Prison Food

[dinger]

It has been stated today prisoners recieve better diets and more nourishing food than hospital patients .I think this is disgraceful. What are your views on this .I know when our mum was in hospital she refused to eat at all so I was cooking her meals and taking them in to her it was the only way of knowing she was being fed properly.

[Primrose]

It is disgraceful and prisoners even get a good education offered to them don't they?

Didn't Jamie Oliver also say the cost per head for prison meals were higher than that granted to our school children?

Surely there is something wrong somewhere? Someone is making money out of these contracts and not having to provide the quality.

When I was last in hospital I didn't realise that basically everything comes in as frozen meals and the good old hospital kitchen is no longer there.

Is this really cost effective? Is it the same in all hospitals meals delivered by huge container lorries?

I remember one lady said she ran a pub and could have created a better standard meal than what we had put in front of us and refused to eat it. We also got Fish & Chips in a couple of times and one man arranged for a Chinese meal to be delivered.

Come to think of it isn't that what happend in schools, according to Jamie Oliver, the kitchen equipment was taken out and in come frozen?

[dragonfly]

Its disgusting but I'm not surprised for criminals always get treated better than good people.

[buecherwurm]

I saw a programme on TV where people were complaining about the hospital food. Some people couldn't/wouldn't touch it because it was so disgusting. Nobody checked whether anybody ate or not because the trays are covered and they were just collected and taken away. Here in Germany we have to pay extra for the food (each day you are in hospital you have to pay a certain amount and it doesn't matter if you couldn't eat, because you were operated on and still on an infusion) as the health insurance/government says that this is nothing the health insurance has to pay as you would have to eat when at home as well

[sunflower]

The food offered to patients in our local hospital is really nourishing and lots of the veg is organic. Also, all the eggs used in cooking are free range. We also have special menus on offer for people from different cultures. All the food is cooked on the premises and the top Chefs and Manager of the kitchens are University degree level. A careful watch is kept on all wastage and over -ordering, with people from the kitchens visiting the wards to observe how the food is presented to the patients....as it comes to the ward in large containers.
I have no problem with prisoners being offered quality food. It is after all, a basic human right.....just so long as our hospitals are offering quality food to our patients.

[Primrose]

Sunflower

Your local hospital sounds as though they should be the flagship for all hospitals.

I agree it is a basic human right (as well as education) and it should be across the board e.g. hospitals, care homes, schools, prisons, etc.

[dinger]

I read this week where an elderly patient had died and it was found not only was she starving but had'nt even been given a drink for four days. her family have lodged a complaint and who could blame them it is cruelty.

[dragonfly]

Sunflower your hospital sounds ideal and all should be like it. The quality of food is more important for an ill person.

[Crocus]

I'm a bit in two about prison food, hospital food etc. Being in prison is already punishment for a crime done, and while they don't need fine dining etc., I don't think prisoners should be "punished" as such with giving them perhaps "less than standard" food.

Patients in hospital need good nutritious food to help along with getting well, but my experience of be a patient and eating in hospital is that I usually felt to ill to eat so it didn't matter a lot what was on the plate. This doesn't mean that hospital food shouldn't be of good standard and tasty.

On both accounts, being a prisoner or a patient doesn't take away the fact that they both are human, and nutritious food is necessary in both cases. The patient must get healthy, as well the prisoner, otherwise it will be further burden on governments or society. xx

[jazzactivist]

I agree with crocus that patients in hospital need very nutritious food to help them to recover, but prisoners also need nutritous food as is has been well documented that poor quality food leads to all kinds of problems such as aggression and lack of motivation. My solution would be to ensure that people in hospital receive decent portions of nutritious food that is very palatable and is also attractive to eat and contains immunity boosting properties, while prisoners should have plain, nutritious food that contains properties that help to calm and induce happier feelings.

I once heard from a hospital cook that 24 peas makes a portion, and from a prison cook that they sometimes spit in the food!

[dinger]

Oh my goodness that should add to the flavour .

[Crocus]

Oh dear me Jazz, but I suppose it does happen. It's awfull though to think that people can stoop so low as to do this kind of thing. 24 Peas is not a lot, goodness. Thing is, prisoner, patient, whoever, it's a human body that has to have food to exist and be healthy. xx

[buecherwurm]

I wouln't even want 24 peas. I just can't stand them!!!