TONY Blair has criticised the poor quality of school meals but he insisted canteens could serve healthier food without an increase in spending.

Speaking to The Northern Echo, the Prime Minister admitted many dinners offered to Britain's school children "could be significantly improved". But he said the campaign by chef Jamie Oliver had proved schools could serve healthy meals even within a limited budget - as low as 35p per meal in some areas.

A survey by The Northern Echo found the spend per meal varied from 50p in Hartlepool to 35p in neighbouring Stockton.

The Prime Minister's comments suggest the Government will not force education authorities to spend a minimum amount on each meal in a fresh crackdown expected within weeks.

Through his Channel Four programme, Jamie's School Dinners, Mr Oliver has launched a crusade to get rid of processed food from school kitchens. The series was partly filmed at a primary school in Peterlee, County Durham.

He has demanded a 50p minimum and nutritionists have gone even further, insisting spending per school meal must double if junk food is to be removed from menus.

But yesterday, Mr Blair said: "What Jamie Oliver has done is absolutely invaluable and we have been working closely with him.

"He has shown that, even with the amount of money spent on school meals at the moment, you can significantly improve the quality of them.

"And he has proved that, if you have school meals that kids want to eat and more of them eat them, the economies of scale mean that you can bring the overall cost down."

The Prime Minister compared the growing awareness of the importance of children eating correctly with the way professional footballers had improved their diet - something that was unthinkable 20 years ago.

He said: "It is no different for children. What they eat is extremely important for their health and important for their ability to learn."

However, the Prime Minister said the Government's focus was to ensure that school canteens "got the best value out of the money that is already being spent".

Asked about a minimum spend per meal, he said: "You have to be careful of central government laying down guidelines that local authorities complain are overly bureaucratic."

Plans for extended childcare at thousands of schools, including breakfast clubs, would help ensure children were fed properly throughout the day, Mr Blair said.

Ministers have already announced guidelines on the nutrutional value of school meals, to be introduced from September, after successive studies linked poor food with childhood obesity.

Parents will be given a greater say over the content of menus, to prevent schools serving beefburgers, sausages and pizzas.

But experts have warned the healthy eating drive is doomed to failure unless education authorities spend more than the cost of a tin of dog food on school meals.