Food Production Operative Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 130,000 jobs.
Median salary
£29,258
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 6.9% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£30,400
Part-time only
£17,684
Mean
£29,777
Jobs measured
130,000
What a typical food production operative takes home
On the median of £29,258, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,049
Take-home a year
£24,586
Income Tax
£3,338
National Insurance
£1,335
What most food production operatives actually earn
Half of food production operatives earn between £24,686 and £34,873. Earning above £34,873 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of food production operatives earn less than this.
Food Production Operative salary by region
11 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| North East | £31,175 | £32,534 |
| West Midlands | £30,686 | £31,416 |
| East | £29,794 | £30,274 |
| Scotland | £29,642 | £32,646 |
| East Midlands | £29,496 | £29,810 |
| South West | £29,158 | £27,315 |
| South East | £28,950 | £28,325 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £28,815 | £28,831 |
| London | £28,700 | £28,770 |
| North West | £27,963 | £29,583 |
| Wales | £27,927 | £28,695 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Food, drink and tobacco process operatives
- SOC 2020 code
- 8111
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2026 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “food production operative” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Food, drink and tobacco process operatives”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS measures food, drink and tobacco process operatives.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Food Production Operative salary FAQs
What is the average Food Production Operative salary in the UK?
The median is £29,258 a year and the mean is £29,777, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £30,400 and part-time employees £17,684.
How much does a food production operative earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £14.04 excluding overtime, or £14.30 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
What is a good Food Production Operative salary?
Half of food production operatives earn between £24,686 and £34,873. Anything above £34,873 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a food production operative?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of food production operatives earn under £18,570 and the lowest quarter under £24,686 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
How much do the highest-paid food production operatives earn?
The top 10% of food production operatives earn more than £41,707 a year, and the top quarter more than £34,873. ASHE does not publish figures above the 90th percentile.
Which part of the UK pays food production operatives the most?
North East, at a median of £31,175, is the highest of the 10 GB regions with a precise ONS estimate; Wales is the lowest at £27,927. Regions where ONS marks the figure as imprecise are not ranked.
Has food production operative pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +6.9% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many food production operatives are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 130,000 employee jobs in “Food, drink and tobacco process operatives” (SOC 8111) in the UK. Self-employed work is not included.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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