Kitchen

The Food Service Director, a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, (eatright.org) is responsible for the overall operation of the Food Service Section and plans the menus that are served in each of the jails. The menus are planned to meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances following the Food Guide Pyramid. There are six types of diets: Regular, heart healthy, soft, full liquid, clear liquid, and renal. Other specialty diets can be prepared when found to be medically necessary. Questions concerning medically ordered diets or supplements need to be directed to the Medical Division. The menu is planned and served without any pork or pork products.

Food production in each of the three jail kitchens is done under the supervision of experienced Food Service Managers. A Sergeant is also assigned to Food Service and is responsible for ensuring that institutional security is maintained. As supervisors they are responsible for directing and coordinating the activities of thirty-seven staff members, including deputies, detention officers and civilian food service personnel. Working together, these forty-two people purchase, prepare and serve approximately 9,000,000 meals each year. The kitchens operate following the Texas Food Establishment Rules and are inspected by the Harris County Health Department on a quarterly basis.

Each of the three kitchens performs specialty functions in addition to the regular inmate meals that they prepare and serve. The 1200 Baker Street jail prepares and serves approximately 260,000 medically ordered diets and dietary supplements annually. In addition to general population inmates who have been designated as workers, inmates participating in the New Choices Substance Abuse Program are also utilized in the preparation of meals at this facility. The 701 North San Jacinto jail participates in the End Hunger Network by insuring that leftover foods are properly stored. This food is subsequently provided to this organization for distribution to homeless shelters in the Houston area. Two thousand sandwich bags are also prepared in this jail each day to provide interim meals for inmates that are in court or being processed into jail. The 1307 Baker jail provides approximately 4500 meals monthly for the Precinct 2 Senior Nutrition Program, which provides both congregate and homebound meals for senior citizens in that precinct. Additionally, this jail prepares approximately 2200 meals daily for the Joe Kegan State Jail, which is part of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Each kitchen also provides daily lunches for those inmates who work outside the jail.

Houston Community College provides a sixteen week Culinary Arts class within the 701 jail kitchen. The class provides inmate participants with knowledge of basic food handling, preparation and nutrition. Inmates who successfully complete the class program receive a certificate in Culinary Arts. This certificate can be beneficial to the inmate in the obtaining food service related employment once they are released. These inmates are also taught to prepare and decorate cakes for special functions including birthdays for the Senior Nutrition Program.

The Food Service Section purchases very large amounts of food from local food service distributors. Examples of the volume of food that is prepared and served per year in the jails follow:

Rice 152,000 pounds
Beans 170,000 pounds
Bread 508,000 loaves
Milk 5,520,000 ½ pint cartons
Boiled eggs 1,771,000

A typical daily menu follows: