Meals offered by alternative providers to the Age Concern service were ’comparable’, Kate Beecroft said.

In her statement to the Keys, she told members that there were already other providers in the market.

The department did not name them in its letter to Meals on Wheels users last week and, when asked to do so in the Keys, Mrs Beecroft declined.

’There are at least two at the moment,’ she told the Keys, ’but I am reluctant to name them because there could be more that enter the market place. The prices are comparable. There are actually some meals available that are cheaper than what is being supplied at the moment, but there are some that are available that are dearer.’

She added: ’One of the providers actually has more specialised meals as well, so that people who have difficulty either chewing or swallowing can have soft food or pureed food if that is what their need is, which is not currently supplied at the moment.’