The company that runs the Manus Island detention centre said it was directed by Australian authorities not to distribute Freedom muesli bars because their name was "very sensitive" to people at the centre, while other goods with similar names were also banned there, documents indicate.

The ABC in January reported that a $30,000 shipment of muesli bars delivered to the Manus Island centre in Papua New Guinea was rejected because of concerns about giving people who are locked up goods with the word "freedom" in the brand.

Documents released this week under Freedom of Information laws show that Transfield Services, which runs the Manus Island centre, was told by Australia's Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) not to distribute the muesli bars.

"We have received direction from Immigration that we are not allowed to sell the Freedom brand muesli and nut bars in the transferees' canteens," an email from a Transfield worker in Papua New Guinea said in January.

"The word freedom is very sensitive to the transferees," it said.

Later that month the ABC asked the department whether it had directed the operators of the centre not to accept the bars.

"Any assertion that the department directed the service provider not to accept the bars is wrong," the department replied.

The emails indicate that another shipment of the bars was going to Manus but does not explain what happened to those goods.

"Under no circumstances are we allowed to have the Freedom-branded bars within the RPC. Any other names similar that might be a bit contentious are also banned." — Email from Transfield logistics and procurement manager, January 14

"Just don't mention the container of Liberty snacks ready to go out," another email said.

Emails show exchange of who should take responsibility

In a series of emails, the DIBP and Transfield debate who was to blame for giving the asylum seekers at the centre the Freedom muesli bars in the first place.

An early draft of the media talking points, which are guides on what to tell journalists who enquire about the issue, show DIBP originally intended to say that the decision to sell the bars was "an unfortunate oversight by the department".

But the program coordinator at the Manus Island detention centre tried to shift the blame back to Transfield.

"We became aware that Transfield were selling these muesli bars at the centre shop to tranferees around January 13, 2015," the program coordinator at Manus Island said on January 29.

"In the talking points it says it was an oversight on behalf of the department. I would suggest revising to it was an oversight on behalf of the detention centre provider."

"I expect the Freedom muesli bars issue to hit the media in the next 24 hours or so. [redacted] these are the muesli bars that had to be returned from Manus because they were branded 'Freedom'. "We've referred all comment to the Dept - who have been briefed." — Transfield services executive general manager of corporate affairs, January 29

"And that constitutes news?" — Text message response from unknown worker

"Yes, unfortunately it does. "Govt-and-service-providers-make-dumb-mistake kind of angle ... " — Reply to text message

The emails also show a scramble to get the muesli bars returned to Australia and say that if need be they could be donated to Defence.

"We need to centralise stocks of Freedom bars to a discreet location immediately," an email from a Transfield manager said on January 27.

Asylum seekers at Manus Island. ( AAP: Eoin Blackwell, file photo )

"Please advise ASAP current stock levels and any actions that you have instigated regarding these bars."

Bars that were not returned to Australia were served to detainees without the wrapping, the documents show.

Living conditions in Australia's offshore detention centres have been criticised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Recently introduced laws make it illegal for people working at immigration detention centres from revealing certain information, a crime punishable by up to two years' jail.