Coronavirus: Infections in food industry could be 30 times higher than reported

The number of coronavirus cases in food factories that supply UK supermarkets and restaurants could be more than 30 times higher than reported, according to new analysis.

An investigation conducted by Pirc, which advises shareholders on ethical investment, identified at least 1,461 infections and six deaths that have been connected to the food manufacturing industry during the pandemic.

Yet just 47 notifications of Covid-19 workplace infections, and no deaths, have been reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) by food manufacturing factories.

Pirc has attributed the discrepancy to a loophole that allows companies to judge whether employees were infected in the workplace or elsewhere.

Labour has accused the government of turning a blind eye to rising infections within food plants, warning that that the underreporting of Covid-19 cases “could lead to further outbreaks”.

Pirc’s labour specialist, Alice Martin, called into question the reports submitted by food processing companies, saying they “lack credibility”.

“We urge companies across all sectors to put as much information as possible on testing, cases and fatalities into the public domain,” she added.

As part of the investigation, Pirc held one-on-one interviews with employees and drew from the findings of trade union surveys as well as media reports about the food processing industry.

One unnamed worker at a large plant in the North Midlands said that staff had been told to wear cake boxes as makeshift masks, while another interviewee said that the factory audits were “a sham”.

“Auditors sit in an office for an hour when they arrive to do paperwork and everyone cleans up the plant,” the employee said.

“Colleagues with COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] were asked to come back into work,” said another food worker.

“When they were shielding, they were earning less than half of what they would have earned on furlough.”

Unite national officer Bev Clarkson said companies were endangering employees by failing to introduce the necessary coronavirus protection measures.

“The cold temperatures, metal surfaces and close working conditions found in many food manufacturing sites make them easy environments for the virus to spread in,” she said.

“In too many workplaces these risk factors have been exacerbated by employers neglecting to implement proper coronavirus health and safety measures, as well as refusing to provide adequate sick pay to those who need to self-isolate.”

Labour MP Luke Pollard said the government was failing to take the issue of food factory outbreaks seriously.

“Labour has pressed ministers repeatedly for action to support people working in these environments but the response from government has been lacklustre at best,” he said.

“While there are some good employers in the food processing sector there are also far too many that are not taking the safety of their workers seriously.

“This underreporting of Covid cases could lead to further outbreaks, meaning we’d lose control of the virus even more.”

A spokesperson for the British Meat Processors Association said: “There have been a small number of outbreaks. Companies that experience an outbreak work together with the IMT (incident management team) from the local competent authorities and follow their lead to limit the outbreak and possible cause of transmission.

“Our members have put many physical barriers in place to protect employees in the production areas along with many other measures to protect the workforce.”