What's the Secret to Michigan Prison Food? It Might be Maggots

» Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts.

For the second time in almost a year, a Michigan correctional facility is facing claims its inmates were served food infested with insects, according to a Detroit Free Press report.

The Department of Corrections is investigating whether potatoes at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Center in Jackson contained maggots and were served to inmates Tuesday in a scene that sounds like it was lifted from The Lost Boys.

Initial reports claimed that potatoes from Aramark Correctional Services, the food service the prison contracts, were, in fact, served to prisoners, the report stated. The Department of Corrections, however, disputed those claims, saying the maggots were found in uncooked potatoes that were being prepared and hadn’t been served to anyone, the report added.

The potatoes au maggots then were thrown out, and the kitchen and utensils were thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, the report stated. A DOC spokesman said Wednesday inmates were served a maggot-free meal an hour later, and the department received no reports of prisoners receiving potatoes with a fly larva garnish, the report added.

READ: Prisoners Report Food Poisoning After Maggots Found Near Serving Line

The DOC and Aramark is investigating the incident, looking into the staff, the Michigan-based potato supplier and those in charge with prison pest control, the report stated.

In June 2014, maggots were found near food trays at the Parnall Correctional Facility in Jackson, but officials said this wasn’t responsible for 30 inmates coming down with food poisoning.

Aramark, which has had a three-year, $145 million contract with the DOC since 2013, has had a history of problems concerning Michigan prisons, the report stated:

• March 2014: The Philadelphia-based company was fined $98,000 for food shortages, unauthorized menu substitutions and overfamiliarity between staff and inmates. The fine, however, was waived by the state, the report stated.
• August 2014: A $200,000 fine was levied because the previously fined offenses hadn’t been resolved.

>>Via the Detroit Free Press

Related Patch Stories:

• 4 Prison Workers Caught on Video in Sexual Dalliances with Prisoners
• Prisoners Report Food Poisoning After Maggots Found Near Serving Line
• Investigators Scratching Heads Over Bullets in Prisoner’s Breakfast Tray
• Go Long to Get High? Drug-Stuffed Football Falls Short of Prison Yard
• Prison Worker Poisoned by Crafty Inmate in 1893 Honored at 9/11 Memorial
• Report: Rodents Nibbled on Cake Given to Prisoners