Abstract

Feeding a prison population presents a number of challenges. This paper draws on two major studies conducted in 16 prisons (12 male, two female and two young offenders' institutes) to examine the foodservice provision of prisoners in England. Both studies used observation, kitchen records and unstructured interviews to establish food preparation methods and procedures. The first study measured the intake of food provided in eight male prisons (n = 506) over a 24-h period; in the second study, data were collected from eight prisons, four male, two female and two young offenders' institutes, for 3 days, from the cyclical menus. The institutions' recipes, methods and average portion sizes were used to calculate food and nutrient intake. Unstructured interviews were conducted with inmates and prison warders in both studies. Results show that prisoners are provided with a high standard of food and, with the exception of some nutrients, consume a healthy diet.