Will jail cook for seniors?

FARMINGTON (AP) — Senior citizens in Davis County could soon be feasting on cuisine prepared in the county jail by inmates.

County officials are considering awarding a food-service contract to Canteen Correctional Services, which makes food for the jail and seniors who participate in its meal-assistance programs, said health department director Lewis Garrett.

The food would be prepared by inmates at the jail's 12,000-square-foot kitchen and would be of a higher quality than what inmates or officers get, he said. Dietitians would create the menus.

"Seniors' meals will be a specific recipe that we will be required to follow," said John Rubens, manager for Canteen Correctional Services.

Garrett said supervisors, an on-duty guard and security camera will ensure that food tampering would not occur.

Members of the Davis County Senior Services Advisory Board toured the jail's kitchen earlier this week to get a glimpse of the meals. The county's contract with Valley Foods of Salt Lake City ends this year, and many senior citizens have complained about the food that's being served to them. About 400 meals are prepared every day for Meals on Wheels, while a couple of hundred are served up at the centers daily.

"I feel very good about it," board member Fawn Jensen said. "They (the meals) are really an improvement from what they've been able to serve so far."