F.01.Res.01 Catering

Performance Standards

1. Each prisoner is provided with a diet based on Ministry of Health (MoH) Food and Nutrition Guidelines for NZ Adults published October 2015.
2. Food is procured, stored, prepared, produced and served in accordance with generally accepted professional health and safety standards and in compliance with legislation.
3. The method of food delivery reflects the environment in which it is served.
4. The type and quantity of food served reflects the climate and work needs of the prisoner.
5. Each prison has in place a documented and approved procedure for the preparation and serving of meals.
6. Suitable implements are used for the preparation, distribution and eating of meals.
7. All persons engaged in food preparation and or handling shall be trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activities.
8. Any prisoner suspected to be suffering from a communicable disease, and is likely to transmit disease-producing organisms to any food, is excluded from working in the kitchen until they are cleared by health services staff.
9. Each prison has in place a process for recording written requests for changes in diets.

Planning Menus

1. Menus are developed nationally and updated as required, in consultation with a qualified dietician to ensure compliance with legislation and the Ministry of Health Food and Nutrition Guidelines for NZ Adults.
2. Menus are planned and approved to ensure quality, nutritional, and varied meals are provided.
3. Principal instructor catering/laundry or principal instructor catering ensure that fresh produce at appropriate prices, and according to seasonal availability are considered when planning and ordering food. Prison grown produce may be available at some sites and can be used in the national menu.

National Menu

There is one national menu that includes the standard three daily meals and supper for a four week cycle for all prisoners. Included in the national menu is a vegetarian / vegan option for the lunch and dinner meals.

1. Sites are to have their own process for how prisoners can submit a written request to change from the standard menu to the vegetarian / vegan option or vice versa. The site process is to include the method of the written request eg a form or a note, and how it is to be received by the kitchen.
2. Prisoners stay on the menu they first selected until they make a written request to change.
3. There is no restriction on the number of times that a prisoner is able to submit a written request to change from the standard menu to the vegetarian / vegan option or vice versa.
4. Instructor catering will process written requests for changes from the standard menu to the vegetarian / vegan option or vice versa provided the notice period has been met.
5. The notice period an instructor catering must have prior to providing the alternative meals is seven calendar days from the date the written request is received by the kitchen (the day of receipt of the request is counted as day one).
6. Requests are to be recorded. For more details see Request Registers.

Religious and Cultural Requests

1. There is no separate religious or cultural menu. However, food and drink that makes allowance for the various religious and cultural needs will be provided as far as practicable in the circumstances.
2. Prisoners who choose not to eat certain foods due to their religious or cultural beliefs can submit a written request to the principal instructor catering/laundry or principal instructor catering via their principal corrections officer to remove food or drink items from their diet.
3. The principal instructor catering/laundry or principal instructor catering makes the final decision on whether a food or drink item is replaced and what the replacement item is based on the extent to which replacement is practical in the circumstances.
4. The principal instructor catering/laundry or principal instructor catering makes decisions as soon as practicable on a request made under this section.
5. Requests are to be recorded. For more details see Request Registers.

Medical Diets

Medical diets apply to pregnant and breastfeeding wāhine (women) and are to be provided following a written requested from a registered nurse confirming pregnancy or that a wahine (woman) is breastfeeding. Note: Medical diets may only be ordered by registered nurses, medical officers, nurse practitioners or dentists based on a clinical need.

Medical diets can be prescribed when certain conditions are met such as where there are medical conditions or food allergies that require specific diets.

1. Medical diets may only be ordered by registered nurses, medical officers, nurse practitioners or dentists based on a clinical need.
2. The request to an instructor catering to provide a medical diet must be made by a registered nurse. The request will include the number of days the medical diet is to be provided.
3. The request for a medical diet can be cancelled by a registered nurse if further investigations establish there is no clinical reason for a medical diet.
4. In the event that a medical diet is required to be continued beyond the period specified in the initial request the order must be approved by a health centre manager (HCM).
5. The principal instructor catering/laundry or principal instructor catering provides a substitute food or drink when a prisoner is on a medical diet. A list of substitute food and drink items will be made available to all principal instructor catering/laundry and all principal instructor catering.
6. Requests are to be recorded. For more details see Request Registers.

Additional Lunch Rations

1. Additional lunch time food rations may be provided to prisoners who work in an OE environment.
2. Discretion is permitted to enable an assistant prison director to also approve of prisoners working or participating in other activities to be provided with the moderate or heavy additional lunch time ration listed in the table below.
3. Approval for an additional lunch ration, over and above those listed below must be given by the assistant prison director instructing the principal instructor catering/laundry or principal instructor catering in writing to provide the additional lunch ration for a defined instance.
4. With effect from 14 October 2019 the food permitted to be made available to prisoners for the additional lunch ration is listed below. The food is not to be supplemented with additional food over and above the food listed below and, the type of food is not to be substituted with other alternatives unless the prisoner is on an approved medical diet.

Table: Additional Lunch Rations

Request Registers

1. Principal instructor catering/laundry or principal instructor catering are to decide the method to be used at their sites for recording the written requests and decisions made as a result of prisoners’ and health services staff requests for changes to prisoners’ diets.
2. There is no restriction on the method of recording the requests. Some examples are hard copy registers, log books, electronic or hard copy spreadsheets or simply a folder that holds the hard copies of the requests with the action taken noted on the request.
3. The request register should be able to be made available in the event of:
   • an investigation (either internal or external)
   • an audit.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

The key roles and responsibilities of instructor catering, principal instructor catering/laundry, principal instructor catering, manager industries and assistant prison directors are shown in the table below.