Prison Catering Bill Reaches £165m Annually as Spending Questions Mount
Taxpayers are footing a substantial £165 million annual bill for prison food across England and Wales, according to exclusive revelations that highlight growing concerns about government spending efficiency within the Ministry of Justice.
Blockbuster Catering Contract Signed Until 2031
The government has entered into a significant £826.7 million agreement with leading catering distributor BFS Group, a subsidiary of South African-listed Bidcorp, which boasts a market capitalisation of approximately £3.8 billion. This comprehensive contract will ensure food supplies for both inmates and certain prison staff members through to 2031.
Current statistics from September last year indicate there are more than 87,400 individuals incarcerated alongside over 27,200 prison officers operating across the two nations. The Ministry of Justice calculates that the average daily food expenditure for each prisoner and young offender stands at £3.20.
BFS Group maintains additional supply agreements with university catering services and NHS supply chains, according to available records, demonstrating their extensive involvement in institutional food provision across multiple sectors.
Government Spending Under Intense Scrutiny
Public expenditure faces increasing examination as financial constraints tighten across government departments. Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray has explicitly instructed ministers to refrain from utilising emergency funding to address shortfalls in spending plans.
Murray has additionally announced a comprehensive review of wasteful spending across government departments and infrastructure projects ahead of next year's scheduled spending review. This initiative follows the closure of the Office for Value for Money after the last Budget – a quango that previously scrutinised government expenditure at an annual operating cost of approximately £1.6 million.
The dissolution of this oversight body contributed to broader plans requiring administration budgets across all government departments to be reduced by 15 percent before 2029. Despite these austerity measures, the Ministry of Justice received a 3.1 percent real-terms budget increase spanning the period between 2024 and 2029 during last year's spending review, although this settlement remained below allocations for priority areas such as defence and health services.
Inmate Complaints About Food Quality Persist
Prisoners have consistently voiced dissatisfaction regarding the standard of meals provided within correctional facilities. Albanian murderer Eugert Merizaj publicly criticised UK prison food as "terrible" through social media platform TikTok, highlighting ongoing concerns about meal quality.
Meanwhile, prison officials in Wales have raised alarms about inadequate food provision for inmates in their facilities. A prison service spokesperson countered these complaints by stating: "All prisoners and young offenders receive three healthy meals daily that comply with established nutritional guidelines."
As government spending efficiency remains under the political spotlight, the substantial costs associated with prison catering continue to generate significant debate about resource allocation and value for money within the justice system.
