Bounty

Parents have been told that if they want to match the healthy food on offer in schools, they will have to work for an hour every day in the kitchen.

The School Food Trust has estimated that parents who prepare packed lunches that match the nutritional standards of school dinners spend eight days a year making the meals.

Nutritional guidelines for school dinners were made compulsory in primary schools in 2008 and in secondary schools at the start of the last school year

The Trust is urging parents to consider the time they could save by opting for school dinners instead.