Taoyuan, Taiwan –
If the door is not locked, the knife is tied to the table and uniformed staff, Taoyuan women’s prison food factory like any commercial kitchen.
Wearing masks and hair prisoners mixed cocoa powder to make chocolate, or chopped cabbage marinated pickles.
They are part of Taiwan’s burgeoning food industry – handmade snacks, behind bars.
Prisoner-made delicacies without additives have earned loyal followers, generating hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
Demand is driven by quality and affordability, and a string of food safety scandals has made Taiwanese consumers particularly wary.
Last year, sales exceeded $ 500 million ($ 15.62 million), with funds used for victim compensation, facility improvements and prisoner wages.
Some of the prisoners, such as the 39-year-old Chen, did not have any cooking experience before joining the production line in the northern island of Taoyuan.
The prison has introduced a wide variety of snacks, from candy to fermented tofu.
“I’m glad to learn some useful skills,” Chen told AFP.
“I do not know how to use the kitchen knife properly, because my mother always cooks for me, I do not need to enter the kitchen.
“I learned how to make food that looks simple but is actually very complex.Prisoners close to release or parole can apply for the program and give priority to it.Permanates who have been judged to be good behavior or have relevant experience may also apply.
Prison foods purchased from Taiwanese prisons include pineapple cakes, peanut brittle and other local delicacies, as well as soy sauce and free-range chicken.
Since 2006, a small program aimed at teaching prisoners practical skills and raising funds for prisons has been introduced into all adult prisons in Taiwan.
More than 50 prisons produce about 300 types of products, which can be purchased by phone, online or by fax, or directly from the prison office.
“We use good ingredients, and we do not use additives or over-processed foods to make a profit,” said Qiu Hongzhi, deputy director of the Correctional Services Department.
“Our food is natural, high quality and cheap,” he added.
This is a warning to the public that a winning sales promotion, large companies were found to be doping their products with banned chemicals or recycling “gutter oil” to reduce costs, resulting in a large number of recalled food in recent years.
Shoppers in the organization of the food center in Taichung City Center to quickly ensure that the food in prison.
“I have often purchased prisoners to do food for more than a year, they are organic, good quality, relatively cheap, I also assembled my friends ordered,” Queen Wang Longfeng, driving nearly two hours from the southern Tainan City to the show, Which lasted four days, attracted tens of thousands of tourists.
Mr. Wang spent over ten thousand yuan on noodles, chicken, soy sauce and snacks.
“I think this program is very meaningful, the prisoners are learning some skills that can help them find a job and adapt to the society,” she told AFP.
The average monthly “labor allowance” for prisoners is about $ 2,000-3,000. According to Chiu, some responsible for the best-selling items, such as the soy sauce in southern Pingtung County, can earn 10 times the average wage during peak holidays.
In addition to producing their own brand of food, some prisons make soap and handicrafts, or order from local factories, manufacturing clothing, paper bags and accessories.
Chen said she hopes to launch its own small food business after the release.
“My mother likes to cook, she cooks well, she said as long as I am not afraid of hard work, she will work with me to start our small food business.
“I wanted to combine my mother’s cooking with what I learned to create better food.
