Vegan campaigners have welcomed new prison rules that put a belief-based diet on a par with religious and cultural needs.
The Food in Prisons Policy Framework took effect on 2 February. It requires prison kitchens to take account of prisoners’ ethical beliefs, as well as their faith, when they plan menus.
The framework covers every prison in England and Wales. It replaces rules that had applied since 2010, set out in PSI 44/2010 and its accompanying guidance.
Prison menus have offered a vegan option for many years. Under the new rules, however, failing to provide one would amount to unlawful discrimination.
The Vegan Society now appears on a list of organisations that prisons must consult about food. The framework also sets out a “requirement for consultation with interested stakeholders of compliance of food with ethical requirements, as well as religious and cultural requirements”.
Prisons will also mark ‘Veganuary’ with special dishes. The campaign encourages people to avoid meat and dairy throughout January. Kitchens already do the same for cultural events such as Black History Month and Chinese New Year.
Writing about the changes, Dr Jeanette Rowley of the Vegan Society said the rules “offer imprisoned vegans stronger support than ever before”.
According to Dr Rowley, the framework builds vegan options into the minimum menu requirements for lunch and the evening meal. It also treats a nutritional supplement, fortified drinks and oils as a necessity for prisoners on a vegan diet. The guidance includes a sample vegan menu cycle that the Society has approved.
She said the 2010 rules had defined a vegan diet accurately and required a vegan choice on menus. In her view, though, they did not give veganism the same legal recognition or nutritional weight as the new framework.
According to the Prison Service, ethical veganism counts as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. Its policies, the service said, must follow the law. It confirmed that it had consulted the Vegan Society before the framework came into force.
A Prison Service spokesperson said every prisoner receives three healthy meals a day that meet religious, cultural and medical needs. The average cost, the spokesperson said, is £3.20 per prisoner per day.
