Fast-food discount a fat chance for staff

Photo / Bradley Ambrose

It turns out fast-food outlets were upsizing their staff long before their meals.

That was the claim from their union leader, Matt McCarten, at an obesity conference this week.

McCarten told public health seminar "Who Cares About NZ's Waistlines" that part of the Unite union's job was worrying about obesity among staff at fast-food restaurants.

He said that in the past it was possible to tell who had been working for fast-food outlets longest because they had the most significant weight gains.

McCarten told the Herald on Sunday negotiations with KFC, Burger King and McDonalds that focused on food discounts for staff did not give them the best outcome.

It meant staff were eating the food they sold as their "staple diet". "We were being inadvertently irresponsible," he said. "These things are meant to be treats and not a staple diet."

He said negotiations shifted to include easy access to chilled water, microwaves and fridges so staff could store and heat their own food.

Other measures taken to fight obesity included bringing a halt to negotiating for vending machines in staff cafeterias.

"It's not our job to be parents," said McCarten, "but we have some responsibilities."