Prison Loaf

Nutraloaf, commonly called prison loaf, is a nutritionally complete meal served to U.S. prison inmates who display severe behavioural issues. It is a combination of different foods, usually some type of bread, vegetables, beans, occasionally meat, and even fruits, baked into a loaf.

It is often served to prisoners who have assaulted guards or other prisoners with sharpened eating utensils. The rationale behind serving this loaf to certain prisoners is that they cannot be trusted with silverware. Since nutraloaf is a complete meal baked into a portable bar, prisoners do not need to be given any type of eating utensils to consume a nutraloaf. While the texture is similar to meat loaf, many prisoners complain that it is bland or even unpleasant tasting. In some prisons, nutraloaf is simply the regular meal blended together into a loaf and served to prisoners.

The use of nutraloaf throughout U.S. prisons is controversial, and several lawsuits have been filed against prisons who routinely serve it to prisoners. It is unconstitutional to deny inmates food but since nutraloaf is nutritionally complete, the prisons are able to maintain the standard of the law. When nutraloaf is used in prisons as a form of correction, inmates are often served the prison loaf three times a day for a week. Many correctional institutes do feel that serving nutraloaf in lieu of regular food to behaviourally-challenged inmates has improved many inmates’ demeanour and behaviour towards guards and other inmates.