• Swindon & Wiltshire Governance
• Wednesday November 11 2026

Wiltshire firm marks a decade of paying the Real Living Wage

Trowbridge-based meals provider apetito / Wiltshire Farm Foods is celebrating 10 years as an accredited Living Wage employer, underlining a long-standing commitment to fair pay and investment in its workforce.

The business, which employs around 2,000 people across the UK and is Trowbridge’s largest private employer, has held Real Living Wage accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation since 2016.

It says the milestone reflects its belief that colleagues should be rewarded in line with the real cost of living, not simply the legal minimum.

The anniversary comes during Living Wage Week, as the wider movement marks its 25th year and approaches 17,000 accredited employers across the UK.

apetito / Wiltshire Farm Foods has confirmed it will implement the new Real Living Wage by May 2027.

The updated voluntary rate is £14.10 an hour across the UK and £15.45 an hour in London, with accredited employers required to adopt the rates by 1 May 2027.

The Real Living Wage is independently calculated based on the cost of living and is paid voluntarily by accredited employers. It differs from the Government’s statutory National Living Wage, which is set separately and is not calculated on the same basis.

Sharon Larkin, director of HR at apetito | Wiltshire Farm Foods, said paying the Real Living Wage had “never been about numbers” for the business.

She said: “It’s about recognising the contribution our colleagues make and ensuring every team member is rewarded fairly for the care, skill and dedication they bring to our business.”

Larkin added that the company’s people were “at the heart” of what it does, whether working directly with customers or supporting operations behind the scenes.

“Our commitment to the Real Living Wage is an important part of how we invest in our people, create a great place to work and demonstrate just how much their contribution is valued,” she said.

The company says it is proud to mark the milestone as one of the earliest food manufacturing businesses to achieve Living Wage accreditation. It also applies its fair-pay principles beyond its direct workforce, requiring contractors to adhere to the new voluntary pay rate.

The announcement comes as the Living Wage Foundation says almost half a million workers employed by nearly 17,000 accredited employers are set to benefit from the latest pay uplift.

The business said the decade-long commitment is both an ethical stance and a practical investment in recruitment, retention and workplace culture and said it will continue to invest in its people in the years ahead, with fair pay remaining central to its approach as it serves thousands of customers every day.