Video: Before Ghanaian prisoners eat, this is what officers must do to their food

A routine food inspection process in Ghanaian prisons has drawn attention after a video showed a senior prison officer tasting food prepared for inmates before approving it for consumption.

The video captures the officer checking the prepared meal and signing the ration book as part of the procedure reportedly required under the Ghana Prisons Service Standing Orders.

The process is intended to ensure that food served to inmates is fit for human consumption, with the inspection serving as a checkpoint before meals are distributed.

The signing of the ration book also provides a record of the inspection and approval process, helping to document the handling of prison meals.

Although inmates are deprived of their liberty, their access to safe and suitable food remains an important part of prison administration and their basic welfare.

Food inspection procedures are therefore an essential safeguard against serving meals that may be unfit for consumption.

The footage offers a glimpse into the daily routines of Ghana's prison system, where the preparation and serving of meals form part of the broader responsibility of prison officers to maintain inmates' welfare and uphold institutional standards.

The inspection procedure has a specific basis in Ghana’s prison administration rules. A Graphic Online report on prison feeding identifies Standing Order 263 as requiring the superintendent and medical officer to taste and sign the ration book. It also states that when the medical officer considers food unfit for consumption, the superintendent must immediately replace the affected portion.

Ghana’s legal framework also recognises inmates’ entitlement to adequate food. Section 35 of the Prisons Service Decree, 1972 (NRCD 46), provides for wholesome and nourishing food in quantities sufficient to maintain prisoners’ health. Legal Portal for Ghana

A related issue is the cost of prison feeding. In September 2025, the Ghana News Agency reported that the daily feeding allocation had been GH¢1.80 per inmate, which the Director-General of Prisons described as grossly inadequate, while an upward adjustment to GH¢5 had been approved but the funds were yet to be released at the time of the report.

EA