25th Aug 2023 - 06:00
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English and Welsh jails will be allocated £2.70 for each prisoner per day to spend on meals for 2023/24, which an increase on the previous year’s figure of only £2.16, it was reported by The Telegraph.
The figures were given to Inside Time, the prisoners’ magazine, by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) following a Freedom of Information request.
The £2.70 will be used to feed prisoners three meals a day including breakfast, a cold meal and a hot meal. During 2022/23 the actual prisoner spend was £2.68 per day, much higher than the allocated £2.16. The budget increase has been introduced to help prison kitchen staff cope with the rising cost of ingredients and the cost of living crisis.
Prison meals must equate to nutrition requirements set by the Food Standards Agency, which declared men needed 2,500 calories and women needed 2,000. Menus must also offer halal and vegetarian options for prisoners.