If it were not for the locked doors, knives chained to the table and 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 the nation — artisan snacks, made behind bars.
Photo: AFP
The additive-free delicacies made by inmates have gained a loyal public following, and generate hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
The sales revenue for 2015 reached more than NT$500 million (US$15.51 million at current exchange rates), with money going toward victim compensation, improvement of facilities and a wage for inmates. Some prisoners, such as Chen (陳), 39, had little culinary experience before joining the production line in Taoyuan.
The prison rolls out a wide range of snacks, from sweets to fermented tofu.
“I am happy to learn some useful skills,” Chen said.
“I did not know how to use a kitchen knife properly before as my mother always cooked for me and I did not need to go into the kitchen.” she said. “I have learned that it looks simple to make food, but it is actually quite complicated.”
Inmates near release or parole can apply for the program and are prioritized. 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 the nation includes local favorites such as pineapple cake and peanut brittle, as well as soy sauce and free-range chicken.
What started in 2006 as a smaller program designed to teach inmates practical skills and raise funds for prison facilities has now been rolled out to all of the nation’s adult jails. More than 50 prisons make about 300 types of product that 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,” Agency of Corrections Deputy Director Chiu Hung-chi (邱鴻基) said.
“Our foods are natural, high-quality and inexpensive,” he added.
It is a winning sales pitch to a public wary after big-name companies were found to have adulterated their products with banned chemicals or recycled “gutter oil” to lower costs.
Shoppers at a food fair in Taichung organized by the agency vouched for the 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 Tainan to the fair, which lasted four days and drew thousands of visitors.
Wang spent more than NT$10,000 on noodles, chicken, soy sauce and snacks.
“I think the program 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 “labor allowance” of about NT$2,000 to NT$3,000.
Some responsible for top-selling items, such as soy sauce made in a prison in Pingtung County, can make 10 times the average pay during peak holiday seasons, Chiu said.
In addition to producing their own brand of food, some prisons also make soaps and handicraft products, or take orders from local factories to manufacture garments, paper bags and accessories.
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,” Chen said. “I hope to combine my mother’s cooking with what I’ve learned to create better food.”
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