The Michigan Department of Corrections will be ending its contract with its current, private food service operator and go back to state-run services according to an announcement in Gov. Rick Snyder's budget recommendation presentation on Wednesday.
The agreement to end their current food service contract with Trinity Services Group was a "mutual" decision, according to a release from the MDOC, and the change would bring about 350 state workers back into correctional facility kitchens.
About 350 Trinity food service workers are currently employed by Michigan correctional facility kitchens across the state. The department's contract with Trinity ends July 31, 2018.
While private food service contracts achieved savings for taxpayers, the MDOC determined that continued challenges with staffing vacancies, turnover, compliance with performance expectations, and a recent request by Trinity for additional funding warranted a return to state-run operations.
The MDOC's previous contract with Aramark started in December 2013 and ended in 2015.
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April Stevens is a multi-platform producer at WZZM 13. Have a news tip? Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.