The most popular commodity in U.S. prisons is no longer cigarettes but instant noodles, a new study shows.

Study author Michael Gibson-Light said that due to the worsening quality of food provided by the prisons, inmates found themselves craving for a tastier substitute that's cheap and durable, whose features are owned by ramen noodles.

As the hard currency in the closed economy of the prison, the noodle packs can be used to exchange other food items, clothing or hygiene products.

Gibson-Light admitted that his research was done on a limited sample, but said the result is logical as prison budgets have not kept up with the exploding population in prisons.

According to news reports, the number of convicts grew 343 percent from 1980 to 2013, while the budgets for services were stagnant.

"The form of money is not something that changes often or easily, even in the prison underground economy. It takes a major issue or shock to initiate such a change," BBC quoted Gibson-Light as saying. Endi

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