Written question asked by Neil Gerrard (Labour) on Monday, 8 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 March 2010. It was answered by Maria Eagle (Labour) on Monday, 15 March 2010 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Young Offender Institutions: Food

Question: (2) what steps the Prison Service is taking to implement Department of Health guidance on healthy eating.

Answer: Young offender institutions in England and Wales provide a multi-choice, pre-select menu that includes healthy options. Caterers are issued with guidance to provide five portions of fruit and vegetables each day and are expected to meet this requirement.There are a number of initiatives to encourage healthy eating including working towards food specifications with reduced sugar and salt content, favouring steaming and baking rather than shallow and deep frying and avoiding adding salt and sugar during the cooking process. A balanced approach to nutrition is being pursued in line with the Department of Health's guidelines.Educating all prisoners, including young offenders, to eat a more healthy diet is key. Increasingly the National Offender Management Service is adopting a multi-disciplinary approach and working with the Department of Health, the Food Standards Agency and others to encourage individual prisoners to eat more healthily.

Secondary information