Smithfield meatpacking plant in St. James fined $2M for child labor violations

A meatpacking plant in southwestern Minnesota must pay a $2 million fine over child labor violations uncovered during a probe by the state’s Department of Labor and Industry.

The DLI announced Thursday it had entered into a consent order with Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp. to ensure compliance with child labor laws after the agency found minors were working late hours and operating dangerous machinery at the company’s facility in St. James.

According to DLI, investigators found Smithfield employed at least 11 minors between the ages of 14 and 17 between April 13, 2021, and April 13, 2023. All but two of those children worked hours later than state law allowed — after 9 p.m. for minors under 16 and after 11 p.m. before school days for minors who are 16 or 17 years of age.

All 11 minors were found to have “performed hazardous work,” including working near chemicals, using power-driven machinery such as meat grinders and slicers, and operating heavy equipment like nonautomatic elevators and motorized pallet jacks, DLI said.

“It is unacceptable for a company to employ minor children to perform hazardous work late at night. This illegal behavior impacts children’s health, safety and well-being and their ability to focus on their education and their future. Combatting unlawful child labor in Minnesota is a priority for DLI and it will continue to devote resources to addressing and resolving these violations,” DLI Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach said in a statement. “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.”

In addition to the $2 million fine — the largest penalty DLI has recovered for child labor violations — Smithfield is ordered to do industry outreach on child labor compliance and work with its staffing agencies and sanitation contractors to ensure they’re complying with child labor laws.

In a statement, Smithfield denied knowingly hiring anyone under 18, claiming they all used fake identification to sidestep the E-Verify system. The company added it has not admitted liability but agreed to settle the complaint with DLI “in the interest of preventing the distraction of prolonged litigation.”

“Smithfield is committed to maintaining a safe workplace and complying with all applicable employment laws and regulations. We wholeheartedly agree that individuals under the age of 18 have no place working in meatpacking or processing facilities,” a company spokesperson said. “As a matter of policy, Smithfield Foods, Inc. and its subsidiaries do not employ anyone under the age of 18 to work in any of our processing facilities. Additionally, we require our suppliers, including our third-party sanitation service providers, to follow this policy.”

The enforcement action against Smithfield comes after other recent investigations into meatpacking facilities in Minnesota.

In 2023, DLI entered into a consent decree with Tony Downs Food Company in Madelia and ordered the plant to pay a $300,000 fine after officials found children were operating meat grinders, ovens and forklifts and worked shifts in chambers where meat was flash-frozen with carbon dioxide and ammonia. Injury reports revealed some of those children were hurt while working in hazardous conditions.

The U.S. Department of Labor brought action against Wisconsin-based Packers Sanitation Services Inc., an industrial cleaning contractor that employed more than 100 children at meatpacking plants in eight states, including Minnesota. PSSI paid out $1.5 million in civil penalties — $15,138 for each minor employee.