CHANDLER, Minn. — A southwestern Minnesota meatpacking and food processing company has agreed to pay a monetary penalty after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor revealed it was violating federal child labor laws.
Monogram Meat Snacks LLC, a subsidiary of a Tennessee-based company, will pay $140,164 in civil money penalties for hiring at least 11 teenagers, and having nine of them operate hazardous machinery at its facility in Chandler, which is about 30 miles northwest of Worthington.
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According to the investigation, which started in March by the department's Wage and Hour Division, five of the children employed were 17, four were 16, and two were 15.
Monogram is now prohibited from shipping its products — including beef jerky, cheese, and sausage — for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act's "hot goods" provision. It's not clear how long the company will be under this prohibition order.
The Department of Labor says since 2018, there has been a 69% increase in the illegal employment of children.
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