THE British Sandwich Association has launched a campaign to encourage people across the UK to ‘Love Lunch' after its research showed that almost 60% of adults admit to eating lunch at their desk at least once a week and well over a quarter to taking less than the legal 20 minute break.

The results of the survey also showed that people in the South West and Wales currently take the shortest average lunch break and those in Scotland and Northern Ireland the longest.

With only a third of us managing to find somewhere nice to sit and relax and enjoy our lunch and over 20% admitting to often skipping lunch it would appear that the UK is lagging well behind the rest of Europe when it comes to lunch breaks.

BSA Director Jim Winship explains: "Whilst UK employment legislation means employees are entitled to a minimum of a 20 minutes break if they are working for six hours or more it would seem that people are simply not making the most of the time.

"We want to use this year's British Sandwich Week to remind people about the benefits of taking time away from their place of work, grabbing a nutritious lunch and, weather willing, enjoying some fresh air."

And there is plenty of evidence to support the benefits of taking a proper break for lunch with some reports even suggesting that the time you spend away from the office is more than compensated for by an increase in productivity in the afternoon.

Eating any type of meal at lunchtime can help keep the metabolism active but some foods clearly pack more of a nutritional punch than others, with experts recommending a combination of complex carbohydrates and lean proteins to help provide a long-lasting energy source.

What's more, the Weight Control Information Network claims that people who regularly skip meals tend to weigh more than those that eat regularly.

To encourage consumers to take time for lunch, the British Sandwich Association has teamed up with sandwich retailers across the UK to give away 1,000 ‘free lunches' on its www.lovesarnies.com<http://www.lovesarnies.com> website during May as part of its ‘Love Lunch' campaign.

British Sandwich Week takes place May 12- 18 this year and will include a host of activities including the final of the Sandwich Designer of the Year and World Record Sandwich attempt.

Ends - May 2013

For further information please contact Sarah Oakes, Thorpe PR, 07968 314426