WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered Hearthside Food Solutions Inc., a U.S. food contractor that manufactures and packages well-known snack and cereal brands, to hire underage workers and comply with child labor laws. An investigation into the violation has been initiated. , according to his two sources with knowledge of this matter.
The company has since been scrutinized New York Times research The Hearthside factory hired underage workers to produce chewy granola bars and bags of Lucky Charms and Cheetos, which the company later shipped nationwide.
“We can confirm that an investigation has been launched,” a Labor Department spokesman told Reuters.
It is not clear if the investigation will lead to criminal charges, fines or other penalties.
In recent years, record numbers of unaccompanied minor immigrants have entered the country, many in federal shelters, and then released to their sponsors, usually relatives, while immigration officials resolve their asylum requests in the United States. it was done.
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But the authorities have found that minors are sucked into a vast network of enablers, including labor contractors who recruit workers for large factories and other employers, and sometimes coax children into illegal jobs. I struggle with long-term follow-up to avoid… Harsh and adult-oriented.
The Hearthside investigation is the latest in a growing number of investigations the department is conducting on child labor in factories across the country.
Reuters published last year series Stories about child labor, including revelations about the use of child labor at Hyundai Motor suppliers (005380.KS) in Alabama, USA.
The first article in the Reuters series published in February 2022 read: It’s been found Teens working at a dangerous poultry processing plant in Alabama.
Earlier this month, a major food safety and health company paid a $1.5 million fine for putting more than 100 teenagers in dangerous jobs at meat processing plants in eight states. DOL survey.
Reported by Nandita Bose, Washington.Editing by Mark Porter and Nick Zieminski
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