Food industry workers say they are not paid enough to afford basics – report

Many workers in the food industry believe their wages are insufficient to meet basic needs such as food and energy, according to a new report.

Three in five members of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) said they feared running out of food because of a lack of money.

Nearly half of the 350 workers surveyed said they were feeling “food insecure” and a third reported they do not have enough food to feed them and their families.

Most of those surveyed said they were eating cheaper alternatives.

A growing number also reported that they are skipping meals and relied on friends and family or food banks to eat.

Nearly nine out of 10 said they have reduced their heating to save money.

Sarah Woolley, general secretary of the BFAWU, said the findings were “grim reading”, adding: “Rather than the challenges facing our members improving under the new Labour Government, this report shows the pressures are either impacting the same number or they are getting worse, with nine out of 10 of our members feeling that the Government is not doing enough to help them.

“The people that are reporting these pressures are in employment. They are working hard to provide the food that our country and wider economy needs to function and yet they are paid so little they cannot afford the basic essentials they need in their lives such as food and being able to heat their homes.”