A Florida-based company that provides prison food in Carbon County will likely continue its operation in the future.

On Thursday, the commissioners opened bids for food services at the correctional facility in Nesquehoning.

Trinity Services Group Inc. of Oldsmar submitted the lowest apparent bid for the three-year contract totaling an estimated $876,348.90. The bid is based on serving meals to 233 inmates three times a day.

It breaks down to $1.12 per meal for the first year, $1.148 per meal for the second year and $1.177 per meal for the third year.

Carbon County is currently in the last month of its second three-year contract with Trinity, which took over prison food operations in August 2013 after the county looked at outsourcing the kitchen service rather than hosting it in-house.

Commissioner William O’Gurek said that the price is lower than the current per meal price of $1.369 that the county is paying.

In 2018, the county spent $342,063 on meals and has spent $181,000 for the first six months of 2019.

“We’re spending about $30,000 a month on meals,” O’Gurek said.

A second bid was received from Summit Food Services LLC of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which came in at a per meal cost of $1.599 the first year, $1.645 the second year and $1.693 the third year.

The county then tabled the bid for three weeks so it could be inspected to make sure it meets all requirements.

It will be either approved or rejected at the commissioners’ July 18 meeting.