Food ration! - Nutritionist says paltry meals served to detainees could lead to health issues

One lawmaker has argued that the human rights of detainees who have been fed a single dumpling for supper in two separate cases – and a bulla in other instances – have been violated by the State.

Peter Bunting, a member of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday bemoaned the paltry meal served to detainees for supper at selected police lock-ups in the Corporate Area and St Catherine in 2018 after a team from the Auditor General’s Department visited the facilities.

“I am really concerned. I think we can do better than this,” he said.

Bunting indicated that in some instances, breakfast, lunch and supper were “not seen” by the team from the Auditor General’s Department.

At the same time, consultant in healthy lifestyle and wellness and psychiatrist, Dr E. Anthony Allen, is of the view that persons should not be denied equitable treatment while in detention.

“The sense of indignity that they were not being given proper meals and treated lesser than a person can cause psychological damage and resentment,” Allen told The Gleaner yesterday.

Commenting on the meals, Allen said that these types of food were lacking in nutritional value and could contribute to chronic non-communicable diseases such as obesity.

“White rice and white flour products have no nutrient value and they tend to contribute to fat, they contribute to diabetes and hypertension,” he noted. “It can contribute to a deterioration of a person’s immune system, making them more vulnerable to various types of illnesses.”

While acknowledging that healthy foods would attract increased expenditure, Allen contended that the authorities should try to reach a balance with meals.

Yesterday, members of the PAC were advised by the Ministry of National Security that the $300-per-day expenditure for meals for each detainee has been increased to $500 in lieu of a recommendation from the force’s nutritionist.

A team from the ministry and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) appeared before the committee to respond to questions arising from an audit tabled in Parliament in April.

In a performance audit of the procurement practices of the JCF, it was reported that the method of selecting caterers of meals for detainees held in police lock-ups was not subject to annual review. The report said that the JCF continually used the same caterers for years and there was no evidence of contracts for seven caterers.

The JCF spent $1.4 billion for food and drink over a five-year period, with the greater portion – $828 million (59 per cent) – spent on meals to feed detainees held in police lock-ups. The selection of caterers of detainees’ meals was determined at the local police stations, which directly engaged contractors to supply three meals per day for detainees.

This method of selecting suppliers lacked transparency and opened the process to the risk of impropriety and nepotism, the auditor general had said.

Responding to the audit, Permanent Secretary Dianne McIntosh said that beginning in January 2020, the JCF would use open tender to select caterers to supply meals.