Federal prisoners won’t be eating bacon for breakfast or pulled pork sandwiches or any other pork-related food as the Federal Bureau of Prisons has cut pork from its food service menu effective in fiscal 2016, which began Oct. 1.
The federal prison said the decision is based on inmate surveys as well as costs. The government denies that pulling pork from the menu has anything to do religious food requirements of Jews and Muslim inmates.
“For people who are incarcerated, we understand that they’re denied certain rights and freedoms but we don’t think bacon should be one of them,” said Dave Werner, spokesman for the National Pork Council, the industry trade group.
He also questioned whether the pork ban was based on inmate preference, saying he was skeptical that inmates would vote pork off the menu.
Tyson Foods is one of the nation’s largest pork companies and conducts business with the various agencies of the federal government. The meat giant did not respond to a request for comment on this decision.