The United States Bureau of Prisons has announced a ban on pork. Prison inmates will no longer be able to dine on swine in 122 federal penitentiaries. The pork ban was enacted after officials noticed nationwide that it wasn’t popular among inmates.
Bureau spokesperson Edmond Ross says, “Why keep pushing food that people don’t want to eat? Pork has been the lowest-rated food by inmates for several years, and we were paying more than what we’d like to pay.”
Ross said that inmates are becoming more health conscious these days, which he believes may be a contributing factor in the decline of pork consumption. However, there are some naysayers. One being National Pork Producers Council spokesperson Dave Warner, who thinks the bureau is full of it. Warner went on to say, “I find it hard to believe that a survey would have found a majority of any population saying, ‘No thanks, I don’t want any bacon.’”
He added that there are benefits to pork that beats beef and chicken, such as pork being inexpensive and healthy. “We’re nutritious,” continued Warner. “A boneless pork chop or loin is a very healthy alternative to lots of other foods.”
Critics of the pork ban have argued on social media even to go so far as to blame this decision on the Obama administration and even President Barack Obama himself. Claiming that Obama is bending to the demands of Muslims.
These are accusations that Council on American-Islamic Relations spokesman Ibrahim Hooper expected. He stated, “It will stoke the fires of Islamophobia based on the usual conspiracy theories,”
However, Hooper did confess that he is pleased with the change in inmate meals because it will be easier on prisoners of the Islamic faith. “In general, we welcome the change because it’s facilitating the accommodation of Muslim inmates,” he said. “We hope it’s not an indication of an increasing number of Muslims in the prison system.”
Muslims and Jewish inmates who do not eat pork for religious reasons are allowed meal alternatives and are provided with halal and kosher dishes.
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