Harassed parents could be spending a day every year hunched over the breadboard making packed lunches, school meals staff have estimated.

Mums and dads can spend between 18 and 26 hours every school year buttering bread, washing and filling lunchboxes and shopping for hungry youngsters.

Based on a parent spending 10-15 minutes a day making lunch during first and middle school years, it means some mums and dads whose children take sandwiches could have spent up to a week making packed lunches by the time their youngsters get to high school!

New food standards come into force nationwide this September - aimed at ensuring kids eating school lunches are getting the best possible fuel to keep them going  through the school day.

Duncan Johnson, in charge of school meals for Northumberland County Council, said: "We thought we'd actually sit down and work out whether packed lunches are such an easy option - and the results are quite surprising. It is staggering to think that parents can have spent up to or over a week making packed lunches by the time their children reach high school."

"A school meal can be comparable in cost to a packed lunch and it is an easy alternative for parents. It frees them up to do all sorts of other things - especially on busy nights after school when there are other things like homework and making an evening meal."

Menus in Northumberland schools are a mix of continental and traditional favourites. Pupils can still enjoy healthy versions of staples like fish fingers, chips and home made pizza - but get to try a broader range of restaurant classics like curry, salmon and spaghetti bolognese - as well as fruit, salad and veg.

Every school meal is nutritionally analysed down to the last herb and spice. Northumberland Sounty Council uses CRISp - a computer programme to work out the nutritional content of meals and has also:

• Provided extra nutrition training for staff
• Worked with suppliers to improve products
• Introduced high quality oily fish and other new freshly prepared dishes
• Increased portion sizes of the carbohydrate elements of the menu and introduced home baked bread onto menus