Meal allowance when working away

[Workingfornothing]

Can anyone please advise. I’ve looked but can’t make much sense. Is there a legal requirement for a company to provide you with meal expenses when working away? Currently my partner sometimes works away and sometimes works local. When he’s local he has breakfast at home, takes a packed lunch, and a hot drink in a flask and water/juice, then obviously has evening meal at home. When he works away his employer pays for his hotel, and £20 for an evening meal. That’s it. If the evening meal is under £20 he gets that amount back only. If it’s over £20 he only gets £20. Every time he works away he’s using his own money as he has to buy his meals and drinks (excluding £20) So it’s costing him, and other employees, to do their job. I just can’t see how this is fair. So, is there any legislation to say meals must be provided by the employer?

I'm with OP, they should obviously reimburse meals during work travel. You can't bring in last night's leftovers, scramble some eggs or grab a slice of toast out of the freezer when you're in a hotel with no kitchen - it costs more to feed yourself than it does at home and if you have to submit a receipt for the £20 dinner it's not covering your breakfast and lunch is it.

Has he considered keep the receipts for say 5 days showing reasonable meals, summarising them
up and then discussing with his employer?
£20 is not enough now. I had a burger at Burger King the other day and a drink which cost between £9 and £10.

Can he declare the extra he spends as allowable work expenses and at least get tax relief on it? He presumably doesn't pay tax on the actual food allowance and hotel cost reimbursement.

How can he take a pack lunch when he is working away? He's got no where to prep it, or store the food in his hotel room? Eg if he is away for 3 nights where does he store the food for 3 days of lunches. I agree op it's very stingy. Unless they all complain though and try suggesting a reasonable alternative then there's not much he can do? Other than move to a different company with better benefits?

A genuinely practical suggestion. I was starting to think these were banned on Mumsnet!

He can't pop in to a shop?

What does he want to eat for breakfast? Surely some instant porridge pots, fruit and pre packaged pain au chocolate would be fine to get him through the day and not much more than having breakfast at home.
He could even take cereal and buy a pint of milk each morning from the local shop, if there's one nearby.

I think the real issue here and I might be wrong is that OP prepares the DH's food at home, so they are looking for compensation for that undoubtedly significant labour. Yes £20 can cover food for the day for an adult man but not 3 meals prepared for him (which is what he gets at home).

Oh please he’s not eating half a days wage worth of food!!!! If he was in the office his breakfast/lunch wouldn't be covered - just because he takes a pack lunch is his/your choice.

Oh my life, do I wish I hadn't have read this. I was having a good day!

In the NHS our allowance is £20 for 24 hours of meals - amount hasn’t changed in about 20 years.

This exactly what is supposed to happen, and precisely the point the OP seems unable to understand.

You need to work out what his home breakfast and "massive packed lunch" he has at home costs, and add that normal cost to the £20.

You aren't losing money, because you aren't paying for said home breakfast and "massive packed lunch" from your grocery budget when he's away - that money is what he's spending whilst away.

Buy a mini fridge or electric cool box and he can take his usual packed lunch bits with him.

Erm buy the evening meal using the £20, then buy a meal deal like many people. It’s cheap!

Easiest way is to have an exclusive credit card for this and just pay it off when reimbursed

well he has to pay for his breakfast and lunch at home too from the supermarket. i don’t see how it’s any different. he can take these things with him

I also find it annoying when I can’t take a packed lunch and his dinner allowance is on the low side but it’s hardly working for nothing. I’d buy some things from the supermarket to top up to the £20 allowance and use them towards breakfast/lunch/snacks. If he’s working away, presumably his travel costs are covered so think of the commuting costs that are saved when he’s away. Ultimately if he can find a better deal elsewhere he can vote with his feet.

electric cool boxes and disposable plates/knives and forks exist

I used to work away Mon - Fri, if dinners are covered then breakfast and lunch are easy enough to do with a few utensils and a cool box. I'm coeliac so used to do it as it's not straight forward to pick up something on the go.

I used to do yoghurt and fruit and various wraps, avocado, cooked chicken, cheese, spinach, tuna. Apples and peanut butter, carrots and hummus, mini egg omelettes/muffins. It wasn't really any more hassle than making lunches at home. My only concession was buying pre grated cheese

No legal requirement for any expenses to be covered. I wouldn’t work somewhere that didn’t though.

I have occasionally been sent away for training. We pay our own accomodation and food. £20 seems a reasonable contribution.

Mind you, in the private sector we just put meals on expenses and got it all back.

But not at all practical.

Must try and pack one for my next trip to Germany.

You paid for your own accommodations put of your own pocket and never reimbursed ?

we are talking about london not germany

I'm with you. I used to travel away for work a lot (4 nights in a hotel and 3 nights at home kind of thing) and I would get miserable really quickly if I had a stingy employer like that.

I already experience a downgrade from my usual facilities at home when travelling, the least an employer can do is try and compensate that a little bit instead of penny pinching. Like a Premier Inn is fine but the bathroom isn't as nice as my home one and the beds are not as comfy and the TV is not as nice.

People on here suggesting things like instant coffee in a hotel room when at home I have a really nice coffee maker, even when I still had a filter machine the coffee out of that was 20 times better than that instant crap. At home I can cook dinner and eat leftovers for lunch. A meal deal does not compare.

I used to get breakfast paid for plus a per diem of 45 pounds for working in London. And that was 10 years ago.