PHILADELPHIA, PA — Aramark Correctional Services will test a redesigned prison dining program in Ohio and Indiana this summer, using changes to menus, dining spaces and serveware to determine whether the approach can reduce grievances and improve interactions inside correctional facilities.
The Philadelphia-based company plans to launch pilots of the program, called Beyond the Tray, with the Ohio and Indiana departments of correction before making it available to correctional facilities nationwide.
Aramark will measure the pilots using facility grievance rates, feedback from incarcerated individuals and staff-reported interactions.
The initiative moves beyond traditional tray-based meal service by combining expanded menu offerings with changes to dining environments and corrections-grade plates, bowls and trays.
The menus are designed to provide greater variety while accommodating different dietary requirements and incentive-based programming.
Participating facilities can also adopt more standardized dining spaces intended to reinforce cleanliness and organization. Optional technology includes digital signage displaying menus and facility information.
The new serveware is designed to improve food presentation, temperature retention and separation while meeting correctional security requirements, according to Aramark. The broader program can be adapted for facilities of different sizes and security levels.
The company developed the model using feedback collected from correctional clients and incarcerated individuals over several years.
“Beyond the Tray is a response to what we hear from our clients and residents and what our experts recommend,” Aramark Correctional Services President and CEO Tim Barttrum stated. “We believe this will translate into fewer grievances, calmer environments, and positive interactions between staff and incarcerated individuals.”
Chris Blessinger, deputy commissioner for the Indiana Department of Correction, characterized the pilot as extending beyond changes to the food itself.
“Beyond the Tray is about more than offering healthy food options; it’s about changing the entire dining experience,” Blessinger added.
The pilots give Aramark an opportunity to test whether changes to one of the most frequent interactions within correctional facilities produce measurable operational effects before the company expands the model more broadly.
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