Food Sleuth Radio Daniel Rosen, MA, Co-founder of the Coalition for Carceral Nutrition and Public Health Fellow at the Bard Prison Initiative, discusses food and eating conditions in prison and jails, and the food industry that profits from the exploitation of those who ar
Aug 15, 2025
Daniel Rosen, Co-founder of the Coalition for Carceral Nutrition and a Public Health Fellow at the Bard Prison Initiative, sheds light on the food crisis in prisons. Incarcerated from 2015 to 2021, he labels prison food as ‘dietary malpractice.’ The discussion reveals how budget cuts lead to inadequate meals that harm inmates' health. Rosen also highlights the irony of prison gardens that produce food but are not accessible to inmates. He calls for urgent reforms to uphold dignity and nutrition, linking food quality to mental health and safety.
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Low Budgets Drive Poor Prison Nutrition
- U.S. jails and prisons generally spend only $2–$4 per person per day on food, often under $1 per meal.
- That low budget produces high-carb, low-nutrient meals that drive poor health outcomes.
Prison Farms Rarely Feed Inmates
- Roughly one-third of state prison facilities may have some kind of growing program, but almost none use the produce for general consumption.
- Most prison-grown produce is sent off-site to food banks or markets, profiting from unpaid labor.
Keeping Fresh Fruit In A Cell
- Daniel Rosen describes keeping a bowl of apples in his cell and sharing or losing them to others regularly.
- He says people begged, borrowed, bought and stole fresh food whenever they could to stay nourished.