An investigation from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) found that eleven children were reportedly working "dangerous" overnight shifts on the kill floor of an Iowa pork plant for years. 

According to a November 29 release from the DOL, the children were employed by Qvest LLC, a sanitation company operating out of the Seaboard Triumph Foods factory in Sioux City, Iowa. Between 2019 and 2023, those children were said to have used "corrosive" chemicals to clean head splitters, jaw pullers, bandsaws and neck clippers among other pieces of equipment. 

Seaboard Triumph Foods switched to Fayette Janitorial Service LLC for its sanitation services in September 2023. The DOL filed an injunction against Fayette in February 2024, after finding that the contractor had employed at least 24 children for overnight sanitation shifts at the Iowa Seaboard Triumph Foods plant and at Perdue Farms in Accomac, Virginia. It's believed that Fayette Janitorial rehired some of the children who had previously worked for Qvest at the Sioux City facility. The DOL ultimately fined Fayette $650,000 in May 2024. Qvest now faces nearly $172,000 in civil penalties of its own, and must hire a third-party to review its company policies.

Read More: U.S. DoL Seeks Injunction to Stop Use of ‘Oppressive Child Labor’ at Meat Processing Facilities

“The U.S. Department of Labor is determined to end the illegal employment of children in our nation’s workplaces,” said DOL regional solicitor Christine Heri. “We are committed to using all strategies to stop and prevent unlawful child labor and holding all employers legally responsible for their actions. Children should never be hired to perform dangerous and prohibited tasks.”