More than 110,000 hospital meals have been thrown away by NHS Grampian.

New figures revealed by the health board show 110,062 meals, untouched by patients at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Dr Gray’s Hospital, have been wasted since 2011.

The total value of the meals which were not eaten equates to £98,157.

NHS Grampian explained meals are often left untouched if treatment has affected the appetite of a patient, if patients are taken for an X-ray or procedure during meal times or if patients are feeling unwell and choose not to eat the meal.

An NHS Grampian spokeswoman said: “Catering for hospital patients is complex. We need to provide suitable sustenance for people at a time when eating may be uncomfortable, subject to restrictions or simply the last thing on their mind.

“Patients may leave a meal untouched because their treatment has affected their appetite, because they have been called away to have a procedure or because they have been discharged.”

In 2014/15, 22,465 meals worth £20,668 were wasted at ARI and 3,686 meals worth £3,391 at Dr Gray’s were also thrown away.

The figures come after the health board increased its food budget for Aberdeen Royal Infirmary by almost £100,000 in 2014/15, from £851,115 in 2013/14 to £950,248.

The NHS Grampian spokeswoman added: “We take food wastage seriously and do our utmost to minimise it. We work closely with ward teams to monitor patient movements and ensure we are not sending up excess meals.”

A two-course meal currently costs the health board 92p to produce. Menu cards go to hospital wards at night and patients are asked to make their selections by 10am.

Lunch, which includes a starter and a main course, is then served to patients between 12.30pm and 1.30pm. An evening meal, which includes a main course and a dessert, is given at around 5pm.

Starters often include soups such as tomato and lentil. Main courses such as lasagne, beef stroganoff, stovies, chicken breast and mornay sauce and macaroni cheese are some of the dishes often on offer.

Desserts can include apple crumble and custard, jam sponge and custard, strawberry cheesecake and strawberry gateau.

The NHS spokeswoman said: “We are proud of the food we produce.

“Two of our chefs made it to the final of a national NHS catering competition in 2014 and were praised for the restaurant standard food they produced in a hospital environment.

“Patients specifically praised the high standards of meals they were given while in our hospitals during interviews with independent inspectors from Healthcare Improvement Scotland earlier this year.”

MSP Lewis Macdonald said it’s inevitable that some patients may not be able to eat meals when sick.

He said: “Sometimes sick people want to eat and sometimes they don’t.

“There was a presentation at Royal Aberdeen’s Children’s Hospital last month where they had developed new child-friendly menus, designed to give patients something they prefer and make it more attractive to young people so they eat when they should.

“I thought it would be a good idea to do the same for adults too.”