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OTTAWA — A program aimed at cutting the cost of feeding federal prisoners has achieved only “dubious” savings while sparking racial tensions and contributing to a deadly riot, the prison ombudsman believes.

Documents obtained through access-to-information laws reveal problems with the “cook-chill” program, which since November 2014 has had large prisons prepare food and freeze it before shipping to smaller institutions, similar to airline food.

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“Playing with food can have detrimental effects on the inmate population,” Correctional Investigator Ivan Zinger said in an interview with the National Post. “It can lead to tension.”

An April 2015 letter from his predecessor Howard Sapers states that “a large number of inmates are not receiving a complete meal” because of a buffet-style service that frequently runs out of food.

When Mission, B.C. inmates complained that self-serve portions often run out, Correctional Service Canada responded that “we do not have the extra rations prepared or available.”