Looks like a PSA is needed in here.
Potatoes produce Solanine as a defense mechanism. Rotten potatoes can be an abundant source of solanine. Solanine is poisonous.
Ingesting small amounts can cause nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, burning of the throat, cardiac dysrhythmia, nightmares, headache, dizziness, itching, eczema, thyroid problems, inflammation and pain in the joints. Moderate amounts can cause hallucinations, loss of sensation, paralysis, fever, jaundice, dilated pupils, hypothermia, and death.
Back in the 90s, there was a company called VitaPro that made pig feed. Unfortunately for this company, one of their products was deemed ‘unsafe’ to use as pig feed, so they found a way to sell it to the Texas prison system instead. TDCJ agreed to buy the hazardous pig feed and serve to to inmates for a kickback on the product sold. A win-win for the two companies, VitaPro got to sell what was otherwise a worthless product, while TDCJ officials got ‘meat’ for the inmates at a discount and got to pad their own pockets with the kickbacks, saving the state money and making themselves rich.
If someone is in prison, they are paying for their crime. To feed them rotten food and treat them as less than human reflects terribly on everyone as a society. If we treated prison more for rehabilitation than punishment, we would benefit.
When is the US going to realize that its prison system is a giant crime factory?
