The U.S. Department of Labor is investigating HelloFresh. The well-known meal kit company is accused of employing migrant children at its cooking and packaging site in Illinois. Reports state this happened as recently as this summer, as reported by ABC News.
Cristobal Cavazos, the executive director for Immigrant Solidarity, stated that at least six teenagers, some of whom migrated from Guatemala, were discovered working night shifts there. Immigrant Solidarity is a group that advocates for immigrant rights and helped bring this issue to the attention of federal authorities.
“They’re minors working dangerous jobs,”
Cavazos told ABC News.
The Labor Department is also looking into Midway Staffing, the agency that hired workers for the HelloFresh facility, to see if they broke any federal child labor laws, per ABC News. HelloFresh is a German company, and is the biggest meal kit provider in the United States.
The Department of Labor has confirmed to ABC News that it is investigating both the HelloFresh facility and the staffing agency.
“We were deeply troubled to learn of the allegations made against a former temporary staffing agency,”
a spokesperson for HelloFresh told ABC News in a statement.
“As soon as we learned of these allegations, we immediately terminated the relationship,”
they added.
“We have strict protocols in place to ensure all vendors follow our robust global ethics and compliance policies,”
the spokesperson said.
“We have zero tolerance for any form of child labor, and we have taken action to ensure no minors perform work in or have access to our facilities.”
The spokesperson told ABC News that the facility in Aurora, Illinois, is a Factor75 site, which HelloFresh bought in 2020. Factor75 is a company that delivers prepared meals.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
