Gen Z workers are the biggest office food thieves, with nearly one in eight 18-29-year-olds admitting to illicitly taking food from a colleague. They have grabbed more than four items from the workplace in the past 12 months, with their favourite steals including chocolate bars (65 per cent), sandwiches (52 per cent), biscuits (52 per cent) and pasta (35 per cent). They are also taking cake (33 per cent), salads (26 per cent), sushi (15 per cent) and falafels (9 per cent).
Generational Differences in Lunch Crime
This is compared to much lower levels of lunch crime among older generations. Eleven per cent of Millennials, 6 per cent of Gen X, and 3 per cent of Baby Boomers admit to pinching someone else's grub. According to the survey of 2,000 Brits, nearly one in ten (9 per cent) of the general population admit to pilfering food, while almost a quarter (19 per cent) say they have had edible goods stolen from them.
Reasons Behind the Theft
The poll, conducted ahead of National Sandwich Week by Aagrah, producers of authentic Kashmiri tarka pastes, naans, aromatic spice blends and flavour-packed chutneys, found that the reason for such anarchy was that more than three-quarters (80 per cent) are stuck in a lunchtime rut and looking for more tasty lunches. Shakil Hussain, co-founder at Aagrah Foods, said: 'Our poll found that two in ten (20 per cent) people admitted to swiping a sarnie because their own lunch was just too bland and 86 per cent are craving more exotic, flavoursome options. That might explain the thieving - but it doesn't excuse it. It's time to up our lunch game, pack more flavour into our pack-ups and curb this culinary crimewave.'
Most Stolen Items and Thief Behaviour
The humble butty (38 per cent) was identified as one of the most likely items to be lifted by office workers. Worryingly, a third (33 per cent) of thieves are still on the loose, saying they did not get caught and would do it again. Meanwhile, one in five say they have caught a swindler after their own personal investigation, and 16 per cent say they caught the crook red-handed. But for some, the mystery goes on as one in seven (16 per cent) says the thief remains at large. Nearly half (48 per cent) say they have strong suspicions.
Prime Suspects
The person that sits next to them (26 per cent) is apparently the prime suspect, someone on the reception desk (18 per cent) is next up, and an IT worker (11 per cent) was another possible perpetrator. A brazen one in seven have grabbed the offending item whilst it was in the microwave, two-thirds swiped it from the fridge, and more than a third (36 per cent) snatched it from a colleague's desk.
Gen Z as Both Thieves and Victims
Whilst the younger generation are the most partial to taking, they are also the biggest targets, with more than a third (38 per cent) claiming to be a victim of a lunch burglar. Ironically, Gen Z are also the most likely to make a formal complaint to HR, with 38 per cent admitting to sending in a formal e-mail to bosses - compared to 24 per cent of Millennials, 12 per cent of Gen X and 6 per cent of Baby Boomers.
Regional Hotspots
When it comes to the home of the lunch thief, Coventry was crowned the capital, with nearly one in five (18 per cent) coming clean to the crime. Next up came the Geordies with 13 per cent of those from Newcastle putting their collective hands up ahead of Cardiff (12 per cent), Leeds (12 per cent) and London (11 per cent).
Advice from Aagrah
Hussain added: 'With a bit of prep and a little imagination, you can transform your lunch. Try cooking chicken, paneer or even halloumi the night before in one of our tarka pastes - like tikka masala or butter chicken - then, why not swap out the bread for a naan for a bit of variety and an instant glow up. Short on time? A spoonful of our chutneys in a simple cheese sandwich, paired with pickled pink onions and salad leaves, will take it to the next level in seconds.'
