More than 400,000 fewer pupils were served school meals in England in the past academic year compared with two years earlier, according to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats.

According to the figures, the Government is nearly a million children below its 2009 target for encouraging more youngsters to take up healthy school meals, following a campaign by chef Jamie Oliver.

Figures obtained by the party's schools spokesman David Laws indicated that the Government is below its target by 511,000 in secondary schools and 473,000 in primary schools.

Nearly 250,000 fewer pupils took school meals in secondary schools in the year 2006-7 compared with two years previously - a fall of 17 per cent, according to the statistics. In primary schools, demand fell ten per cent in the same period, with 178,000 fewer pupils taking the school food option.

Nearly two-thirds of secondary school pupils are said to be avoiding school meals, along with about 60 per cent of primary school pupils.

The figures were obtained from a Government Parliamentary answer given during last month's recess.

Mr Laws said: "Without action, this Government could preside over the end of the school meals service as we know it."

He continued: "The new standards for healthier school meals have been introduced too quickly, too inflexibly, and with too little education of pupils and parents.

"School meal prices have been rising much too quickly, and it is a national disgrace that 3,500 schools nationally have no facilities to prepare school meals."

Kevin Brennan, Minister for Children and Families, said that last September saw menus overhauled so that school meals by law must be made up of healthy and nutritious ingredients.

He said: "The nutrient standards will add to these already healthy menus and we have no plans to delay their implementation.

"It is true that there has been a dip in take up in some secondary schools, but some have actually seen an increase. Where awareness of healthy food is high, and young people feel involved and informed about the changes, they are usually much more positive about the new menus."

A spokeswoman for the School Food Trust said: "It is true that there has been a drop in children taking school meals in some areas, but the decline in school meal take-up was occurring long before the introduction of healthier school meals.

"These figures fail to applaud the schools that have been providing healthier meals since before the Jamie Oliver campaign and where there has been a real whole school approach."

In the North-East and North Yorkshire, the latest figures show there have been only been minor changes this year compared to last year.

A Durham County Council spokesman said: "The introduction of healthier, more balanced and nutritional menus has had very little, if any, impact on the take-up of school meals at either primary or secondary level in County Durham.

"There has been a slight drop in income, but that has been the result of items like crisps and other confectionery no longer being available in schools rather than pupils avoiding the meals themselves."