There are certain places that are known for their unappetising meals. Economy class airline food, hospital meals and nursing homes are usually the front-runners when it comes to nominations for dishes that are best left alone.

But what about the people who are behind bars, what do they get dished up? If the movies are anything to go by, prisoners are likely to be confronted with trays of cold, grey gloop. But is this the reality?

In Australia, prisoners are provided with three meals a day. In NSW, the food is
prepared by other prisoners, but under supervision. While television series may show us scenes of huge dining rooms filled with prisoners eating their meals, the reality is quite different. Some units may have dining tables, but meals are usually eaten in prisoners’ cells.

Despite the perception that prisoners are eating bland, boring food, those in Canberra’s jail get to enjoy jerk chicken, zucchini fritters, lamb kofta and Thai beef noodle salad for dinner, with dessert served several times a week. Breakfasts and lunches are fairly standard affairs, with cereal, bread, tea and coffee, and sandwiches as the staple offerings.

Prisoners also receive a wage (usually between $25 – 70 a week) and depending on the prisoner and their resources, some can purchase up to $100 worth of lollies, cake mixes, noodles, sauces, tinned food and rice per week. In 2017, the  13,000 prisoners at NSW correctional centres spent $25 million on groceries. Singapore noodles, tinned tuna, orange drink powder, cola soft drink and hot and spicy noodles were the top five purchases for inmates.

A 2016 Australian study found the planned food of prisoners to be nutritionally adequate, but unsurprisingly, that inmates’ nutrient intakes were greatly impacted by self-funded snacks.