Are dinner expenses um... ethical?

[half]

Hi everybody.

I'm new to contracting, got my job through a recruitment agency, and signed up with an umbrella company. They told me that if I'm away from home, for my job, for 10 hours or more per day, I can claim dinner expenses. My hours of work are from 09:00 to 17:30, so that's not...

[wonderboy]

I recall that there is a term for the additional allowance sometimes paid to cover accommodation costs, but I can't for the life of me remember it - can someone put me out of my misery?!

I would also like to know how common it is to negotiate such an allowance, as hotel costs are not...