Child Labor Violations Persist at Iowa Pork Plant, Contractor Fined

Federal investigators found 11 minors working dangerous overnight shifts at Seaboard Triumph Foods despite previous violations and contractor changes.

Qvest LLC has been fined $171,919 after federal authorities uncovered 11 children working hazardous cleaning jobs at the Seaboard Triumph Foods plant in Sioux City, Iowa, from 2019 to 2023.
The children were tasked with cleaning dangerous equipment using corrosive chemicals, a violation of U.S. child labor laws prohibiting minors from working in such conditions.
This marks the second instance of child labor violations at the same facility; a previous contractor, Fayette Janitorial Services, was fined $649,000 in May for employing 24 minors, some as young as 13.
Seaboard Triumph Foods denies any wrongdoing and claims no evidence of underage workers, attributing the issue to fraudulent identification documents used by job applicants.
The Department of Labor reports an 89% increase in child labor violations across the U.S. in 2024, with over 4,000 children affected and more than $15 million in fines issued.