Biden administration urges action on meat companies
Business
The Biden administration said meat companies should examine their supply chains for child labour
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Meat companies should examine their supply chains for evidence of child labour, the Biden administration said in a letter sent to top meatpacking companies on Wednesday.
The letter is part of an effort by several agencies, led by the Department of Labour, to curb the use of illegal child labour across sectors. Since 2018, illegal employment of children has risen 69% in the U.S., according to the agency.
In February, the Labour Department found that more than 100 children had been illegally employed by Packers Sanitation Services Inc., a company that contracts with meat-packers to clean slaughterhouses. The company was fined $1.5 million.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asked meat and poultry companies in the letter to determine whether illegal child labour is being used in their supply chains and to adopt stronger child labour standards for subcontractors.
"Companies in food manufacturing — particularly those with significant market power — need to be vigilant about the standards of their suppliers to help reduce systemic violations and abuses," Vilsack said in the letter.
The letter was sent to 18 companies that represent about 70% of meat and poultry production by volume, including Tyson Foods Inc., Smithfield Foods Inc., JBS USA LLC, and Perdue Farms Inc.
The Department of Agriculture is exploring enforcement mechanisms that would allow stronger oversight of child labour use in food supply chains and plans to take future steps on the issue, an agency spokesperson said.
