These photos reveal the shocking reality of meals served in Georgia prisons. The food is nutritionally deficient, unappetizing, and often insufficient, leaving many incarcerated people hungry, malnourished, and at increased risk of health issues and violence.
Lunches frequently consist of a single peanut butter or bologna sandwich—barely enough to sustain an adult. These meals are sometimes delivered in a single sack meant to serve 120 inmates, forcing prisoners to compete for food or skip meals entirely because the portions are so small it’s not worth eating.
Dinner isn’t much better. While it sometimes contains a hot component, portions are drastically reduced, and meals often lack the necessary vitamins, minerals, and proteins for basic health. Many prisoners describe the food as spoiled, cold, or improperly prepared, making it unsafe or inedible.
Prisoners Forced to Buy Food at Inflated Prices
Because the state provides inadequate food, prisoners must rely on commissary purchases to meet their basic nutritional needs. However, these commissary prices are grossly inflated—sometimes triple what the same items cost at Walmart.
🚨 Examples of Commissary Price Gouging:
• Ramen noodles (cost ~$0.15 at Walmart) are sold for $0.79 in Georgia prisons.
• A single honey bun costs prisoners $2.82, compared to what the GDC pays for it at $1.64.
• Canned meats and protein sources are significantly marked up, leaving those without financial support struggling to get enough calories.
This system exploits inmates and their families, making survival dependent on those who can afford to pay. Those who lack outside financial support have no choice but to endure hunger and malnutrition, leading to increased aggression, mental health deterioration, and higher rates of prison violence.
More In-Depth Reporting on This Crisis
We took a deep dive into the devastating impact of Georgia’s prison food crisis in our full-length article:
📖 Nutrition Neglect: How Georgia’s Prison Food Is Fueling Violence
This report exposes how Georgia’s prison food system is failing, how malnutrition contributes to rising violence, and what needs to change.
💡 Food is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. Georgia’s failure to provide adequate meals is not just inhumane, it’s dangerous. If this system doesn’t change, the crisis will only worsen.
📢 Help expose this issue. Share this article, speak out, and demand better conditions in Georgia’s prisons.
The following photos show the reality of meals served in Georgia prisons. The quality is appalling, and the quantity wouldn’t satisfy a child, let alone an adult trying to survive in these conditions. Lunches, consisting of a single peanut butter or bologna sandwich, are often delivered in a single sack to serve 120 inmates, with many skipping the meal entirely because it’s not worth eating.
