One in five North-East workers do not take a lunch break.

New research reveals that women are more likely to skip lunch than men, with 21 per cent of career girls not eating a midday meal.

Those workers who do take a lunch break now spend an average of just 36 minutes away from their workplace. The research, commissioned by NOP2 and Findus Feeling Great!, shows that some regions are better than others at ensuring they take a proper lunch break. Workers in the South West of England are least likely to skip lunch, just five per cent go without, but the worst offenders are in the Midlands, where one third go without lunch.

Dr Sarah Schenker of the British Nutrition Foundation says: "People who skip meals may miss out on important vitamins and minerals and may be tempted to snack on foods high in calories but low in nutrients."

Surprisingly, the research reveals that 21 per cent of employees in the North-East work somewhere that does not provide suitable facilities for people to bring in and heat their own food.