The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has initiated investigations into Tyson Foods and Perdue Farms following allegations of child labor exploitation in their supply chains, as reported by the New York Times (NYT) on September 18.
The allegations, first brought to light in a New York Times Magazine article, suggest that the companies utilized contractors employing migrant child labor for hazardous tasks.
The report alleges that children were employed for overnight shifts to clean slaughterhouses, a job involving the use of acid that reportedly caused lung damage and persistent coughing among the workers. The DOL's investigations aim to ascertain whether Tyson, Perdue, and several associated companies have been illegally employing children in dangerous roles.
Seema Nanda, the DOLs chief legal officer, expressed her concern to the NYT, stating, We are long past the day when brands can say that they dont know that they have child labor in their supply chain. The intention is to make sure that those higher up in the supply chain are holding their subcontractors and staffing agencies accountable.
The NYT report also alleges that Tyson and Perdue circulated information about the journalist investigating the child labor allegations at their plants and terminated employees who had spoken to her. The report suggests that children who arrive in the U.S. alone are more likely to be granted entry and to work to send money back to their families in their home countries.
In response to the allegations, Perdue issued a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation, saying, We take the legal employment and safety of each individual working in our facilities very seriously and have strict, longstanding policies in place for Perdue associates to prevent minors from working hazardous jobs in violation of the law. We hold our suppliers to the same high standards, and we were appalled by these recent allegations. We are conducting a comprehensive third-party audit of child labor prevention and protection procedures including a compliance audit of contractors. We will take appropriate actions based on the findings of that investigation. We have not been notified, but plan to cooperate fully with any government inquiry on this matter.
This is not the first time Tyson and Perdue have come under scrutiny for child labor law violations. Less than a year ago, the DOL investigated both corporations, resulting in substantial fines after it was discovered that Packers Sanitation Services, a cleaning company hired by both firms, had employed at least 102 children for overnight shifts at 13 meat processing plants nationwide.
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