Pamela Anderson Serves Vegetarian Food to Arizona Prisoners

Cassie Carothers
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Pamela Anderson serves a vegetarian lunch to inmates in Arizona. (Photo: AP)

Pamela Anderson swapped her trademark red bikini in for a food ladle Wednesday as she served lunch to prisoners in Arizona.

The longtime People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals spokesperson dished up an all-vegetarian feast to the inmates at Maricopa County jail in Phoenix as part of a campaign to get more U.S. prisons to adopt an all-vegetarian diet.

“I was really impressed,” Anderson said after the tour.

“We’re saving a lot of lives and I think it’s very helpful and encouraging to get people to eat compassionately and make non-violent choices,” she said.

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Pamela Anderson, a longtime vegan, is an honorary director of PETA. (Photo: AP)

What was on the menu? Soy barbecue stew, potatoes and broccoli. Anderson stayed for about two hours to tour the facility, sign autographs, and chat with inmates.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who toured the facility with Anderson, switched the jail’s diet in 2013, making it the first prison in the country to go completely vegetarian.

“Everyone was really happy to see Pamela,” PETA senior vice president Dan Mathews told Yahoo Food. “A lot of inmates weren’t used to being vegetarian, but people were all ears when we talked about the health benefits.”

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Pamela Anderson gets ready to serve up broccoli to prisoners. (Photo: AP)

PETA touted that Maricopa saved taxpayers $200,000 a year when it made the switch, due to lower food costs, reduced refrigeration expenses, and less wasted food due to spoiling.

But not everyone in the jail agrees that the diet shift is a good thing, according to an AZCentral.com report.

"The new vegetarian meals aren’t too bad after a while,” inmate Anna Yoesting told the news site. “Some days are worse than others. But I still want meat.”

More vegetarian reads on Yahoo Food:

How to order smarter at vegetarian restaurants

Dinner party-worthy vegetarian dishes

Meat-free chicken-fried veggies

What do you think? Should more prisons be meat-free?