By EFE
Sep 24, 2023, 12:35 PM EDT
The United States Department of Labor is investigating meat processing companies Tyson and Perdue for allegedly using migrant children to clean slaughterhouses, The New York Times reported.
The Department of Labor opened these investigations after an article published this week by The New York Times magazine, which collected the testimony of migrant children who work night shifts for companies subcontracted by Tyson and Perdue in the state of Virginia.
According to that article, children as young as 13 are using acid and pressure hoses to clean blood, grease and feathers from industrial machines, a job that can be very dangerous.
Asked by EFE, the Department of Labor did not confirm whether such an investigation had been initiated.
Tyson and Perdue, which together produce a third of the chicken sold in the United States, have also not publicly taken a position on the possible investigations.
Last April, the Biden administration asked several meat processing companies, including Tyson and Perdue, to examine their supply chains to determine whether child labor was being used.
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