Meatpacking plants are repeat offenders of child exploitation

A shocking investigation by the Department of Labor (DOL) has uncovered persistent child labor violations at Seaboard Triumph Foods’ pork processing plant in Sioux City, Iowa. Over four years, children as young as 13 were illegally employed to sanitize hazardous equipment using corrosive chemicals.

The revelations of widespread child labor exploitation in industries like meatpacking are increasing for a few reasons. First, there’s an increase in recorded infractions, continuous reductions in child labor safeguards in the U.S., and the convergence of these infractions with worldwide migration issues.

Revealing repeat failures

The DOL’s investigation exposed how Seaboard Triumph Foods and its contractors repeatedly employed minors in dangerous roles. From 2019 to 2023, sanitation contractor Qvest hired 11 children to clean hazardous machinery. Such machinery includes head splitters and neck clippers during overnight shifts.

Even though Federal law prohibits minors from working in meat processing due to an increased risk of injury, CBS reports that,

Seaboard Foods is among the nation’s biggest pork producers. In addition to Iowa, Seaboard Foods, a division of Seaboard Corporation, has operations in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Mexico, according to the company’s website.

According to Michael Lazzeri, the DOL’s Midwest regional administrator,

“These findings illustrate Seaboard Triumph Foods’ history of children working illegally in their Sioux City facility since at least September 2019. Despite changing sanitation contractors, children continued to work in dangerous occupations at this facility.”

Fayette Janitorial Services took over Seaboard’s sanitation in 2023 and rehired some of the same children previously employed by Qvest. Fayette also employed 15 minors, some as young as 13, at a Perdue Farms facility in Virginia, where a 14-year-old suffered severe injuries.

Migrant children most at risk

The exploitation of migrant children in hazardous industries is a growing concern. A December 2023 New York Times investigation detailed thousands of Mexican and Central American children working dangerous jobs after crossing the U.S. border alone. These minors often clean slaughterhouses and handle dangerous machinery, with cases of severe injuries, such as amputations, reported.

However, the problem extends beyond migrant children. In Wisconsin, a 16-year-old high school student tragically died after becoming trapped in a sawmill machine. Similarly, federal investigations uncovered cases of minors cleaning meat grinders, installing Christmas lights on rooftops, and working excessive hours in fast-food restaurants.

As reported by CBS,

From an elevated waterslide at a Jacksonville, Florida, beach park to a sawmill in Clarkrange, Tennessee, federal investigators are finding children across the country working illegal hours and performing risky, unlawful tasks. In May, federal investigators found a 13-year-old girl allegedly working up to 60 hours a week on an assembly line in Luverne, Alabama.

The DOL’s Wage and Hour division reported 736 investigations uncovering child labor violations affecting over 4,000 children in 2024 alone.

Legislative rollbacks compounding the need for action!

Simultaneously, there has been a concerning push to weaken child labor protections in several U.S. states. Proposals to allow younger teens to work longer hours in hazardous environments jeopardize hard-won labor rights. These legislative efforts risk legitimizing exploitation and increasing the prevalence of unsafe work conditions for children. The findings in this story, compounded with such legislative rollbacks, highlight the potential consequences of eroding protections.

This investigation is a wake-up call for policymakers, businesses, and the public. The findings show that without strong enforcement and a commitment to upholding labor laws, children will continue to be exploited in dangerous industries.

Take action with Freedom United to demand an end to child labor law rollbacks, push for greater accountability in industries known for violations, and ensure that no child is subjected to hazardous, exploitative work.

And tell major meat suppliers in the US to stop profiting from the exploitation of children! Children belong in school—not in slaughterhouses. Take action.