The “relentless” drive by U.K. supermarkets to cut costs and boost profits is fueling poverty, abuse, and gender discrimination in their supply chains in developing countries, says Oxfam in its latest report.

The British charity says poor pay and harsh working conditions are “common” on farms and plantations that supply tea or fruit to global supermarkets including Lidl, Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Morrisons.

Neil Hodge is a freelance business journalist and photographer based in Nottingham, United Kingdom. He writes on insurance and risk management, corporate governance, internal audit, compliance, and legal...