Prison sees huge spike in violence after one key item removed from menu (2025)

HMP Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire saw a spike in violence and a 'resentful atmosphere' as assaults on staff, fights and bullying had 'increased' at the same time tofu was taken off the menu

It has long been a staple of the vegetarian diet, adding protein to plates around the globe, but when tofu vanished from the menu at a women’s prison, trouble flared.

An increase in disorder at HMP Eastwood Park, Gloucestershire, was blamed on factors including ‘unmet specialist dietary needs’, according to an official report. It went on to detail how tofu had become unavailable as governors struggled to dish up three meals for a daily budget of £3 per head. Tofu is a favourite of vegetarians and vegans as it is made from dried soybeans, which are soaked, crushed and boiled before the soy milk is curdled and pressed into blocks.

At the time it was unavailable, violence increased at the prison - home to 440 women. Inspectors said that assaults on staff, prisoners fights and bullying had all ‘increased’ - and that there was a ‘fractious and resentful atmosphere’ .

Tofu was requested by a number of inmates at food consultation meetings between prison bosses and lags. The Independent Monitoring Board report stated that it was a ‘challenge’ for the jail to provide ‘a nutritious and health diet’ on just £3.01-a-day.

It added that some inmates had issued written complaints about the food available. 42% of lags saying they didn’t get enough to eat, that most food wasn’t ‘healthy’, and that food often ‘ran out’.

The report stated “Issues ranged from concerns about the quality of meals and unmet specialist dietary needs. Some requested foods, such as tofu, were unavailable.”

In the past year, violence at the jail has soared - with the report stating that staff were left ‘stretched and exhausted, resulting in low morale’. Among the other reasons for a rise in violence - apart from food - included time out of cell, how long they could spend in the gym, loss of prisoners’ property, and access to doctors and dentists.

The report stated: “Officers were stretched and exhausted, resulting in low morale. Staff assaults, prisoner fights and bullying increased.”

It said there was a ‘fractious and resentful atmosphere’ in the jail and that the IMB was ‘concerned about the safety and stability of the prison’. The report said there had been a doubling of staff using force on inmates - from 517 to 1,039 in the past year.

It stated: “The Board has been deeply concerned about use of force incidents (UoF), which numbered 1,039 in the reporting year. This is double that of the previous year - 517- and nearly triple that of the 2021-2022 reporting period, 398.”

It added: “The prison was very aware of the need to reduce UoF incidents, and allocated significant resources to determining the cause, staff training and changing the culture. Eastwood Park continued to have some of the highest UoF numbers in the women’s estate.”