Donnie King, CEO of Tyson Foods, discusses the company’s recent investments and the high food prices impacting consumers.
Two companies – Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods – are under scrutiny by the Department of Labor (DOL).
“Perdue and Tyson Foods are currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. As the investigation is ongoing, no further details can be released,” a DOL spokesperson told FOX Business on Monday.
The New York Times first reported on the relevant investigations.
Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods are under scrutiny by the Labor Department. (Pavlo Gonchar / SOPA Images / LightRocket / File / Getty Images)
The outlet’s magazine previously reported on Sept. 18 the alleged presence of children, including those who immigrated from other countries, on contracted cleaning crews at two Perdue and Tyson facilities in Virginia.
The butcher shop cleaning service has been fined $1.5 million for employing over 100 children at US locations
According to the New York Times Magazine, some of their alleged nightly cleaning jobs involved the use of harsh chemicals. They also reportedly had to handle discarded chicken parts, blood and other substances as part of their duties at the Perdue site.
The New York Times said its reporting describing an alleged incident in which a then-14-year-old Guatemalan child laborer suffered serious injuries preceded the start of the DOL’s investigation.
A spokesman for Tyson declined FOX Business’ request for comment, saying it had not been informed of an investigation.
Similarly, a Perdue spokesperson told FOX Business that the company has not received notice of the DOL investigation but “intends to cooperate fully with any government investigation into this matter.”
“We take the legal employment and safety of everyone who works at our facilities very seriously and have strict, long-standing policies for Perdue employees to prevent minors from engaging in dangerous work in violation of the law,” the Perdue said -Speaker. “We hold our suppliers to the same high standards and were appalled by these latest allegations.”
According to the spokesman, Perdue has begun an external review of child labor prevention and protection procedures, “including a compliance review of contractors.” The company also defended itself against accusations of shirking responsibility, saying the allegations were “not representative of who we are as a company and what we stand for.”
The New York Times also reported that Vincit Group’s QSI provided cleaning services for Tyson in Virginia, while Fayette Industrial did it for Perdue. They are also reportedly being investigated by DOL authorities.
A source told FOX Business that Fayette Industrial has not been notified of a DOL investigation. If this is the case, the company plans to collaborate, according to the source.
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QSI will also cooperate with “any industry investigation on this topic,” the company said.
“We have zero tolerance for any ineligible underage employees and are committed to complying with all applicable labor laws and regulations,” it said. “We have strict policies, procedures and practices in place to identify and screen minors, including measures that go beyond the federal government’s E-Verify system, such as visual inspections, third-party monitoring and identity verification systems, and our policy is. “Don’t employ anyone under the age of 21 to do cleaning work in the company. We continually review all practices and procedures to ensure we continue to meet our high standards of compliance and our commitment to our employees and communities.”
| ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSN | TYSON FOODS INC. | 50.62 | -0.50 | -0.98% |
In a statement to FOX Business, Fayette Industrial said it is “clearly committed to ensuring our workplaces are safe and free from child labor.”
“We take ethical responsibilities seriously and do everything in our power to set the industry standard for lawful, ethical employment,” the company continued. “Every Fayette employee applicant undergoes a government-approved verification process that includes document review by our Human Resources Manager and final approval by the Federal E-Verify Office.”
Two companies are under scrutiny by the Labor Department. (Alex Edelman/AFP/File/Getty Images)
The company added additional measures about 12 months ago, it said. That included third-party auditing by a law firm specializing in immigration, more training for human resources and field staff, and facial recognition technology “to prevent unauthorized clock-in,” according to Fayette Industrial.
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In the poultry segment, Tyson Foods had the capacity to process a total of 47 million chickens per week in fiscal 2022, according to the company. Perdue is also a large poultry company.
Earlier this year, the DOL reported that illegal child employment was up 69% compared to five years ago. According to the agency, more than 800 companies violated child labor laws in fiscal year 2022.