Smithfield Foods to Pay $2M After Child Labor Allegations

Smithfield Foods, a US meat processor, has agreed to pay $2 million to resolve allegations of child labor violations at a Minnesota plant, officials said in an AP News report.

An investigation by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry found that the Smithfield Packaged Meats subsidiary employed at least 11 children ages 14-17 at its plant in St. James from April 2021 through April 2023. Three of them began working for the company when they were 14. Smithfield let nine of them work after allowable hours and had all 11 perform potentially dangerous work, the agency alleged.

Smithfield also agreed to steps to ensure future compliance with child labor laws. US law prohibits companies from employing people younger than 18 to work in meat processing plants because of hazards, especially the dangerous cutting and grinding machines.

State Labor Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach said the agreement “sends a strong message to employers, including in the meat processing industry, that child labor violations will not be tolerated in Minnesota.”

The Smithfield, VA-based company said in a statement that it denies knowingly hiring anyone under age 18 to work at the St. James plant, and that it did not admit liability under the settlement. The company said all 11 minors passed the federal E-Verify employment eligibility system by using false identification. Smithfield also said it takes a long list of proactive steps to enforce its policy prohibiting the employment of minors.

Related:Meat Facility Charged with Violating Child Labor Law

“Smithfield is committed to maintaining a safe workplace and complying with all applicable employment laws and regulations,” the company said. “We wholeheartedly agree that individuals under the age of 18 have no place working in meatpacking or processing facilities.”

The state agency said the $2 million administrative penalty is the largest it has recovered in a child labor enforcement action. It also ranks among the larger recent child labor settlements nationwide.

This isn't the first case thrown at meat processors in the state of MN. In 2023, the MN State Dept. found both Tony Downs Food Co., based in Mankato, and Monogram Meat Snacks, a subsidiary of Monogram Foods based in Chandler, MN, guilty of child labor law violations as well. The two companies agreed to pay fines as well as stop hiring minors.