Parents have a key role to play in helping local education authorities make healthier school meals more popular, according to Wakefield City Council.

It is concerned that improving the nutritional value of school meals may discourage some pupils from using the service, and put pressure on parents to give them a packed lunch. ‘Unless parents are absolutely committed to improving the diet of their children, we could see a reduction in the take-up of meals and lose the economies of scale so that the service becomes more expensive to operate,' said a council spokeswoman.