SPENDING on hospital meals in Scotland has been cut by almost £3 million despite patients campaigning for better food.

Health boards reduced outlay on ward catering from £32.6m to £29.7m last year, according to Scottish Government figures.

Troubled health board NHS Grampian is reported to be serving dinners which cost 89p for two courses.

The new figures were published yesterday and follow a series of articles in The Herald raising concerns about the quality of food on wards in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Last November the newspaper revealed the board was feeding patients for little more than £4 a day. A catering expert, David Maguire, who was given "unrestricted access" to the board's kitchens, said the food reminded him of the "worst components" of school dinners.

However, a Scottish Government spokeswoman said the NHS works strictly to standards which have been set for patient nutrition.

She added: "NHS Scotland supplies millions of meals to patients a year and economies of scale allow for food products to be procured for far less than normal. The average amount spent on food per patient per day across the NHS in Scotland is £4.31 and every dish provided in a Scottish hospital is measured to identify its nutritional value."