UNITE HERE Local 11 Releases Letter Urging Yavapai County Sherriff’s Office and Board of Supervisors to Replace Aramark through the RFP for Food, Commissary, and Banking Services

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Unite Here Local 11 released a letter today from Local 11 Co-president Susan Minato urging the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors and Yavapai County Sheriff to weigh Aramark’s performance in state and US correctional facilities in its pending RFP for food service at Camp Verde Detention Center, Prescott Detention Center, and the collocated mental health facility in Prescott and to consider an alternative provider.

The letter is available here.

The letter states: “Dear Sheriff Rhodes, Ms. Cole, Board Chair Compton, Supervisor Jenkins, Supervisor Check, Supervisor Kuknyo, and Supervisor Mallory: We are writing to apprise you of our concerns regarding Aramark’s history with carceral food service, both in Arizona prisons and in departments of corrections across the U.S. Aramark has drawn criticism in other jurisdictions around the country for its prison food service, and advocacy groups have alleged that the company has a long history of providing substandard food in prisons. Advocates and formerly incarcerated individuals have alleged various problems, including tainted food, food substitutions, and other health and safety issues.”

Within the letter, Local 11 details how Aramark appears to have billed the Arizona Department of Corrections for more meals than were actually served between August and December 2025, to the tune of some $534,913 in additional taxpayer dollars, according to recently disclosed documents from the ADCRR. The letter also notes allegations in a recent report published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Carceral Nutrition Project claiming that Aramark overbilled prison systems in Kentucky, Florida, and Ohio. The letter further addresses reports from the Arizona Department of Health and Safety detailing what appear to be alleged food safety, sanitary, and pest issues in Aramark kitchens across the state. Local 11 additionally expressed concern that Aramark disclosed it was a party to 40 ongoing cases under litigation in its 2024 ADCRR bid.

The letter reads, “With the fiscal challenges faced by Yavapai County and the necessity of a tax hike (Prop 497) to support operations for the Jail District, it is critical to hold private contractors accountable for the great responsibility they bear for providing safe, sanitary, nutritious meals for both those who live and work in our carceral, juvenile and mental health facilities.”

UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing more than 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona who work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers, and airports.