A court will likely decide in the next few months whether the Vermont prison system's new special recipe is a 21st-century version of bread and water or merely a way to keep unruly inmates from throwing their utensils.

The Department of Corrections began serving "nutraloaf" — a mixture of bread, vegetables, beans and other ingredients — to prisoners who have thrown feces, urine, utensils or food at corrections officers. That seems to be a growing problem, particularly at the state's newest prison facility in Springfield, according to officials.

Because nutraloaf can be served without trays or utensils it takes away the chance to hurl such objects at prison staff or other inmates. But nutraloaf, described by some as "intentionally unappetizing," is punishment rather than prevention, according to the state Prisoners' Rights Office. Vermont law carefully spells out how inmates can be punished for bad behavior, and changing their diet to punish them is not allowed.