KOCHI: From feeding prisoners to expanding into a business venture that found acceptance among thousands outside the jail’s walls, Keralam’s prison kitchens have come a long way.
The change began in the 2010s, when the kitchens were modernised with new machinery to cut down on time and labour. The experience of catering to large numbers of inmates encouraged the department of prisons and correctional services to explore commercial food production.
In 2011, the Central Prison and Correctional Home, Thiruvananthapuram, launched the first Freedom Food Making Unit. From the initial chapati and vegetable, chicken and egg curry packets, the menu expanded to include snacks, bakery products, pickles and cooked meals.
Freedom outlets sprung up in other parts of the state, too. However, the outlets are now operating in a far more competitive food market, especially in Kochi where Kudumbashree ventures, the corporation’s Samridhi outlets and other affordable food initiatives have taken root.
And this has affected sales. The turnover of Freedom Food unit at Ernakulam District Jail fell from `3.11 crore in 2023-24 to `2.80 crore in 2024-25 and further to `1.90 crore in 2025-26.
“Before November 2024, our average monthly sales were around `21 to `23 lakh. Now, it is around `16 lakh,” a jail official said. The officials said increase in raw material and gas prices, along with the rise in daily wages paid to prisoners – from `170 to `530 – has put additional pressure on the unit.
Launched on January 26, 2013, the unit sells nine items daily, including chapati, vegetable curry, chilli chicken, chicken curry, chicken biryani, egg biryani, ghee rice and chicken 65 through outlets in various parts of the city. Chapati remains bestseller. A packet of ten costs `30. The prices increased in 2024, with chapati now costing `3 each, chicken biryani costing `80, while egg biryani priced at `60.
Though the unit receives bulk orders, including a recent order for 400 biryanis for an event attended by Chief Minister V D Satheesan, officials said they prioritise regular customers – those at Infopark, daily-wage workers and migrant workers – before accepting large orders.
The unit is also not available on Swiggy or Zomato, with officials citing technical difficulties and uncertainty of production at the time an online order is placed. The picture is different at the Central Prison and Correctional Home, Thiruvananthapuram.
The prison has separate cafeteria and Freedom Food units. While the cafeteria functions like a restaurant, the unit operates primarily as a production kitchen, with eight designated outlets in Thiruvananthapuram. While the unit’s revenue dropped from `6.56 crore in 2024-25 to `6.34 crore in 2025-26, its profits grew in 2025-26.
Plan to add bakery items
At T’Puram prison’s cafeteria unit, chicken biryani and chicken perattu are popular, while kothu porotta is a new addition. Officials are planning to introduce bakery products such as mixture, achappam, karaseva, laddu, halwa and banana chips. Freedom Food also receives bulk orders for weddings, sports meets, excursions and conferences, with chapati figuring among the frequently ordered items.