SCOTLAND’S food and drink industry must build sustainable careers and tackle stereotypes of those within it being “overworked and underpaid,” according to a new report.

The Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy (EFDA) has called for a unified response to the challenges of rising costs and a growing skills gap across the £18.9 billion industry by showcasing careers to challenge the archetype.

Executive chair at the academy Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne commented: “It is about recognising the value of the food and drink industry to the economy and the nation’s health and food security, and realising the full potential of the people within it.”

Unite Hospitality national chairman Nick Troy told the Star: “Most workers in our industry are overworked and underpaid. 

“The best way the industry could combat that so-called stereotype would be to recognise trade unions, and listen to workers’ demands for secure contracts and a real living wage.

“The industry does not exist in isolation. Poverty pay has a detrimental impact on consumption and consumption-based sectors like food and drink are hit the hardest. 

“You have to invest in economic prosperity to get economic prosperity.”