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The Correctional Association of New York (CANY)

Improving the Quality of Food in New York State Prisons, Phase 2

In 2024, NYHealth awarded the Correctional Association of New York a second grant to recommend changes to improve the healthfulness of food available in prison commissaries. 

Healthy Food, Healthy Lives

Grantee Name

The Correctional Association of New York (CANY)

Funding Area

Healthy Food, Healthy Lives

Publication Date

February 2026

Grant Amount

$124,861

Grant Date:

March 2024

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In New York, more than 31,000 people are incarcerated in the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s (DOCCS) 44 prisons; more than half of them are Black or Hispanic.

Incarceration contributes to poor health outcomes and racial health disparities. For every year spent in prison, life expectancy decreases by up to two years. Diet plays a role in this drop in life expectancy, as incarcerated people lack meaningful access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. Fewer hot meals, smaller portions, lower-quality protein, lack of fruits and vegetables, and more ultra-processed foods have become the norm across prisons. In 2023, NYHealth awarded The Correctional Association of New York (CANY) a planning grant to research the legal, regulatory, and procurement landscape governing food in New York’s prisons. CANY’s research findings highlighted system-level barriers to change, including centralized meal production and decision-making. In 2024, NYHealth awarded CANY a second grant to recommend changes to improve the healthfulness of food available in prison commissaries.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

  • Conducted 18 monitoring visits to New York State correctional facilities, including one-on-one interviews with incarcerated individuals focused on commissary access and affordability;
  • Observed onsite food operations and interviewed commissary and package-processing staff to understand operational barriers, pricing, stock shortages, and rules for perishable items;
  • Collected and analyzed administrative data through freedom of information law (FOIL) requests, including commissary price lists, out-of-stock lists, facility-wide commissary inventories, and an inmate Commissary and Accounting Manual;
  • Worked with a registered dietitian to analyze prison menus, nutritional content, and recipes to inform evidence-based recommendations;
  • Built and maintained stakeholder relationships with food and nutrition experts, advocates, legislators, and interstate correctional oversight organizations, including co-founding the Carceral Food Working Group;
  • Disseminated findings in two reports, Food and Nutrition in New York State Correctional Facilities and An Analysis of Food Sources and Availability in New York’s Correctional Facilities. Some key findings include:
    • If consumed in their entirety, DOCCS meals provide excessive calories for most incarcerated women and some incarcerated men, according to the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).
    • 66% of incarcerated individuals surveyed reported that the commissary store, one of their major food sources, is inadequately stocked. On three commissary lists analyzed, only 7% of food and drink items were fruit and vegetables.
    • Commissary prices rose 45% between March 2020 and December 2024, double the rate of inflation during the same period. In comparison, wages paid to incarcerated individuals have decreased when adjusted for inflation.
    • 47% of respondents surveyed cited delays in receiving packages, leading to spoiled food.

Co-Funding and Additional Funds Leveraged: N/A 

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