Our History

In 2016, we launched Food Behind Bars as the UK’s national campaign to improve prison food. We spent several years raising awareness around the subject and sharing the stories of those who have experienced it firsthand. We built relationships with prisons and got under the skin of the subject so we could truly understand the importance of diet in everyday prison life.

In July 2020, Food Behind Bars became a Registered Charity. Our mission remains unchanged - we want nutritious, exciting and varied food to become the norm in British prisons. We still speak publicly about the issue of prison food - in March 2021, we released an 8-part podcast series that explored the subject of prison food through the people that have experienced it firsthand. Our work has been featured by The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph, BBC Two, Metro and British Vogue.

We have a small, fantastic team who are working in our partner prisons to utilise food as a powerful tool for change, positively impacting the lives of some of society’s most vulnerable individuals.

“Over the course of an afternoon, I saw the work of Food Behind Bars. Under the supervision of FBB’s professional chef, prisoners employed in the staff bistro produced inventive food for the lunchtime service and then spent the afternoon experimenting with a new dish. One prisoner said that he understood the joy of making his own food for the first time, having survived on takeaways when he was outside, and he was looking forward to cooking for his family and friends on release.”

— Lead Inspector, HM Inspectorate of Prisons

We want to inspire change in prison kitchens across the UK

Find out more about our journey