Diddy’s Jail Commissary: Halal meals to dairy delights, healthy picks, and $88 MP3 player

Despite the notorious prison's grim reputation, the commissary list reveals a surprising array of dietary options ranging from dairy products to healthy picks…

Sean "Diddy" Combs, currently incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, is facing a long stint behind bars as he awaits his 2025 trial for charges related to sex trafficking, racketeering, and multiple sexual assault cases. While the notorious prison is famous for its tragic stories, the commissary list offers a glimpse into the mundane aspects of his confinement.

Sean Diddy Combs poses at the Met Gala, an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute with this year's theme "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty", in New York City, New York, U.S., May 1, 2023. (REUTERS)

Although filled with typical items like clothing, toiletries, and food, the list is marked with cryptic symbols and letters, hinting at a hidden code. Deciphering these codes reveals a surprising range of dietary options available to inmates, according to The Mirror which obtained a copy of the prison’s commissary list.

Diddy’s Brooklyn jail meals

The disgraced music mogul found himself on suicide watch shortly after landing behind Brooklyn’s bars—a facility with a grim reputation for suicides, deaths, and violence. However, it didn’t take long for him to be taken off the watchlist, as his lawyer assured everyone that Diddy was more determined than ever to fight back.

Now, while the cuisine might not be the five-star, Michelin-rated fare he’s used to, the jail’s menu isn’t entirely bleak. Options include halal meals, dairy products, and kosher choices, catering to a variety of religious and dietary preferences—a step up from the infamous “prison gruel” many might expect.

A basic key at the top of the list helps you figure out what the symbols and letters next to each item mean. For example, the heart symbol means it's a good choice, “like Honey Oatscooters or mackerel fillets,” reveals the outlet. Diving into the details, other symbols tell you about food rules: K for Kosher, D for Dairy, U for Orthodox Union certified, H for Halal, P for Pareve (meaning it's neither dairy nor meat), and G for Glatt Kosher meat. Some things, like Cheez-It crackers, might have more than one label, showing they're both Kosher and Dairy.

What’s inside Brooklyn Jail Commissary?

In addition to a variety of food and catering options, inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center can spend up to $200 per month at the commissary, with a cap of $160 per shopping visit. For unversed, this facility has housed high-profile inmates like R. Kelly and Ghislaine Maxwell.

The cheapest item on the commissary list is a single 9x12 envelope priced at $0.25, while the most expensive is a 16GB Sandisk MP3 player, which comes in at $88.40, according to the Mirror. According to prison expert Sam Mangel, who spoke to the outlet, adding songs to the MP3 player costs $1 each, and they must go through a preapproval process.

Diddy case update: Asks judge for gag order

On November 3, TMZ reported that Diddy's legal team requested a judge to impose a gag order limiting public statements from potential witnesses and their attorneys. They filed this request on Sunday and mentioned Courtney Burgess, who's been talking to the press a lot lately. Burgess and his lawyer Ariel Mitchell were spotted outside the courthouse, and Mitchell said Burgess was called in because he knows about or had seen some inappropriate videos that Diddy and other famous people were involved in.