Minnesota levies $2 million penalty on meatpacking company for child labor law violations
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Virginia-based meatpacking company will pay the state of Minnesota a $2 million penalty for illegally employing children between the ages of 14 and 17.
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry says Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp., which operates a plant in St. James, entered into a consent order that requires the company to pay "the largest penalty" the state has ever "recovered in a child labor enforcement action."
The department says an audit found the company hired at least 11 minors between April 2021 and April 2023, with most working shifts past 9 p.m.
All of the child workers "performed hazardous work" at the St. James plant, according to the department, including:
- "Working near chemicals or other hazardous substances"
- "Operating power-driven machinery, including meat grinders, slicers and power-driven conveyor belts"
- "Operating nonautomatic elevators, lifts or hoisting machines, including motorized pallet jacks and lift pallet jacks"
In a statement, Smithfield said it contested the department's claims and "denies that we knowingly hired anyone under the age of 18 to work in our St. James facility."
"We have not admitted liability as part of this settlement; however, in the interest of preventing the distraction of prolonged litigation, we have agreed to settle this matter," the company said.
Smithfield said the minors used "false identification" and fake names to obtain employment with the company, and it has since enhanced and emphasized its safeguards against using underage labor.
"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 Minnesota Child Labor Standards Act bars the employment of minors in hazardous occupations. It also restricts minors younger than 16 from working past 9 p.m. and working more than eight hours a day or more than 40 hours a week.
Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach calls Smithfield's actions "unacceptable."
"DLI's resolution with Smithfield sends a strong message to employers, including in the meat processing industry, that child labor violations will not be tolerated in Minnesota," Blissenbach said.
Last year, the department says it reached a similar consent order with Madelia's Tony Downs Food Company, which also hired minors to perform hazardous work.
In 2022, a federal judge ordered a Wisconsin-based slaughterhouse cleaning company to stop hiring minors, including Turkey Valley Farms' plant in Marshall, Minnesota.
St. James is about 120 miles southwest of the Twin Cities.
