ANDREI Brissett, a respected jerk sauce manufacturer, has described as insignificant any apparent demand for Jamaican sauces in overseas prisons.

His comments counter that of two stakeholders which described that market as lucrative.

“I do not think the orders are significant,” stated Brissett, managing director at Fiwi Foods Limited in a mailed response to Caribbean Business Report queries.

Export earnings in sauces at US$14.5 million ($1.5b) in 2012 actually beat the earnings from coffee, ackee and non-alcoholic drink — according to the latest Economic and Social Survey Jamaica.

“If there is any truth to the assumption that there is a significant demand by prisons I would hazard a guess and say it would be due to the value that can be derived from using small amounts of the products. Hence it is all about economics. They get value for money,” he added.

Brissett represented jerk producers in the quest to attain the coveted geographical indication (GI) seal that offers international protection from counterfeiters. The ongoing process is being facilitated by Government via its copyright body — Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO). A geographic indication seal would symbolise the country of origin and indicate the product’s quality and reputation.

Brissett also rejected the view that suppliers would choose to satisfy the tastes of incarcerated Jamaicans.

“Why would they feed them what they want, after all we are talking about lock-up — not vacation,” he stated.

Earlier this month, Ian Garbutt, managing director of Associated Manufacturers, producers of Walkerswood and Busha Browne indicated that a Jamaican-owned, US-based franchise supplies prisons with sauces and meals. Garbutt added that the company — which he declined to name on record to respect protocol — created its own line of sauces for retail and for catering. The investor approached local suppliers but chose a cheaper sauce supplier in Costa Rica, he said.

Also, marketing consultant Virginia Burke, in her address at a Jamaica Exporters Association workshop, described the practice of supplying overseas prisons with Jamaica sauces as “big business”. Burke referred to the prison demand as an aside to her discussion on “knowing your customers” habits and lifestyle in order to achieve brand growth. The trained graphic artist and former marketing executive has authored two Caribbean Cookbooks — Eat Caribbean and Walkerswood Caribbean Kitchen. She reasoned that local companies do not supply the prisons directly but receive bulk orders from overseas distributors who in turn resell to the caterers.

The number of Jamaicans in UK prisons stood at 783 up to June 2013, down from its peak of 2,808 in 2003, according to information on the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office website. That might not seem large, but it is significant as Polish and Jamaican prisoners account for the largest foreign national population in the UK prison system, according to UK Crown statistics. As at June 30, 2013, England and Wales prison population stood at some 83,840, of which some 10,780 were foreign nationals, according to statistics from the House of Commons Library posted to the UK Parliament.