The Department of Labor (DOL) has opened an investigation into Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods for potential child labor violations.
A Reuters report said the DOL is investigating whether the two packers hired migrant children to clean processing facilities. The investigation comes following a New York Times report that showed migrant children working overnight shifts for the companies in Virginia.
“We are conducting a comprehensive third-party audit of child labor prevention and protection procedures including a compliance audit of contractors,” a Perdue spokesperson told Reuters.
Earlier this year, a food safety sanitation company was fined $1.5 million by the DOL for hiring more than 100 children to clean processing facilities in eight different states. Minors are prohibited by federal law from working in meat processing plants due to increased risk of injury.
