"Breaking the Chains: Ending Child Labor in the Food Industry"

History of Child Labor in Meat Plants

Last year, federal penalties totaling $1.5 million were imposed on 13 meat plants contracting with Packers Sanitation Services Inc. in eight states for employing children in critical food safety jobs. This incident set off a chain of events that exposed the deep-rooted problem of child labor in the food industry. Many of these children were tasked with cleaning dangerous equipment, putting their safety at risk.

For instance, at the Sioux City Pork Processing plant, 11 children were involved in the latest violations. Qvest LLC had to pay $171,000 in fines. Another contractor at Seaboard Triumph Foods LLC in Sioux City also employed children for dangerous work. The U.S. Department of Labor found that a second sanitation contractor at the Seaboard Triumph Foods LLC facility employed children during overnight shifts.

Legal Consequences and Remedies

Under a consent order and judgment approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa on Nov. 27, 2024, Qvest LLC was ordered to pay $171,919 in child labor civil money penalties. The company was also required to hire a third party to review and implement policies to prevent child labor and establish a reporting process.

For example, the judgment followed an investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division, which found that the Guymon, OK, sanitation contractor employed 11 children to clean dangerous equipment at the Seaboard Triumph Foods facility from 2019 to 2023. After a change in sanitation contractors, similar issues persisted. Federal law strictly forbids children under 18 from being employed in dangerous jobs in meat and poultry operations.

Efforts to Combat Child Labor

The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ending illegal child labor. Regional Solicitor Christine Z. Heri emphasized this, stating that they are using all strategies to stop and prevent unlawful child labor and hold employers responsible. In addition to penalties, the consent order requires Qvest to take several actions, such as hiring a compliance specialist and providing training.

Wage and Hour Midwest Regional Administrator Michael Lazzeri pointed out that despite changing contractors, children continued to work illegally at the Sioux City facility. In fiscal year 2024, the division concluded 736 investigations, uncovering child labor violations affecting 4,030 children and assessing over $15.1 million in penalties, a significant increase from 2023.