Smithfield agrees to pay $2 million to resolve child labor allegations at Minnesota meat plant

One of the nation’s largest meat processors has agreed to pay $2 million to resolve allegations of child labor violations at a plant in Minnesota. The state's labor department said Thursday that its investigation found that Smithfield Packaged Meats employed at least 11 children at its plant in St. James ages 14 to 17 from April 2021 through April 2023. It says they performed potentially dangerous work. Virginia-based Smithfield denies knowingly hiring anyone under age 18 to work at the St. James plant. It says it did not admit liability under the settlement.