Prison meals in California’s San Quentin Rehabilitation Center may sound appealing on paper—chicken cacciatore, Tuscan-style beans, beef fried rice, and chicken enchiladas. These dishes resemble meals you might find in restaurants near San Francisco. However, the reality for the roughly 2 million people incarcerated across the U.S. is very different. Prison trays often hold small portions of low-quality, heavily processed food that barely resemble the menu descriptions.
Many believe poor prison food is a deserved punishment. But correctional and health experts, along with incarcerated individuals, argue that everyone should care about prison food quality. More than 95% of prisoners will eventually return to their communities. For their successful reintegration, they need to be healthy and well-prepared, and that starts with the food they eat behind bars.
San Quentin resident Jesse Milo, who has been in 13 different prisons, described prison meals as “depressing.” He said the food often looks unrecognizable, but people eat it because they must survive. Milo believes the quality of food affects rehabilitation. “The tray reflects how society views us,” he said. “When the food looks disgusting, it sends a message that that’s what we are.”
Milo’s own health has suffered in prison. He is obese, pre-diabetic, and has high blood pressure. He has relied entirely on state-provided meals since his family cannot send him money. Like Milo, many incarcerated people struggle with poor nutrition. A 2020 study by Impact Justice found that 90% of prisoners said their meals looked and tasted unappetizing. More than half reported rarely or never receiving fresh fruits or vegetables.
To cope, some prisoners with financial support turn to commissaries stocked with unhealthy snacks like ramen noodles and soda. Prisons act as “food deserts,” creating conditions that contribute to chronic diseases such as early diabetes. Research published in 2023 in the Journal of the American Medical Association linked poor prison diets to accelerated aging and health problems caused by stress, limited healthy food, and inadequate health care.
“Food is medicine,” said Dr. Ilana Garcia-Grossman, lead author of the study. “Investing in better food can prevent many health issues.” Yet, California’s Department of Corrections spends less than $4 per inmate per day on food, while spending much more on health care. The department claims to provide “healthy and nutritionally balanced” meals and has standardized menus to fight diabetes and high blood pressure. But reports and prisoner accounts reveal menus often rely on refined carbs and powdered drink mixes instead of fresh, nutrient-rich foods.
Garcia-Grossman advocates for a Mediterranean-style diet in prisons, rich in vegetables, whole foods, and moderate amounts of meat, fish, and healthy oils. She notes that prisons can be places to teach nutrition, especially for those with diet-related illnesses. She points to Norwegian prisons as a model, where inmates have access to groceries and cooking classes.
Dr. Rodlescia Sneed from Wayne State University adds that health education should be as important as job skills and housing for those reentering society. Early intervention through better food and wellness education can prevent chronic diseases later in life.
Despite some efforts, food service staff in California prisons face bureaucratic challenges. The Impact Justice report suggests that while corrections professionals try their best, the system still leaves many prisoners hungry and humiliated by their food.
At San Quentin, inmate Kelton O’Connor leads the Right 2 Heal campaign, pushing for food justice behind bars. He argues that prisoners often spend their own money on unhealthy commissary items because they lack access to healing foods. “In prison, we have the right to kill ourselves with food, but not the right to heal ourselves with food,” O’Connor said.
His campaign aims to transform food systems inside prisons and marginalized communities through co-ops, onsite food production, and nutrition programs. Research in nutritional criminology links better diets to reduced violence and antisocial behavior—effects comparable to psychological treatments.
O’Connor emphasizes that poor prison food not only harms physical health but can also worsen mental health, increasing risks to safety. The Right 2 Heal campaign calls for protecting everyone’s right to heal—inside prison walls and beyond.
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