An inmate in Florida's Lake Correctional Institution has filed a personal injury lawsuit claiming that the cost-cutting soy meals served in Clermont state prison have caused him to suffer with gastrointestinal cramping.
In his suit, inmate E.H. claims that if he continues to eat the meals made with vegetable protein instead of beef it will also threaten his thyroid's health.
The meals that don't contain beef are allegedly labeled with misleading names such as "southern BBQ", "meat loaf" and "meaty macaroni."
E.H., incarcerated on a life sentence for sexual battery on a child, wants a judge to stop Florida from serving soy foods with possible dangers. He has enlisted the assistance of the Washington-based Weston A. Price Foundation.
Kimberly Hartke, the foundation's spokeswoman, said of the suit, "These men are guinea pigs who are being fed high levels of soy."
The mission of the Weston A. Price Foundation is to be a leading voice in alerting the public about the dangers of soy foods. The company has paid the filing fee for E.H.'s lawsuit as well as providing legal support in a separate case in Illinois.
In the Illinois case, the foundation has alleged that inmates "go to the chow hall and (must) choose between eating and getting sick, and starving."
Millions of dollars are sought in the Illinois case, while E.H. has yet to specify the monetary damages he will seek in his.
As of November 2009, per Department of Corrections spokesperson, Gretl Plessinger, Florida prisons started using soy-based meals in an effort to cut costs. A typical prison menu in Florida now includes a mix of 50 percent soy and 50 percent poultry. The fifty-fifty mix allows the prison to create up to three meals in a given day - that cost less than $1.75 per person.
For the fiscal year 2010-11 the prison's food service budget was $74.2 million.
Of the budget and the inmate's desires, Plessinger said, "If soy products were eliminated, we conservatively estimate the cost to taxpayers would double for inmate food. They would much rather have beef or pork, of course. We are required to provide a nutritional meal, which we do, but we also have to be mindful of taxpayers who are footing the bill."
Plessinger said that inmates are given a choice - of items such as peanut butter or dried beans instead of soy made meals - but most inmates still prefer to choose the soy meals: 86 percent do for their breakfast meal, 88 percent for lunch and 89 percent at dinner time.
E.H. contends that 101,000 inmates eat the soy as they are forced to. They may also supplement their diet - by using their own money - if they want to add commissary food.
E.H. claims that the soy-laden meals constitute 100 grams of soy protein a day - which is four times the intake of what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends.
Due to his lymphoma, E.H. states that the foods pose a further risk to him and others with soy allergies, as well as gastrointestinal and/or thyroid conditions.
The spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, Andrea Giancoli, posed this solution, "Soy foods, like any foods, should be part of a balanced diet and not the majority of the diet. With moderation, we do pretty well."
Previous cases heard in U.S. courts concluded that prison food need only be "adequate to maintain health."
If you, or someone you hold dear, have been hurt by the food they have ingested, in say a prison mess hall over time or in a single occurrence in a restaurant, you may have grounds for a lawsuit. Contact a personal injury lawyer today to discuss your situation.