Monogram Meat Snacks, a renowned manufacturer of beef jerky, corndogs, and various meat products, has recently incurred penalties exceeding $140,000 for employing underage workers at its meat-packing facility in Chandler, Minnesota, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s official statement released on Tuesday.
Monogram has agreed to pay the specified fine as part of an extensive investigation that commenced in March. During the investigation, it was discovered that the company had employed five 17-year-olds, four 16-year-olds, and two 15-year-olds, thereby violating federal child labor laws. In addition to beef jerky and corndogs, Monogram specializes in producing private-label meat snacks, appetizers, assembled sandwiches, fully-cooked and raw bacon, corn dogs, and other food products.
Shockingly, nine of the underage workers were found to be operating hazardous machinery at the processing plant, which is a subsidiary of Memphis-based Monogram Foods. It is worth noting that Monogram Foods operates 13 facilities across seven states and employs more than 3,600 individuals. This case comes at a time when child labor violations are on the rise, with critics attributing the increase to weaker child labor laws in certain states and the influx of unaccompanied minors entering the United States.
“No employer should ever jeopardize the safety of children by employing them to operate dangerous equipment,” stated Jessica Looman, the Principal Deputy Wage and House Administrator at the DOL, in a press release.
In response to the investigation, Monogram has made policy and procedural changes aimed at preventing such incidents from occurring in the future, as confirmed in an email statement provided to CBS MoneyWatch. The company spokesperson expressed disappointment that a small number of underage workers were found during the DOL’s review of hundreds of employees.
As a result of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act, Monogram is now prohibited from shipping snack foods such as beef jerky and sausage, according to the DOL’s directive.
This investigation of Monogram is part of a broader federal initiative to combat child labor, which was announced earlier this year. The DOL has reported a 69% increase in illegal employment of children by companies since 2018.
In July, federal regulators revealed that nearly 4,500 children had been caught working in violation of federal child labor laws within a span of 10 months.
Tragically, such work can also have fatal consequences, as demonstrated by the case of a 16-year-old who lost their life in an incident at a poultry plant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in July.
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