Prison Dining Giant Aramark Serves Inedible Food to Drive Commissary Sales, Lawsuit Alleges

Aramark’s practices are “acutely oppressive and unscrupulous.”

This story was originally published in The Appeal.

A federal lawsuit filed by West Virginia prisoners alleges that Aramark Corporation serves inedible, low-quality food in its prison cafeterias to drive customers to its food-for-purchase programs.

Last year, people incarcerated at West Virginia’s Mt. Olive Correctional Complex, along with loved ones of Mt. Olive prisoners, filed a class action lawsuit against Aramark and its subsidiaries, including the prison commissary company, Union Supply Group. Earlier this month, West Virginia prisoners asked the court to reject Aramark Corporation’s request to dismiss their lawsuit.

Aramark is the largest food provider in the United States to prisons and jails. Aramark also has contracts with a number of other institutions, such as schools, hospitals, and stadiums. In fiscal year 2025, the Fortune 500 company brought in $18.5 billion dollars in revenue.

“Aramark extracts a profit on both ends; it saves costs on its daily meals services business by providing less, reused, and poor-quality food, while earning more money from incarcerated consumers’ purchases from its food-for-purchase programs,” the complaint says.

Read more at The Appeal.