Diets for Residents

Idaho
Department
of Correction Standard
Operating
Procedure
Title:
Diets for Residents

1 of 10

404.003
Version:
7
Adopted:
03/05/2001

Kim Brown, Chief of the Division of Management Services, approved this
document and it was published on 06/29/2026.
Open to the public: Yes No
SCOPE
This SOP applies to all residents at IDOC correctional facilities.
Version Summary
Version 7: This SOP renumbers and replaces SOP 404.02.01.003 v6.0, Diets for
Inmates: Selective, Medical, Special Provision, and Infirmary. Updated language
throughout the document and added parameters for menu development.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Scope ....................................................................................................... 1
Table of Contents ........................................................................................ 1
A. Statutory Authority ................................................................................. 1
B. Board of Correction IDAPA Rule ................................................................. 2
C. Governing Policy Statement ...................................................................... 2
D. Purpose ................................................................................................ 2
E. Responsibility ......................................................................................... 2
F. Definitions .............................................................................................. 2
G. Standard Procedures ............................................................................... 3
1. Menu Development ............................................................................. 3
2. Selective Diets ................................................................................... 5
3. Medical Diets ..................................................................................... 7
4. Holidays .......................................................................................... 10
H. References .......................................................................................... 10

A. STATUTORY AUTHORITY
1. Idaho Code § 20-217A, Appointment of Director – Salary – Powers and Duties
2. Idaho Code § 20-244, Government and Discipline of the Correctional Facility –
Document Number:
404.003 7 Diets for Residents Number:
2 of 10

Idaho Department of Correction

Rules and Regulations
B. BOARD OF CORRECTION IDAPA RULE
None
C. GOVERNING POLICY STATEMENT
It is the policy of the Idaho Department of Correction that standards and
procedures be established for ensuring that a safe, nutritional diet is provided to all
residents in a licensed kitchen and that procedures maximizing fiscal responsibility
are utilized.
D. PURPOSE
Establish nutritional standards and parameters for menu development and
implementation.
E. RESPONSIBILITY
1. Dietary Services Manager
a. Establish menus in accordance with this SOP.
b. Train and guide food service staff in following the requirements of this SOP.
2. Facility Food Service Authority
Ensure daily provision of menus in accordance with this SOP.
3. Facility Health Services Administrator
The medical contractor’s on-site Facility Health Services Administrator is
responsible for evaluating resident dietary needs and ordering medically
prescribed diets when those needs cannot be met by a selective diet.
4. Regional Medical Director
Evaluate and provide the final decision regarding Special Provision Authorization
orders and medical diet violations.
F. DEFINITIONS
1. Correctional Management System (CMS): a digital platform used by correctional
agencies to store, manage, and analyze comprehensive data about individuals
throughout their entire criminal justice process, including intake, sentencing,
incarceration, parole, and probation, allowing for informed decision-making
regarding their supervision and rehabilitation. This includes systems such as
Reflections, CIS, and Atlas.
2. Cycle Menu: A series of menus that are repeated over a specific period of time,
such as four weeks. At the end of the cycle, the menu is repeated.
3. Estimated Average Requirements: The amount of a nutrient that is
estimated to meet the nutrient requirements for 50% of the healthy individuals
in a group.
Document Number:
404.003 7 Diets for Residents Number:
3 of 10

Idaho Department of Correction

4. Facility Health Services Administrator: The contract medical provider
employee who is primarily responsible for overseeing the delivery of
contracted medical and behavioral health services in an IDOC correctional
facility.
5. Recommended Daily Allowance: The average daily dietary intake level that is
sufficient to meet the nutrient needs of nearly all (97 to 98%) healthy
individuals in a group.
6. Registered Dietitian or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist: A food and
nutrition expert with a minimum of a graduate degree from an accredited
dietetics program and who completed a supervised practice requirement,
passed a national exam, and continues professional development throughout
their career.
7. Resident: A person who has been convicted of a crime against the laws of the
state and ordered into the care and custody of the Board of Correction.
Resident includes any use in Idaho law, Board of Correction rule, or IDOC policy
or procedure of the terms “offender(s),” “prisoner(s)”, “inmate(s)”,
“incarcerated person(s)”, or any other term referring to a person residing in a
correctional facility in the care and custody of the Board of Correction.
G. STANDARD PROCEDURES
1. Menu Development
a. IDOC provides all residents with a cycle menu comprised of a variety of foods
from all food groups.
b. The Dietary Services Manager (DSM) or designee must write the menus with
consideration given to balance, nutrition, availability of foods, preparation
and service requirements and resources, selective and/or medical diet
parameters, and budget allowances.
c. At a minimum, 19 meals are provided each week, and meals are served at
regular intervals, with no more than 14 hours between two consecutive
meals.
d. Nutrient Guidelines
i. The mainline and selective diet cycle menus for males will provide 2,400-
3,000 calories per day (with the exception of the Healthy Choice menu,
which will provide 2,000-2,400 calories per day), as calculated by the
cycle menu average.
ii. The mainline and selective diet menus for females will provide 2,000-
2,500 calories per day (the Healthy Choice menu will provide 1,800-
2,300 calories per day), as calculated by the cycle menu average.
iii. Each of the mainline and selective diet menus will provide macronutrients
in the following ranges (as calculated by the cycle menu average):
1) Carbohydrates – 45-65% of calories
Document Number:
404.003 7 Diets for Residents Number:
4 of 10

Idaho Department of Correction

2) Protein – 10-35% of calories
3) Fat – 20-35% of calories
iv. Menus may be written outside of these parameters to meet updated
guidance from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Dietary Guidelines.
v. Mainline and selective diet menus that are prepared in-house are
designed to meet or exceed the values for the given nutrients in the
National Institutes of Health’s “Estimated Average Requirements” (EAR)
and/or “Recommended Daily Allowance” (RDA) for adults. Nutrition
analysis may be conducted using the manufacturer-provided nutrient
data for each ingredient or utilizing the USDA nutrient averages per food
type in the absence of sufficient manufacturer data.
vi. Meals that are prepared by an outside vendor and menus that are written
by medical order will meet the given requirements/constraints of the
specific medical or other dietary need, which may or may not meet the
EAR/RDA for each nutrient.
vii. The DSM must submit the mainline and selective diet menus to a
registered dietitian for review of nutritional adequacy at least twice per
year.
c. IDOC facilities must adhere to the menus written in accordance with this SOP,
including following the designated recipes and preparation instructions,
utilizing the ingredients, food, and supplies from designated approved
vendors, and serving the prescribed portion sizes.
i. The DSM will make the menus accessible to all food service staff,
including:
1) Mainline, selective and medically-ordered diet menus (male and
female) that include specific food items and portion sizes
2) Scalable recipes that include ingredients, food, and supplies from the
approved list(s)
3) Preparation instructions
ii. The facility food service authority (FSA) must ensure the mainline and all
selective diet menus are readily accessible to residents.
iii. The DSM may alter menus and/or meal service operation requirements,
as requested by a facility head or facility health authority, if necessary,
due to supply constraints or for safety and/or security purposes. Menus
and meal service operations may not be altered as a form of retaliation
or punishment of the residents.
d. Residents who work offsite (for a non-IDOC employer) for 10 or more hours
in one day (excluding transportation to and from the worksite and unpaid
break times) will be provided with a supplemental food allowance on days
Document Number:
404.003 7 Diets for Residents Number:
5 of 10

Idaho Department of Correction

worked, consisting of 400-600 calories, with the following
conditions/exceptions:
i. The supplemental food allowance for resident workers does not apply to
workers who are provided meals and/or snacks by their offsite employer.
ii. The FSA may require advanced signup for workers’ supplemental food
allowance.
iii. The FSA will make a reasonable effort to provide food items that match
the medical or selective diet that each resident is receiving, but given
budget, preparation, food safety, and supply constraints, this is not
guaranteed.
iv. This supplemental food allowance is a privilege and may be revoked at
any time by facility leadership for safety, security, operational constraint,
or budgetary reasons.
e. All residents receive the mainline menu unless they have a medical diet order
in place or follow the appropriate steps to participate in a selective diet.
2. Selective Diets
a. The following selective diets are available to residents housed in IDOC-
operated facilities:
i. Healthy Choice Diet: A menu reduced in calories, fat, sodium, and sugar,
and equal carbohydrate distribution for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (not
more than 20 grams difference between the minimum and maximum
carbohydrates provided by each meal as supply and operational
constraints permit).
ii. Lacto-ovo Vegetarian Diet: A vegetarian menu that includes dairy
items and eggs.
iii. No-pork Diet: A menu that provides pork-free alternatives for food items
containing pork.
iv. Vegan Diet: A vegetarian menu containing no animal products.
v. Common Fare: A menu comprised of fully cooked, heat-and-serve,
and/or ready-to-eat pre-packaged, kosher-certified foods and fresh
produce that does not require washing (produce with an inedible peel or
rind).
1) All common fare foods that require heating are double-wrapped to
accommodate heating in a non-kosher microwave, to the extent that
supply constraints permit.
2) Dinner on Friday will be cold, or served before sunset if hot, and
breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday each week are cold meals,
to the extent that supply constraints permit.
b. Requesting a Selective Diet
Document Number:
404.003 7 Diets for Residents Number:
6 of 10

Idaho Department of Correction

i. Advanced signup for selective diets is required to effectively plan, order
for, and prepare enough of each meal type.
ii. To participate in a selective diet, residents must submit a Request for a
Selective Diet form. The form must be received by food service staff on
or before the 25th of the month preceding the requested participation
month. Residents may choose one selective diet option in lieu of the
mainline diet. Forms are available on request from unit and/or food
service staff.
iii. Once approved, selective diet requests are valid for one calendar month
per request and do not automatically renew. Any exceptions to this sign-
up process must be approved in writing on a case-by-case basis by the
facility head (or designee).
c. Due to health and safety concerns, residents with a medical diet order will
not be permitted to participate in a selective diet that conflicts with the
medical diet order.
i. If a resident’s selective diet is canceled due to implementation of a medical
diet order, the resident may, upon cancellation/expiration of their medical
order, return to the selective diet they were receiving at the time the
medical order was implemented. Otherwise, they will receive the mainline
diet until they request a selective diet program in accordance with this
SOP.
d. Selective Diet Non-Compliance
i. Residents who miss more than 25% of their selective diet meals within a
one-month period or eat any meals that are not part of their selective
diet (including bartering or sharing foods from other residents’ meal trays
as monitored by security facility procedures) will not be allowed to
participate in the selective diet program for the remainder of the month
and will be restricted from participation for the next two sign-up periods.
ii. Selective diet non-compliance must be documented by staff in the CMS,
and a Notice of Diet Non-compliance form must be provided to the
resident. If the resident disagrees with the decision, the resident may
resolve the matter in accordance with SOP 316.02.01.001, Grievance and
Informal Resolution Procedure for Residents.
e. Selective Diet Opt-Out
i. A resident may choose to terminate their selective diet participation
voluntarily. Voluntary termination of a selective diet will result in only
mainline meals being provided to the resident for the remainder of the
month. Mainline meals will continue to be provided to the resident
indefinitely, unless the resident later requests a selective diet in
accordance with section G.2.b of this SOP.
ii. To voluntarily terminate a selective diet, the resident must complete the
Document Number:
404.003 7 Diets for Residents Number:
7 of 10

Idaho Department of Correction

appropriate sections of the Request for a Selective Diet form and submit
the form to a staff member for signature. The staff member will then
submit the form to the facility FSA. Within 48 hours of receipt of the
request for diet termination, the facility FSA will begin providing mainline
meals to the resident.
f. During intake, residents being processed through the reception and diagnostic
unit (RDU) will be allowed to sign-up for a selective diet for the remainder of
the month. In addition, those residents who enter IDOC facilities after the
25th day of the current month will be allowed to sign up for a selective diet
for the following month.
g. Resident Moves: In the event a resident is moved from one living unit to
another or from one facility to another, the receiving unit or facility must
honor any current selective diet authorization as recorded in the CMS.
Residents will not have their selective diet altered or revoked due to a
disciplinary move, except for those meals provided in accordance with SOP
404.02.01.002, Alternative Meal Procedures for Restrictive Housing
Residents.
3. Medical Diets
a. Not all medical concerns warrant a medical diet menu. Diet orders for medical
conditions and food allergies must be verifiable by facility health services
administrator or designee (their medical staff ) (such as with lab
confirmation), must be necessary to prevent health or safety risk, and are to
be offered only when there is not a selective diet option available to meet
the medical need.
b. One provision of a medical diet request must not conflict with another (e.g., a
diet order that requests Mighty Shake supplementation cannot also be dairy-
free).
c. All medical diet requests must be submitted by appropriate medical staff via
the electronic process, as directed by the DSM.
d. Medical diets are limited to the minimum length of time necessary to address
a resident’s medical diet needs and should not remain in effect for longer
than one year. Medical diets requiring a term longer than one year must be
renewed annually by the facility health authority upon reassessment of the
resident’s condition.
e. Standard Medical Diets have menus that are pre-approved by the regional
medical director (RMD). The standard medical diet types are:
i. 10am snack daily – peanut butter and bread, approximately 300
calories.
ii. 2pm snack daily – peanut butter and bread, approximately 300 calories.
iii. 8pm snack daily – peanut butter and bread, approximately 300 calories.
Document Number:
404.003 7 Diets for Residents Number:
8 of 10

Idaho Department of Correction

iv. Nutrition support – includes one protein shake and an additional 8
ounces of milk with each meal, with a maximum total of 16 ounces of
milk permitted at any single meal. Total menu combined with mainline or
selective diet yields approximately 4,000 calories and 135g protein daily.
v. Modified Consistency – difficult-to-chew foods are ground or chopped or
substituted with softer alternatives.
vi. Full Liquid – approximately 2,700 calories/day; all foods and beverages
will be provided in liquid form, ranging from water to milkshake
thickness.
vii. Puree – regular menu items are processed in a blender or substituted
with retail packaged pureed dishes.
viii. Clear Liquid – no solid food is provided; may only be ordered for a
maximum of 72 hours.
ix. Standard Renal – approximately 2,400 calories daily. Maximum of 65g
protein, 2g Na (sodium), and 3g K (potassium).
x. Enhanced Renal – approximately 2,800 calories and 120 grams of
protein daily. Reduced sugar (less than 45% average calories from
carbohydrate). Maximum 2.5g Na (sodium) and 3g K (potassium).
xi. Diabetic Enhanced Renal – approximately 2,400 calories and 100
grams of protein daily. Maximum 2g Na (sodium) and 3g K (potassium);
less than 55% of calories from carbohydrate.
f. Special Provision Medical Diets
i. All medical diet requests other than the standard medical diets listed
above, and any modifications to a standard medical diet, are considered
a “special provision.” Special provision diet requests must be reviewed by
the RMD and, if approved by the RMD, submitted to the DSM with
verification of and documentation for medical necessity.
ii. The DSM will review each special provision diet request to ensure the
following:
1) Accuracy of basic identification information (i.e., resident name, IDOC
#, housing location).
2) Inclusion of required documentation (signed Special Provision
Authorization forms and verification of medical necessity).
3) Clarity of the request.
4) Ability of IDOC to fulfill the request as written, based on menu
feasibility, supply constraints, and budget allowances.
iii. Once reviewed, the DSM will then finalize the diet request via the
established electronic process. If a special provision diet request is
submitted without the required accompanying documentation, the diet
Document Number:
404.003 7 Diets for Residents Number:
9 of 10

Idaho Department of Correction

will be in effect for 14 days. The special provision diet will automatically
expire if the required documentation has not been submitted by medical
staff within that timeframe. If the required documentation is received,
the DSM will then finalize the diet request.
g. Medical Diet Provision by Food Services
i. All medical diet orders must be added to the CMS. Medical diets will be
implemented by food services within 24 hours of addition to the approved
standard medical diet or special medical provision lists, to the extent that
supply, budget, and operational constraints allow. Food service staff must
comply with all diet orders on the authorization list and may not provide
medical diets outside of that list, except in an emergency or technology
failure that prevents access to the diet authorization list.
ii. Residents who indicate to food service staff that they have a medical diet
need but do not appear on the approved standard medical diet or special
medical provision lists will be directed to medical. At the time of the meal
service during which a resident declares a medical need, and upon
request from the resident, food service staff will provide a meal that
excludes any food items that the resident is concerned about; however,
substitutions or special menus will only be provided with a medical diet
authorization in place.
h. Medical Diet Non-Compliance
i. Due to the health and safety impacts of a medical diet, residents who (a)
miss more than eight meals within a 30-day period, or (b) eat meals that
are not part of their medical diet, must be documented in the CMS and
reported to the facility health services administrator (HSA) by the facility
FSA using the Notice to Provider of Medical Diet Non-Compliance form.
1) Due to the sensitive nature of medical diet needs, in the case of non-
compliance, food service continues to provide the medical diet as
ordered, unless the RMD discontinues the order.
ii. Non-compliant residents may have their medical diet discontinued at the
discretion of the authorizing provider or RMD.
1) Upon receiving the Notice to Provider of Medical Diet Non-Compliance,
the HSA must schedule non-compliant residents for one-on-one diet
counseling and determine whether to discontinue the diet order.
2) If requesting that the diet order be discontinued, the HSA must
forward a copy of the completed Notice to Provider of Medical Diet
Non-Compliance form to the RMD for a final decision.
iii. If the resident disagrees with the decision, the resident may resolve the
matter in accordance with SOP 316.02.01.001, Grievance and Informal
Resolution Procedure for Residents.
iv. Residents have the option to sign a refusal for a medical diet.
Document Number:
404.003 7 Diets for Residents Number:
10 of 10

Idaho Department of Correction

i. Resident Moves: If a resident is moved from one living unit to another or from
one facility to another, the receiving unit or facility must honor any current
medical diet authorization, as recorded in the CMS. Residents will not have
their medical diet altered or revoked due to a disciplinary move, except for
those meals provided in accordance with SOP 404.02.01.002, Alternative
Meal Procedures for Restrictive Housing Residents.
4. Holidays
a. Special holiday menus are written by the DSM and will be served at all
facilities on the following days:
i. December holiday (December 25th)
ii. Thanksgiving holiday (fourth Thursday in November)
iii. July 4th holiday (July 4th)
b. Residents participating in a selective diet are permitted to eat the mainline
holiday meal on these three days, in lieu of their selective diet, without
being deemed non-compliant.
c. Special selective-diet compliant holiday meals will be made available for
residents who prefer to continue their selective diet on these days.
d. Residents with a medical diet order may only participate in the mainline
holiday menu with written approval from the facility HSA provided to food
service staff.
H. REFERENCES
1. Forms
a. Notice of Diet Non-Compliance
b. Notice to Providers of Medical Diet Non-compliance
c. Request for a Selective Diet
d. Special Provision Authorization
2. Cited Documents
a. SOP 316.02.01.001, Grievance and Informal Resolution Procedure for
Residents
b. SOP 404.02.01.002, Alternative Meal Procedures for Restrictive Housing
Residents
3. Other Significant Documents
a. National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), Standards for
Health Services in Prisons, Standard P-F-02, Medical Diet
– End of Document –