Sen. Hawley Opens Probe Into Allegations of Child Labor at Tyson Foods Facility

Sen. Josh Hawley alleged that child workers were employed by a third-party entity contracted by Tyson Foods.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) speaks to reporters after the Senate was scheduled to vote on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to be U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 13, 2025. Tierney Cross/Reuters

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said on May 6 that he has opened an investigation into Tyson Foods over allegations that the company was employing underage children at one of its facilities.

In a letter to the Department of Labor, Hawley said that a former Tyson Foods staff member—who was in charge of overseeing plant safety—reported seeing underage workers at the company’s processing plant.

The former worker, whose identity was kept secret by the senator, also claimed to have received multiple reports from hourly Tyson Foods employees about children working at the facility.

“According to the allegations, these child workers were employed by a third-party entity contracted by Tyson for work in the plant,” Hawley stated in the letter.

Hawley said that the worker faced retaliation and a “toxic work environment” after reporting concerns about child labor to company superiors, which ultimately led to the worker’s resignation.

The senator alleged that Tyson Foods was taking legal action against the former worker following their departure from the company, though he did not specify the timeline of the incident.

Tyson Foods said in a statement to news outlets that it prohibits anyone under 18 years old from working in its facilities, adding that it does not support the use of child labor by third-party contractors.

In his letter, Hawley stated that he had opened an investigation through the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee and urged the Labor Department to launch its own probe into the allegations.

“Given your role in enforcing federal labor law, I urge you to fully investigate these troubling allegations immediately,” he stated. “We cannot allow children to continue to be exploited in the name of corporate profits.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to Tyson Foods and the Department of Labor for further comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

In February 2023, the Department of Labor revealed that a federal investigation had found that Packers Sanitation Services Inc.—one of the largest food safety sanitation providers in the United States—employed at least 102 children, ages 13 to 17, to work overnight shifts at 13 meat processing plants across eight states, including a Tyson Foods facility.

Those children, according to the department, were exposed to “hazardous chemicals and cleaning meat processing equipment” including back saws, brisket saws, and head splitters. At least three underage workers sustained injuries while working for Packers Sanitation Services. The company later paid $1.5 million in civil money penalties.

Reuters contributed to this report.