Jail Food Free of Maggots

The complaints hurled in recent weeks against prison-system food-provider Aramark — maggots in the food and inappropriate relations between staff and inmates in many client institutions in the Midwest — haven’t presented themselves at the Santa Barbara County Jail, according to Sheriff’s spokesperson Kelly Hoover, who said the department hasn’t heard of vermin in the food or misconduct by its one Aramark employee. County Public Health inspects the jail’s kitchen annually, Hoover said, and helps approve the menu. The Sheriff’s Office entered into a seven-year contract with the company in 2012 and plans on using its services for the Northern Branch Jail, scheduled to open in 2018, she added. Aramark, headquartered in Philadelphia, serves 380 million meals to more than 500 correctional facilities every year, said a company spokesperson.