MP ANDREW Lansley is to quiz Cambridgeshire's health chiefs over the amount of hospital meals thrown away in the county after the Government told him that 17 million meals a year were left uneaten across the country.

The Tory Health Spokesman tabled parliamentary questions on the issue earlier this year.

In reply, he was told more than 17 million meals each year - or 55,000 every day - were wasted.

Of the 162 million main meals produced for patients in 2004, almost 11 per cent were left untouched - an increase of almost half from the 8.8 per cent which were thrown away in 2002.

This is despite a £40 million campaign launched by the National Health Service, and fronted by food critic Lloyd Grossman, to improve the quality of hospital food.

Mr Lansley, Cambridgeshire South MP, said: "This is a serious matter. A lot of money is being wasted on meals that go uneaten. With many patients being undernourished it is important they eat properly in hospital.

"One of the problems appears to be that nurses are no longer responsible for making sure patients eat. It's down to other people at a lower level and it doesn't seem to be working.

"I shall now be seeking to find out what the position is in NHS hospitals in Cambridgeshire. I hope it is better than the national picture. I shall be approaching Addenbrooke's and Papworth hospitals and others in Cambridgeshire to find out what the position is.

"These figures raise serious questions about the Government's commitment to a caring and cost effective health service.

"The concern is that though many patients may not have big appetites while in hospital, it is possible they are not being encouraged to eat a proper diet, which would help speed their recovery."

A spokesman for the Department of Health said hospital meals had been gradually improving.

In 2002 just 17 per cent of hospitals offered good food, but the latest set of figures show that figure has increased to 44 per cent.

The average cost of meals for patients is £2.50 a day and the spokesman said that some waste was not due to poorly fed patients, but because they were being offered a wider choice of meals.

Addenbrooke's Hospital said: "We do all we can to ensure our patients eat well and have a wide range of nutritious and appetising food options to suit individual tastes.

"We offer everyone a fair choice of dishes and portion sizes and always include an extra 8-10 per cent of food on the serving trolleys to allow for reasonable choice and second helpings. A certain amount of wastage is unavoidable if we are to offer patients a choice of meals."

Around 3,180 meals at a cost of £3.75 per patient per day are prepared each day off-site and delivered to the hospital where they are heated in satellite kitchens around the hospital and taken to wards on electric trolleys.

Papworth Hospital said: "The average food wastage for Papworth Hospital in 2004 was 7.33 per cent, which is well below the national average of 11 per cent.

"Our patients are provided with breakfast, lunch and an evening meal, together with snacks on at least two occasions during the day and regular hot and cold drinks. Food is served on the wards and we offer our patients a choice of menu and portion size. The total spend per patient per day is £3.36. We have a total of 225 beds.

"We also offer a range of meals, snacks and drinks which are available around the clock."