HL Deb 20 November 1985 vol 468 cc648-9WA
Lord Avebury

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What changes in diet are to be introduced in the prisons to increase the content of fibre and from what date; what will be the main items on the menus that will be increased or decreased; and what amounts of money are allocated per head of the prison population per week under each heading.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Glenarthur)

Following a review last year of the dietary scales for the inmates of penal establishments in England and Wales, a copy of which is in the Library, new scales were introduced at the beginning of November. The new scales give effect to minor changes in the diet to make the food more palatable and to comply with recommendations in reports by the National Advisory Committee on Nutrition Education (NACNE) 1983 and by a Committee on the Medical Aspects of Food Policy.

The NACNE report recommended that the average fibre intake in the general population be increased from 20 grams to 30 grams per day. The previous prison dietary scales already provided between 28 grams to 47 grams of fibre per day, depending upon the dietary category of the inmate. The new scales increase the corresponding levels to between 35 grams and 51 grams per day. This improvement has been achieved largely by the introduction of wholemeal flour and long grain rice, together with increased quantities of fruit, root vegetables and cornflakes. Marginal decreases have been made in some items. The approximate cost per inmate per week of the increased provision (at bulk purchase prices for most items) is:—

wholemeal flour: 9p to 11p (depending on dietary category)
long grain rice: 1 p
fresh fruit: 6p
root vegetables: up to 2p (depending on dietary category)
cornflakes: 2p to 5p (depending on dietary