Taiwan prisoners turn artisan chefs as 'jail food' takes off

High-quality but affordable food products made made by prisoners are a hit with Taiwan consumers.

Inmates at a correctional facility in Taoyuan, northern Taiwan packing sweets made in the prison which are now part of an industry generating millions of dollars a year. Sam Yeh / AFP

TAOYUAN, TAIWAN // If it were not for the locked doors, the knives chained to the table and the uniformed staff, the food factory inside Taoyuan women’s prison would resemble any commercial kitchen.

Inmates wearing masks and hair nets mix cocoa powder to make chocolate, or chop cabbage to marinate for kimchi.

They are part of a burgeoning food industry in Taiwan — artisan snacks, made behind bars.

Thanks to a series of food safety scandals, Taiwan consumers are now extra-vigilant about what they eat. Ironically, the high-quality, affordable, additive-free delicacies produced by people convicted of a crime are among those the public now trusts the most. They also generate hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Last year sales revenue reached more than Tw$500 million ($15.62 million), with money going toward victim compensation, improvement of facilities and a wage for inmates.

Some prisoners, like 39-year-old Chen, had little culinary experience before joining the production line in Taoyuan, in the north of the island.

The prison produces a wide range of snacks, from sweets to fermented tofu.

“I’m happy to learn some useful skills,” said Chen. “I didn’t know how to use a kitchen knife properly before as my mother always cooked for me and I didn’t need to go into the kitchen. I’ve learnt that it looks simple to make food, but it’s actually quite complicated.”

Inmates who are close to their release date or parole can apply for the scheme and are given priority. Long-term prisoners who are judged to have behaved well or have relevant experience can also apply.

The range of jail-made food bought from prisons across Taiwan includes local favourites such as pineapple cake and peanut brittle, soy sauce and free-range chicken.

What started in 2006 as a smaller programme designed to teach inmates practical skills and raise funds for prison facilities has now been expanded to all of Taiwan’s adult jails.

More than 50 prisons make around 300 types of product which can be ordered by the public by phone, online or by fax, or bought direct from prison offices.

“We use good ingredients and we do not use additives or over-process food to make profits,” said Chiu Hung-chi, deputy chief of the Agency of Corrections. “Our foods are natural, high quality and inexpensive.”

It is a winning sales pitch to a public made wary after big-name companies were found to have adulterated their products with banned chemicals or recycled “gutter oil” to lower costs, which led to massive recalls of food items in recent years.

Shoppers at a food fair in central Taichung city organised by the corrections agency were quick to vouch for made-in-prison food.

“I’ve been buying food made by inmates regularly for more than a year. They are organic, good quality and relatively cheap. I also rally my friends to place orders together,” said businesswoman Wang Lung-feng, who drove nearly two hours from southern Tainan city to the fair, which lasted four days and drew thousands of visitors.

Wang spent over Tw$10,000 on noodles, chicken, soy sauce and snacks.

“I think the programme is very meaningful. The inmates are learning some skills that can help them find work and readjust to society,” she said.

Inmates earn an average monthly “labour allowance” of around Tw$2,000-3,000. Those involved in making top-selling items, such as soy sauce made in a prison in southern Pingtung county, can make 10 times the average pay during peak holiday seasons, according to Mr Chiu.

Besides producing their own brand of food, some prisons make soaps and handicraft, or take orders from local factories to manufacture garments, paper bags and accessories.

Inmate Chen said she hopes to launch her own small food business after her release.

“My mother loves to cook and she cooks well. She said as long as I am not afraid of hard work she will work with me to start our small food business. I hope to combine my mother’s cooking with what I’ve learned to create better food.”

* Agence France-Presse