North America United States in
Puget Sound, April 6, 1938 menu being prepared in a prison kitchen in
Padua, Italy, 2014 Typical menus are designed to be low-sugar, low-
salt, and to contain a moderate amount of
calories. There is no nationwide mandate for state and local prisons on the minimum amount of calories or nutrients a meal must contain. Dietary, religious, and ethical concerns are taken into consideration to a certain extent. Supreme Court cases in 1987,
Turner v. Safley and ''
O'Lone v. Estate of Shabazz'', created a test that balanced the constitutional rights of prisoners to exercise their religion freely against the rights of the prisons to punish inmates and keep the prison in order. Whether or not a prison has breached an inmate's religious dietary rights is now judged from the cases of
Turner and ''O'Lone''. While this test is still in use, many other constitutional points come into play, and it is still a widely debated issue. Most prison food in the
United States is prepared with the
blast-chill method, which allows a large number of meals to be prepared and then reheated at meal times. In the US, this technique was pioneered by the
New Jersey correctional system, in January 1982. Inmates may also purchase food at the
prison commissary, such as
chocolate bars,
beef jerky,
honey,
peanut butter,
bread,
ramen noodles,
coffee, and
snack cakes. Often, private civilian contractors are responsible for all aspects of food preparation, including training, adherence to recipes, food safety, theft prevention, and
portion control. Jewish prisoners may be issued
kosher rations. As of October 2, 2016,
federal prisons offer their inmates a
vegan meal option for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Although there is a certain amount of self-regulation, most oversight occurs as a result of inmate litigation. Complaints against prison food have been made on the grounds of breach of
Constitutional Amendments. In particular, claims of inadequate food may breach the
Eighth Amendment banning
cruel and unusual punishment, and denial of specific food requirements on religious grounds breach the
First Amendment. It was not until 1976, during the
Estelle v. Gamble case, that courts began to use the Eighth Amendment for issues involving cruel and unusual punishment against inmates; however, the issues must involve 1.) "Whether the injury was objectively, sufficiently serious," and 2.) "Whether the prison official was deliberately indifferent to the inmate's needs." This can be interpreted by different courts in various ways. For example, one court may see depriving a disobedient inmate of food as "sufficiently serious," therefore going against the Eighth Amendment, while another court may see it as an appropriate measure of punishment, therefore in line with the Eighth Amendment. State prisons often prefer to conduct their own inspections; however, they may opt for accreditation from a nonprofit organization such as the
American Correctional Association. Approximately 80% of state departments of corrections are involved with such oversight organizations. • of
meat or meat by-product • half a cup of vegetables • three-quarters of a cup of a
starch • three-quarters of a cup of salad with dressing There have been several documented examples of mass illness within prisons from the food served. There have been hunger strikes from prisoners protesting being served food that makes them ill after eating. Whistleblowers and reporters have documented mouse droppings and various violations of standards in prison kitchens. Prisoners have been known to create prison "
spreads", or privately prepared meals with items purchased from a
prison commissary, obtained from government-mandated meals to prisoners, or obtained from a prison kitchen. Spreads can often become communal gatherings of prisoners, with the general expectation that each prisoner contributes one aspect of the meal. Prison spreads are largely a response to inadequate food quality, quantity and/or variety within the meals served by the prison itself.
Ethical concerns 94 percent of formerly incarcerated people surveyed by Impact Justice said they could not eat enough to feel full. A 2025 report by the New Yorker described more than two dozen cases of death by starvation and malnutrition in jails across the country.
Europe Poland A prison service officer—a chef—supervises the proper preparation of meals in each unit. He is also the one who supervises the inmates employed in the kitchen. Prisoners are involved at every stage of meal preparation, from peeling vegetables, preparing individual ingredients, cooking and dividing food portions. They are employed in the kitchen on a paid or unpaid basis, and their assignment to particular tasks depends primarily on their education and skills. All meals are carefully selected in terms of nutritional value. Depending on the type of prison, meals are delivered to the cell or, as is the case in semi-open and open prisons, inmates eat them in canteens. The officer of the quartermaster's department is responsible for determining what is included in the menu and for diversifying the meals. He prepares individual diets with the participation of a health care worker. A convict staying in a prison or pretrial detention facility receives drinks and meals with appropriate nutritional value three times a day, including at least one hot meal. The energy value of meals included in the daily diet of prisoners is not less than 2,800 kcal for prisoners under 18 years of age and 2,600 kcal for other prisoners. The food rations allocated consider the type of work performed and the age of the convict, and, if possible, also religious and cultural requirements. There are 7 types of meals available in the units: • meals prepared for prisoners over 18 years of age –"P" • meals prepared for prisoners under 18 years of age – "M" • therapeutic meals: easily digestible, diabetic, individually assigned to the inmate • meals prepared considering religious and cultural requirements • meals prepared for inmates working in particularly onerous conditions. Convicts have the opportunity to receive meals that take into account religious or cultural requirements, for example, a dietary standard without pork (so-called "Muslim diet") or vegetarian. Some inmates deliberately declare converting to Islam or Judaism to change their meal plan.
Examples of meals Sample daily meal plan for "P" option from a
Kraków prison includes: • Breakfast—tea, bread, margarine, pork knuckle sausage • Lunch—dill soup with rice, beef goulash, potatoes, cucumber salad, compote • Dinner—tea, bread, margarine, pressed luncheon meat. Up until about 2004 (in most prisons), prison meals were prepared by prisoners under the supervision of prison employees. The move towards privatization of meal preparation and rationing resulted in numerous changes from historical practices.
Examples of meals Examples of menus in a London prison are as follows: Lunch: • Vegetarian pasta bake • Chicken & mushroom pie •
Jamaican beef patty •
Corned beef & pickle roll •
Jacket potato &
coleslaw Dinner: • Vegetable supreme • Chicken supreme • Chicken curry • Grilled
gammon • Pork pie salad
Africa Egypt Regular meals served to prisoners are basic. For lunch prisoners are typically served dishes such as cold pieces of boiled meat, eggs, or skinny chicken bones, white rice, and vegetable soup, and dinner consists of foods such as
ful medames (a traditional Egyptian dish of fava beans, vegetable oil, and cumin) with stale bread made from mixed flours. Each prison has a canteen where prisoners can buy additional food such as meat, vegetables, and fruits to supplement their diet. Many prisoners also have food brought to them by their families.
Ethiopia The standard prison meal in
Ethiopia is
injera with stew, most often made with beans and usually with no meat. Prisoners are typically fed three times a day with the same meal.
Rwanda Prisoners receive two basic meals a day, a breakfast of maize or sorghum porridge and a lunch or dinner of a maize porridge called
Ugali and beans. Extra food is available for purchase at the prison canteen or can be brought by visitors.
Asia Bangladesh Historically, prisoners in Bangladesh were served a breakfast of bread and molasses, a practice that had been in place since the British colonial era in the 18th century. The meal consisted of 116 grams of bread and 14.5 grams of molasses, remaining unchanged for over 200 years. In 2019, the government introduced a new breakfast menu, replacing the colonial-era offering. The updated menu includes bread, vegetables, sweets, and
khichdi (a spiced rice and lentil dish). The change is part of broader prison reforms aimed at improving nutrition and prisoner morale.
Saudi Arabia Prisoners in Saudi Arabia are served foods such as bread and sandwiches for breakfast, chicken, mutton, and fish for lunch, and rice and vegetables for dinner. Prisoners also receive rations such as salads, milk, and juice.
South Korea Kongbap, a dish consisting of white or brown rice cooked together with grains, peas, and beans, is a common staple in Korean prisons. Prisoners are also served dishes such as bread with tomato sauce, cheese, soup, salad, and soy milk at breakfast and bone marrow and vegetable soup,
kimchi, and beansprouts at lunch. Other foods such as fruits and meats are available for purchase at prison commissaries.
Vietnam Every prisoner is entitled to 17 kilograms of rice, 15 kilograms of vegetables, 0.7 kilograms of meat, 0.8 kilograms of fish, 0.5 kilograms of sugar, and 1 kilogram of salt per month.
Pakistan Punjab In Punjab, the prison diet is structured with a weekly menu that includes: •
Breakfast: Roti and tea daily, with variations such as Aaloo Bhujia (potato curry) and Halwa (sweet dish) on specific days. •
Lunch: A mix of vegetables, lentils (like Dal Gram and Dal Mash), and chicken dishes, with special items like sweet rice on certain days. •
Dinner: Often includes chicken, beef, or vegetable dishes served with roti. Special meals are provided during religious festivals like Ramzan, Eid-ul-Fitr, and Eid-ul-Azha, which include additional items like syrup, dates, and special sweets.
Sindh In Sindh, the prison menu follows a structured plan: •
Breakfast: Options like Aaloo Bhujia with oily roti, Anda Ghotala (scrambled eggs), and double roti (bread) with margarine. •
Lunch: Typically includes chicken dishes like Chicken Aaloo Qeema (minced chicken with potatoes) and Chicken Haleem, as well as various vegetable curries. •
Dinner: Features dishes like Mix Daal with seasonal vegetables, Karhi Pakora, and Chicken curry with seasonal vegetables. Special desserts like Milk Sawayiyan or Kheer are also served.
Taiwan Taiwanese prisons typically serve simple meals. Breakfast in some prisons may include soy milk and rice rolls. One prison in Taichung serves up to 4 and 1/2 tons of rice to the inmates every day. An example daily prison menu includes the following: •
Breakfast: Cornflakes and milk; two slices of toast with margarine and peanut butter; tea and sugar. •
Lunch: Two mixed grain sandwiches: one roast beef, relish and salad (or tomato, mayo and salad) and one egg, mayonnaise and salad; one serving of fresh fruit •
Dinner: Two chicken sausages (or vegan sausages), two servings of vegetables, potato, onion gravy, one serving of fresh fruit, and milk •
Supper: Muffin ==List of prison foods==