Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Alexandra Starr, NPR

Pork. It's what's for dinner once more at federal prisons

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
A Bureau of Prisons spokesman said the initial decision to take pork off the menu was spurred by the low ratings prisoners gave the product in surveys.
A Bureau of Prisons spokesman said the initial decision to take pork off the menu was spurred by the low ratings prisoners gave the product in surveys.
Charlie Neibergall

After disappearing from federal prison menus earlier this month, pork is once again being served to some 200,000 inmates.

The reversal comes on the heels of an outcry from the pork lobby and a pointed query from Sen. Charles Grassley. The Iowa Republican is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the federal prison system. He also represents the top pork-producing state. Iowa farmers raise more than 20 million hogs a year. Edmond Ross, a spokesman for the Bureau of Prisons, told The Washington Post that the original decision to remove pork from the menu was spurred by the low ratings prisoners gave the product in surveys. "Why keep pushing food that people don't want to eat?" he asked. "Pork has been the lowest-rated food by inmates for several years." Grassley questioned the decision in a letter he sent to the Bureau of Prisons Director Charles E. Samuels Jr. on Thursday:

"The pork industry is responsible for 547,800 jobs, which creates $22.3 billion in personal incomes and contributes $39 billion to the gross domestic product. The United States is the world's largest exporter of pork, and the third largest producer of pork. This unprecedented decision to remove pork from all federal prisons will have consequences on the livelihoods of American citizens who work in the pork industry."

The Bureau of Prisons reversed its decision hours after Grassley sent the letter. Ross didn't immediately respond to requests for comment, but he told the Post that the presence of Muslim prisoners was not a motivating factor for the temporary disappearance of pork from prison menus. Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told NPR that while his organization had welcomed the removal of pork products, because it would assist Muslim inmates observing a halal diet, it had not been a priority for the group. Nonetheless, he said his organization received hate mail in the aftermath of the decision, and pointed to a backlash on social media sites such as Twitter. "The manufactured controversy is symptomatic of rising Islamaphobia," Hooper said. "This reversal was as predictable as night following day." Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.