Many British workers take less than half their allotted lunch break, study claims

Research finds employees work 21 minutes on average when they should be relaxing at lunch

Almost half of respondents said they ate the same thing for lunch every day at work (Rex Features)

Busy British workers have become a nation who “wunch” – regularly working through lunch, a study has found.

A poll of 1,000 employees found workers take less than half of their allocated lunch break, working through 21 minutes a day when they should be relaxing.

In order to get the day's to-do list done, half of respondents admitted to occasionally forgoing an afternoon meal altogether.

Sixty-eight per cent also admitted to multi-tasking and tucking into their food while still on the job.

Despite many working within walking distance of popular lunch spots and local independent eateries, 13 per cent of employees claimed they had never tried something new to eat on their lunch break.

Instead, almost half of respondents admitted to eating the same thing for lunch every day at work.

A sandwich was the go-to for 55 per cent of Britons, while 18 per cent opted for a salad and a fifth topped their vitamins up with a piece of fruit.

The research was conducted by Just Eat, which has built a giant lunchbox in Liverpool’s Exchange Flag to help hungry workers rediscover the joy of taking a lunch break.

Standing at two metres tall and four metres wide, the oversized container appeared overnight and caught the attention of commuters and office workers.

It marks the introduction of Just Eat’s new click and collect lunch service which is now available in selected postcodes in Liverpool, Leeds, London, and Glasgow.

Britons will be able to order lunch items, pay through the Just Eat app and pick up their afternoon meal from a nearby restaurant.

Graham Corfield, UK managing director of Just Eat, said: “Just Eat is already well established as the go-to app for evening and weekend food delivery, but a large number of restaurants on our platform also offer a wide variety of delicious options at lunchtime.

“By introducing this lunch collection service and loyalty programme, we want to offer more choice, convenience and value for money to hungry workers who are short on time.

“You can beat the queues, try something new and hopefully reclaim some of your lunch break.

“Similar to how the lunch box grabbed attention, we hope our new lunch collection service encourages people to mix up their lunchtime routine and explore the fantastic range of food on offer.”

SWNS