The US Department of Labor has entered into an agreement with JBS USA Food Co., in which the meat packing processor and slaughterhouse will provide $4 million to assist individuals and communities affected by unlawful child labor practices nationwide.

The Jan. 13, 2025, agreement commits JBS to holding key elements of its supply chain, third-party contractors and service providers accountable for illegal child labor. They are also creating a targeted advertising campaign to raise awareness about unlawful child labor practices.

“Under this agreement, JBS USA Food Co. has adopted creative and forward-thinking compliance measures to combat illegal child labor,” said Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman. “JBS has taken responsibility for children performing dangerous work at its facilities by proposing concrete and enforceable solutions to address those issues, setting the standard as a market leader in preventing illegal youth employment.”  

JBS will fund $4 million toward preventing illegal child labor and supporting victims of child labor nationwide while prioritizing its efforts in the communities of Guntersville, Ala.; Greeley, Colo.; Ottumwa, Iowa; Worthington, Minn.; and Grand Island, Neb.

The funds may provide direct assistance to affected individuals and community organizations in the form of scholarships, stipends and educational aid including assistance to community organizations to fund English as a Second Language teaching positions, literacy, job training and housing.

“Host companies like JBS have enormous leverage to help prevent child labor in their supply chains and even more broadly in the industry,” said Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda. “With this agreement, JBS USA Food Co. is taking significant steps to ensure children are not put in harm’s way at its facilities or by its contractors.” 

In addition to the establishment of the $4 million fund for community-based causes and victims of child labor, the agreement requires JBS to:

• Host or sponsor a symposium focused on preventing illegal child labor for industry leaders, nonprofits and other interested parties committed to combating unlawful child labor. 
• Hire a child labor compliance specialist to review policies, develop training materials and conduct unannounced audits.
• Maintain a toll-free ethics hotline for the anonymous reporting of compliance concerns.
• Incorporate a zero-tolerance policy in any contract agreements with third-party sanitation firms or poultry catching service providers.
• Notify the department when contracts have been terminated because of child labor violations.
• Conduct community outreach to educate communities about the prohibitions on child labor at meat packing establishments.
• Create targeted advertising campaigns to raise awareness about unlawful child labor in Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska.
• Require nationwide training on prevention of illegal child labor to all third-party sanitation employers at JBS facilities and all JBS employees at meat packing establishments.

Headquartered in Greeley, Colo., JBS USA Food Co. is a producer of beef with nine U.S. facilities, offering beef products to more than 44 countries on six continents and the second largest fresh pork producer with five US facilities, offering pork products to more than 26 countries on five continents. The company employs more than 37,000 people at these facilities. Its products are sold under dozens of brand names including Pilgrim’s, Primo and Swift in the US. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of JBS S.A. in Brazil, the world’s largest processor of fresh beef and pork, with more than $50 billion in annual sales.

Since 2022, the department has investigated various third-party contractors that provide sanitation services at meat packing establishments and service providers of poultry catching operations across the US. These investigations discovered that JBS’s third-party service providers employed children in dangerous jobs and during overnight shifts at the company’s facilities in Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. 

In fiscal year 2024, department investigators found more than 4,000 children had been employed in violation of federal child labor laws. The division continues to prioritize protecting children and currently has over 1,000 open child labor investigations.

Source: US Department of Labor