Ramen noodles have overtaken cigarettes to become the most valuable commodity in majority of US prisons, a study has found.

A downfall in the quality of food given to US inmates is due to budget cuts, leaving the value of the noodles with an increase, according to the study by Michael Gibson-Light, a doctoral candidate at the University of Arizona.

The researcher interviewed close to 60 inmates in a state prison for the study, but did not credit the prison to protect the confidentiality of inmates.

“Prisoners are so unhappy with the quality and quantity of prison food that they receive that they have begun relying on ramen noodles – a cheap, durable food product – as a form of money in the underground economy,” he said.

He discovered even in prisons where tobacco bans were not in place, ramen was increasing in value, and were even replacing other favoured bartering products such as stamps or envelopes.