I Compared The Food Served In Prisons Around The World, And It's Pretty Eye-Opening
One of the biggest news to close out 2024 was the arrest of Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old Ivy League graduate who was charged with the killing of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
The coverage was immense, and even included a very wild and amusing interview with inmates conducted outside of the Pennsylvania prison where Luigi was held.
Aside from the general amusement of this unorthodox interview, what caught my eye was when the anchor asked the inmates for their thoughts on dinner, which was then met with resounding "No's" and one, "Terrible!"
(If you, like me, had no idea what porcupine meatballs are, they are meatballs made of rice and ground meat cooked in tomato sauce. 🤯)
It led me to wonder about the meals served in prisons worldwide. The results were surprising to me.
It was quite eye-opening. The quality of meals ranged across factors like whether the country had a federal system, budget, average crime rates, stance on reform and rehabilitation, and even varied state by state.
Curious on what inmates eat around the world? Here we go.
South Korea: In a video by World Friends, a South Korean prison meal consists of rice with beans, along with assorted fresh vegetable "ban-chan" (side dishes), a side of beef and radish soup, and braised quail eggs.
Japan: WAO RYU!ONLY in JAPAN visited a prison in Hokkaido and shared a typical meal served to inmates, which consisted of "grilled fish, salads, rice and soup."
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Throughout the week, the inmates' meals were pretty consistent: A bowl of rice, protein with various sides of vegetables and soup, and tea.
And, fun fact: You can actually try the meals served in this prison at its sister museum nearby. It costs 780 yen, roughly around $7.00, for a meal set that includes fish like Pacific saury or atka mackerel, two salads, barley rice, and miso soup.
France: As told to Vice, Dany* (a pseudonym) gained a following by posting cooking clips whipping up various meals in his prison cell. He shared that the meals served in French prisons are by a catering company, which often includes "rotten fruit," "dry chicken," and the highlight, Sunday lunch pastries, which sometimes causes fights. Most of the food, including the fries, are steamed for health reasons, which Dany added are, "gross but healthy."
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In this AMA post by a Brit in a French prison, he shared his dinner that night, which consisted of "cheese pancakes" and "salty boiled carrots." The OP added, "You can survive on it but you will not enjoy it!"
Egypt: In this Vice interview with Ahmed*, a political prisoner who once served time during Ramadan, described the meals the inmates received, which included a "cold piece of boiled meat, eggs, or skinny chicken bones for lunch" served with "gooey white rice and a watery soup with something that resembled vegetables." For dinner, "ful," a traditional Egyptian dish of fava beans mixed with oil and cumin was served, along with some "stale old bread made with mixed flours."
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Ahmed shared there was no consideration for the fasting period during the religious month. Food was still served on schedule and sat on the floor of the cell for hours where cockroaches roamed. (Ramadan is a month-long fast from sunset to sunrise where Muslims "abstain from food and drink" for reflection and prayer.)
Mexico: Families of Mexican prisoners shared with Vice the inmates are fed some sort of "onion soup (a lukewarm broth of water and onion)," "mystery meat," "poorly cooked soybeans" and other "hideous things."
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If prisoners have family members willing to bring food, it costs five to ten pesos to have items smuggled in (and that's before reaching the dining hall), and cost additional payments for insurance and to keep food refrigerated. It can cost up to 1000 pesos for families to visit once every two weeks.
Philippines: Coconuts Jakarta spoke with Filipino-American chef Johneric Concordia, who hosted Prison Food for the Discovery Channel, shared what meals are like for prisoners at a very unique prison in Palawan, Philippines. An experimental prison housed on a farm, prisoners are given freedom "to cultivate their own land or engage in other forms of livelihood." Prisoners grow fresh produce to use in their meals and receive a chicken supply once a week. Tempeh, a soy product similar to tofu made of soy curds, is a staple amongst prisoners. "You can pair it with rice and all kinds of dishes in place of meat," explained chef Concordia.
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This is not the norm for most prisons in the country. As explained in this journal advocating for human rights in prison, inmates at one prison in Manila were fed "rice" and usually "canned sardines," which they mix in a cauldron and liken it to nothing more than cow "slop." They have also faced limited water supply.
New Zealand: According to its governmental site, breakfast includes cereal and milk, toast with margarine and jam, and tea. For lunches, inmates are served a sandwich with a side salad, while on Saturdays, the menu swaps for a chicken and vegetable couscous salad. There are vegetarian options available. For dinner, it rotates from a selection of meats, from beef patties to roast beef, chicken sausages and fish fillets with two vegetables, potato, gravy, and one fresh fruit, plus milk or yogurt is rotated every other day. Vegan and lentil patties, vegan sausages, and crumbled spinach and pumpkin patties make up some of the vegetarian options.
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On the actual taste of the food, this Reddit commenter shared, "The food is horrid and bland," and that, "You don't get enough food either, people are always being forced to give up their food, especially chicken nights." An OP of another thread, who said to have spent time in a New Zealand prison, shared the vegetarian options fares a bit better.
Australia: Jackson Allum*, a former inmate who spent two years in prison of "varying security levels" across the state told 7News, the meals he experienced compare to "low-budget airline food." It starts with a breakfast of cereal or bread, then for weekday lunches it's two "defrosted sandwiches" with rotating fillings of "corned beef, tuna, ham and cheese, chicken schnitzel, egg, and Vegemite." On the weekends, the prisoners would get sausages rolls (or pigs in a blanket). For dinner, it was a rotation of "oven-heated frozen meals" like "curries, stews, and various iterations of meat-and-three-veg."
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Allum added, “You can’t just survive on (the provided meals) alone.” Inmates in lower security prisons supplement their meals with "cans of tuna and packets of instant noodles." He said, "Once you get there that's like the best source of protein, so a lot of people eat tuna, because you're gonna be hungry."
Spain: In a study by the National Library of Medicine, for three months, the inmates meals at the Quatre Camins prison in Barcelona were modified to a "healthier" one, adhering to dietary restrictions like allergies, vegetarian, and religious. For those without health restrictions, breakfast included coffee, turkey slices, and pastries. For lunch, it ranged from rice casserole with chicken to spaghetti a la napolitana (tomato sauce) and lentils with boiled vegetables. For dinner, some of the options included veal meatballs with potatoes, Andalusian style hake fish fillet with a side of Russian salad, and chicken leg with mushrooms.
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When asked if the prisoners noticed a change in food, "40%" of diners said they did not notice a difference, and that "92%" of inmates bought food from the prison shop. On the reasons why, it varied from "to have some variety," "because of the lack of food," and "because the food is awful."
The remaining "8%" did not because they did not have the means to do so.
The results of this study did end up banning pork for prisoners due to potential cross contamination with the exception of "roast pork cheeks" as a "special dish" twice a month.
Germany: According to Prison Insider, the meals served in German prisons vary depending on facility and federal state, but it is said many turn towards private catering company services. As such, this German prison (a short-term facility, according to DW.com) had to think fast when the contract with their catering service fell through. They turned to the McDonalds in their town for it's "location" and the franchise's "round-the-clock availability." Prisoners were given a choice of "hamburger, cheeseburger, or a veggieburger" for lunch, and "a McToast with cheese, ham, and bacon for breakfast." Reportedly, bigger burgers were too expensive.
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The state interior ministry was quoted, telling "Express," that McDonalds did not fit regulations and was an "emergency solution."
Russia: Andrei Barabanov, who served time for protesting electoral fraud regarding Vladimir Putin's third presidency, described to The Moscow Times the porridge he was fed when he was detained. It was "an incomprehensible gray mass," he said. It was served with a side of "kombizhir," a sort of butter substitute of animal and vegetable fats. The porridge itself was made up of "ground grains" of "very low quality" and "tasteless." Prisoners would add sweetener to try and improve the taste, but overall, it wasn't great for digestion and they would get hungry soon after.
Many prisoners relied on purchases made in canteens (similar to commissaries — prison shops where inmates can use their accounts to purchase food and personal items) to round out or upgrade their meals. In wanting to showcase some of the positive moments living in lockup, Andrei shares some of the ways he and his fellow inmates upgraded their meals through his instagram here.
North Korea: According to World Friends, what North Korean detainees eat in prison is far grimmer than its Southern counterpart. One of the panelists is said to have worked in the Ministry of Security in North Korea, and he explained just how bleak the meals are and why. It consists of rice and beans but a very watered down version, a gruel, if you will, with a side of watery soup that has no other additions because it could then require prisoners to go to the restroom. The food served is designed to sustain (but barely) and not energize in order to prevent escape or rebellions.
The U.K.: According to prisonguide.co.uk, meals for U.K. inmates are "basic yet sufficient." Breakfast is a variety of cereals, "often with milk," along with toast or bread with butter or margarine. Beverages include tea, coffee, or juice. Lunch is the most substantial and options range from sandwiches with cheese, ham, and other cold cuts, and occasionally, hot meals like soups or stews. Salads and fresh vegetables are "sometimes available." Dinners tend to be on the lighter side and include rice dishes, pasta, or casseroles. Sides include vegetables, potatoes, or salads. Desserts range from fruit, yogurt, or a small dessert like a "biscuit."
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Reported by The Guardian, the food quality served to prisoners in the U.K. are "unhealthy, processed, tasteless food" and eaten "sometimes alone in their cell, often next to their toilet."
There are vegetarian, vegan, Halal, and Kosher options available.
Denmark: At this high-security prison, reported by The Guardian, "65% of the prisoners cook all of their meals themselves." They budget and plan their meals, and shop twice a week for ingredients in the prison's in-house grocery store. They even dine together with on-duty prison officers. At the Vestre Prison in Copenhagen (primarily a holding facility), Vice reported meals are made by the prison's kitchen team, along with 11 voluntary inmates. Meals range from "meatballs with stewed cabbage and potatoes," "pork tenderloin with caramelized onions and gravy," and "baked pork chops," along "pork sliders, pasta bolognese, and chicken in red curry."
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The budget for a daily meal per prisoner at Vestre is 45 crowns, roughly about $7.50 USD. Additionally, a large proportion of the food served in Danish prisons is organic. They even have managers and employees attend training courses to learn how to create menu plans based on seasonal produce.
Finland: In the same article above by The Guardian, the reporter wrote of how she watched prisoners fish for their dinner and forage mushroom and lingonberries in the woods during the summer at the Sulkava prison in Finland. She wrote in Food Behind Bars of how the prisoners were able to grow their own fruit and vegetables, build their own smokers to smoke fish, and even construct an outdoor pizza oven.
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This particular prison is an "open prison," where prisoners apply and get approved depending on the length of sentencing, type of crime, etc. The facilities don't have locks, gates, or uniforms.
Norway: At Bastøy, a low-security "open prison," the inmates prepare their own breakfast and dinner with their earned wages of 6 euros a day, reported by The Guardian. They shop at the island's "mini-supermarket" and work on the farm where they tend to sheep, cows, and chickens, and grow their own produce. Inmates of Bastoy have "up to five years left" of their sentencing and are approved to transfer to the facility, and include inmates who have been convicted of murder and rape.
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According to the Norway Guide, this level of freedom depends on the prison's security level. For high-risk prisons, prisoners are served foods equivalent to "retirement homes or other governmental institutions." They're fairly healthy and of traditional Norway fare of "meat balls and potatoes, beef stew, and different type of pork meat dishes."
And lastly, the U.S.: The country with the highest incarceration rate of any democratic nation in the world, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. If we break this up further, the U.S. locks up more people per capita than any other nation, equaling "583 per 100,000 residents." The quality and dietary costs to feed these inmates vary state to state and even locally, as laws and policies surrounding nutrition are "governed by a patchwork of state laws, local policies, and court decisions."
As of 2023, states spend "between $1.00 and $4.50 per day" to feed each person in prison.
A report by Impact Justice shared a glimpse into some of the meals served at a Northwestern state prison, which one inmate recalled served "boiled cabbage" every day for a month. For the most part, food is "dreary" and "monotonous" with rare exceptions. It could be "two boiled hot dogs" with "white bread," and a "scoop of under-baked beans," or something that looks like spaghetti, made up of pasta and watery tomato sauce, but bares very little resemblance to the real thing in terms of "color, aroma, taste, and texture."
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So, for the most part, meals served in prisons aren't great. Horrendous, in fact, at times. Depending on the country, inmates turn to canteens or commissaries to supplement their meals, but even then, still lack fresh, nutritious options. Largely, there's a lack of quality and care with limited regard for dietary and religious restrictions. As for privatized institutions, and perhaps, even federal, the bottom-line reigns supreme. Many prisons in industrialized countries have turned to mass private catering companies to lower food costs.
However, it's interesting to learn of countries like Denmark, Finland, and Norway, which have developed their prison systems around the tenets of rehabilitation and reintegration, which include quality nutrition and education surrounding it (amongst other efforts), have proved to have the lowest rates of recidivism of anywhere else in the world.
Organizations like The Marshall Project and Impact Justice are great resources for learning more about the criminal justice system and inspiring food for thought.
Did any of these surprise you? Have you had your own experience with prison food? Let us know in the comments.
