Let me go to Prison, I want good food

Have you ever wondered what prison food actually tastes like? Since the average person has probably not spent much time in prison, we can only assume what kind of food is served. It’s not surprising that prison food is a highly debated topic, as American taxpayers are paying millions to feed its inmates. The main function of the food served in prison, as mandated by law,  is to be nutritious and affordable. While the food does not have to be of the highest quality, there does have to be enough of it for everyone. In fact, the biggest issue concerning food in prisons is portion control, an important factor in preventing conflicts since unequal portions can cause massive fights to break out.

In order to ensure no food or packaging material is transformed into weapons, food must be carefully checked before being served; no bones, aluminum foil or saran wrap are allowed. To ensure inmates cannot access these materials, food is either cooked in the prison’s kitchen or supplied by a special prison food company. Either way, the average cost per meal is about $2.25 per inmate per day. A typical breakfast consists of cereal, toast, jam, jelly, doughnuts, coffee, tea, and fruit. Lunch may be spaghetti with meatballs, salad with dressing, bread or rolls, brownies, cake and milk. The dinner menu consists of meat loaf with gravy, fried rice, collard greens, white bread and butter, jelly and milk.

Many people wonder though, why do we bother to make sure that prisoners receive such good care when there are low income families in America who struggle every day just to survive? Prisoners are people who have committed crimes and therefore do not deserve a five-star meal; they are locked up to be punished. Inmates on death row even have the privilege of choosing anything they want for their last meal. While food may comfort inmates, it certainly does not make taxpayers feel any better.

As some of my readers may know, I am a student at the University of Graz. This is an article I wrote for an online food magazine along with other colleagues. Have a look at the food magazine. 

If you have any tips on how I can improve my writing, please leave a comment below.
I really appreciate it!
Julia