Following an article published in a national newspaper claiming that pub food is a 'rip-off', there are fears among those in the pub industry that the allegations may damage food sales.
The article published in the Daily Telegraph claimed that "according to the catering market research specialists Horizons FS, the average cost of food ingredients for a British pub meal in 2006 was £1.16".
However, pub industry experts say that there was confusion in the article between gastro pubs and other types of pubs and that claims that pubs are making huge profits on meals will put customers off eating at their local.
It is claimed that the average food spend per meal in pubs where food represents more than 50 per cent of turnover is in fact £2.42 and
Ed Turner, operations director of Geronimo Inns, told the Publican: "There is some fantastic work going on in pub food at the moment, and something like this doesn't do any of us any favours."
He added that the article failed to take into account the cost of employing a chef or the cost of running a pub.
