HelloFresh is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), over allegations that a subsidiary of the meal kit delivery service employed migrant children at a facility in Illinois.

According to ABC News, at least six teenagers — some of whom had come from Guatemala — were reportedly working night shifts at an Aurora, Illinois cooking and packaging facility operated by Factor75, a prepared meal delivery service acquired by HelloFresh in 2020. The DOL is also investigating Midway Staffing, the agency that hired employees to work at the Factor75 facility. In a statement to ABC News, HelloFresh said that it was "deeply troubled" to learn of the allegations, and that once it was made aware, it immediately terminated its relationship with Midway Staffing.

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"We have strict protocols in place to ensure all vendors follow our robust global ethics and compliance policies," a HelloFresh spokesperson said. "We have zero tolerance for any form of child labor, and we have taken action to ensure no minors perform work in or have access to our facilities."

Speaking to The New York Times, Midway Staffing CEO R.J. Parrilli denied any allegations that his agency had violated child labor laws, adding that his company "refuses to knowingly hire anyone who is not at least 18 years of age." 

Across roughly 1,700 cases combined between 2023 and 2024, the DOL found nearly 10,000 children employed in violation of U.S. labor laws, assessing more than $23 million in penalties to companies over those two years. Violations have been especially prominent in the food industry, including a contractor for an Iowa pork processing facility that was fined for hiring children to clean dangerous machinery, and a Massachusetts seafood processing plant that allegedly forced immigrant children to work "perilous" overnight shifts.