The quality of food served in NHS hospitals has been criticised in a new report, with authors saying it deserves its reputation for sub-standard produce.

Entitled First Aid for Hospital Food, the study was published and backed by the Soil Association campaign group and found that 70 per cent opted for home cooking while staying at NHS hospitals.

More than 50 per cent of people polled identified that they would not serve the recipes to a child, while over 35 per cent described the produce as unacceptable.

Peter Melchett, the Soil Association's policy director, said: "It's clear there are people running hospitals who don't think what they feed patients matters, hence these extraordinary appalling figures of people going into hospital and coming out more malnourished."

It was revealed last week that fast food outlets selling unhealthy produce would face a new tax in a bid to cut obesity.