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Four top meat packing companies are targeted in the drive
of ConsumerAffairsApril 10, 2025
Key takeaways:
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New national campaign targets top meat processors Perdue, JBS, Tyson, and Cargill for child labor violations.
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Effort includes grassroots mobilization, consumer petition, and advocacy to strengthen child labor protections.
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Comes amid disturbing rise in child labor abuses in U.S. meat processing facilities.
Once considered a dark chapter in Americas past, child labor is making a grim resurgencethis time in the heart of the countrys food production industry. In response, Green America and the Child Labor Coalition (CLC) have launched a national campaign to end labor violations and the exploitation of children by some of the nations largest meat processing companies.
The campaign targets Perdue Farms, JBS, Tyson Foods, and Cargillfour industry giants with documented cases of employing underage children in hazardous conditions, the groups said. The initiative will mobilize consumers through petitions and enlist the support of allied grassroots organizations nationwide to push for sweeping reforms in the food production sector.
A growing crisis
Child labor in the U.S. agriculture and meat processing sectors has reached alarming levels, with estimates suggesting that between 300,000 and 500,000 children are working in agriculture alone. Investigations by the Department of Labor have revealed instances of minors, some as young as 13, cleaning and maintaining dangerous industrial equipmentoften during overnight shifts.
In January 2025, Perdue Farms and JBS were fined a combined $8 million for violating federal child labor laws. Children have also reportedly worked under hazardous conditions at Tyson and Cargill facilities. Despite these findings, 31 states have moved to weaken child labor and safety protections since 2021, further compounding the risks to young workers.
A corporate accountability
Childrens lives are on the line and there is no time to waste, said Reid Maki, Child Labor Advocacy Director for the CLC and National Consumers League. In just the last two years, the U.S. has experienced fatalities and permanent, traumatic injuries involving children working at dangerous and exploitative jobs in meat-processing facilities.
Charlotte Tate, Labor Justice Campaigns Director at Green America, condemned the companies’ practices: Its appalling that multi-billion-dollar meat producers are profiting from children carrying out dangerous work. JBS made $20 billion in profit last year alone, while Cargill saw record earnings of $6 billion.
Todd Larsen, Executive Co-Director at Green America, added: These children are working long hours, often late at night, cleaning facilities where adults should be the only ones present. Some have suffered mangled limbs and chemical burns.
Company-Specific Violations
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JBS The worlds largest meat processor paid $4 million in fines for child labor violations at facilities in Nebraska, Colorado, and Minnesota. Children as young as 13 were found cleaning hazardous machinery during overnight shifts.
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Tyson Foods The Department of Labor is investigating child labor violations at poultry plants in Arkansas and Tennessee, where minors were discovered working in dangerous conditions.
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Perdue Farms A child working an overnight cleaning shift at a Virginia facility suffered a traumatic injury in 2022. The company was fined $4 million following federal investigations.
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Cargill Minors were found cleaning head splitters and saws with hazardous chemicals at Cargill facilities in Kansas and Texas. Many of these children were employed by third-party contractors.
About the organizers
Green America represents over 250,000 individuals and 2,000 small businesses with a mission to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. The Child Labor Coalition represents 37 member organizations including unions, human rights groups, and child advocacy organizations fighting to end the exploitation of children in the workforce.
Together, they aim to hold corporations accountable and restore safety and dignity to the nations most vulnerable workersits children.
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