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The Food Chain

Factual: Food & Drink

Examining what it takes to put food on your plate

The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.

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The Food Chain: Food, Power and Punishment

Magazines & Reviews

Punishment, Power and Food

27/02/2016 GMT

Food, Power and Punishment

BBC World Service - The Food Chain, Food, Power and Punishment

What part should food play in punishment?

Nothing to eat but stale bread and water - an enduring image of incarceration, but what part should food play in punishment? In America, the 'Nutraloaf' - a compressed food-stuff with just enough calories to keep you alive - has been used for decades to punish prisoners in solitary confinement, but many say it contravenes even the most basic human rights. Manuela Saragosa speaks to the man who brought a class action against the state of New York to get it banned. Plus, a prison dietician tells us about the difficulty of planning a nutritious daily menu on a budget of just $2.30 per day.

Food can also play a vital role in rehabilitation and help recreate a sense of normality. We hear from the Dutch prison using nutrition to appease violent behaviour, and find out about The Clink Restaurant - a dining experience with a twist. We get a lesson from a former convict on the challenging art of prison cooking. Finally, when all freedom has been taken from you, how the refusal of food can become a powerful political weapon. 

Featuring:

Daniel Genis: Journalist, writer, ex-convict
Heather Ann Thompson:  Mass incarceration historian, Michigan University
Taylor Pendergrass: New York Civil Liberties Union
Barbara Wakeen: Prison nutritionist
Ap Zaalberg: Dutch Ministry of Justice
Dr Sarah Campbell: Professor of Irish and British history, Newcastle University
Al Crisci: Creator of the Clink Restaurant 

(Photo: Hands behind bars. Credit: Thinkstock)

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