The Farm to Prison Pipeline

The trend in institutional dining has been toward pre-processed, pre-packaged, and even pre-cooked food, for schools, colleges, hospitals, and prisons. Sure, it saves kitchen space and the expense of personnel, but at what cost? The Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston, Maine, initiated a pilot program to reverse all that and grow their own food on farms near the prison. What they got was more home-style dinners that were fresher and more nutritious, plus both the farm and the kitchen serve as training programs, because the inmates are producing the food themselves. The kicker is that the program saved money over contracting with outside suppliers, like Sysco, Aramark, or Sodexo. Too bad elementary school children and hospital patients can't work their own farms and kitchens. (via Damn Interesting)