipate that Aramark would be the leading bidder for food service. Its subsidiary, Union Supply Group, would likely bid for the commissary contract. When food service and commissary contracts are held by the same parent company, inadequate and inedible food in the dining hall can net the very same company big profits from resulting commissary sales. As you may be aware, Aramark is currently being sued in federal court for practices that allegedly violate consumer protection laws in West Virginia, where the company holds contracts for both food service and commissary in state prisons.

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