This report by Sarah Thomason, Gabriel Sanchez, and Isabel García Valdivia from the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education examines job quality in meal-kit fulfillment centers. Meal-kit delivery services have grown exponentially in the US, with over 150 companies generating an estimated $1.5 billion in annual revenue. However, the meal-kit sector still accounts for only a tiny fraction of overall food industry market share and few of the companies have turned a profit. The report focuses on the experiences of frontline workers in meal-kit fulfillment centers, who are engaged in food processing and packaging. The authors conducted focus groups and interviews with these workers and found that they face a number of challenges, including low wages, high turnover, and difficult working conditions. The report concludes that meal-kit companies must do more to address the needs of their workers in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the industry.
