Institutional food inside correctional facilities is designed to meet minimum nutritional requirements at the lowest possible cost. For most inmates the quality, variety, and quantity fall well short of what they were accustomed to on the outside. Understanding how to supplement institutional meals through commissary, how to request dietary accommodations for medical or religious reasons, and how to make the best of the food environment inside are practical survival skills. This section covers what inmates can expect from the institutional food program, what commissary food options are typically available and which ones are worth buying, how tuna and mackerel packages became the informal currency of correctional facilities, how to request a special diet, and what families can send from outside to supplement their loved one's nutrition. The guidance here is honest and practical coming from people who ate institutional food for years and figured out how to make it work. See also our sections on Commissary and Inmate Care Packages