Prison food varies from country to country, but generally focuses on healthy meals with low carbohydrates and sugars. Inmates may have special dietary needs, and some prisons involve inmates in growing their own food. Inmates can also purchase items from the prison station or the black market.
Food in prisons has long been a topic of discussion among taxpayers, inmates and community officials. Taxpayers and community officials want to spend as little as possible on prison food, and inmates generally want good food to eat. At the same time, health officials are reminding everyone that providing detainees with healthy food reduces the additional costs of illness in future years. The type of food in prison varies from prison to prison and from country to country, but the focus is generally on healthy meals that incorporate fruit, vegetables, low carbohydrates and low sugars. In recent times, vegetarian or kosher meals have also appeared on prison menus.
In the United States, the dollar amount spent per day on food by an inmate varies from state to state. The same goes for other countries. The main goal is to spend the least amount of money to provide a large number of people with a meal that is as nutritious as possible.
Many prison systems have found that involving prisoners in growing or farming their own food has had an overall positive impact. Not only do inmates actively participate in growing their prison’s food, but they also learn valuable life skills like farming, animal care, and food packing. A prison in Italy taught inmates how to operate winemaking equipment, and one in the United States taught inmates how to raise tropical fish like tilapia.
An increasing number of prisoners have special dietary needs which must be met. Some don’t eat pork, some are vegetarian, and some eat only kosher foods. Prison systems have had to adapt to these diets, and some abstain from certain products entirely for all inmates.
Prison commissioners are another source of food for inmates. At the station, inmates can purchase items such as snacks, rice, tortillas and other foods, as well as personal hygiene items. Many inmates take items purchased from the station and make full meals out of them.
Another source of prison food is the black market which operates in many prisons. Prisoners working in the kitchen areas could smuggle food items into their cells, where they can create a seemingly endless array of food for fellow inmates and charge a steep price to do so. Many items such as sugar, cooking oil or fruit are reserved for inmates except in the dining room. Items could also be brought in by visitors to the prison.
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