"JBS USA has zero tolerance for child labor. The incident that occurred was unacceptable and we have taken immediate, deliberate actions to prevent third-party, underage personnel from having access to our facilities. 

Upon being made aware of the situation with PSSI, we immediately implemented interim measures to confirm the status of sanitation personnel, conducted a third-party audit and discontinued PSSI’s services at our Grand Island, Nebraska, and Worthington, Minnesota, facilities.  

We have also enhanced our standard operating procedures regarding the vetting of third-party sanitation personnel at all of our plants across the country. In addition, we are coordinating with experts and engaging with our sanitation providers to ensure they implement any necessary operational changes to prevent future violations. Lastly, we are working with our UFCW union partners to pilot in-house sanitation services in a portion of our Grand Island, Worthington and Greeley, Colo., facilities. 

We expect and contractually require our vendors to adhere to the same high standards that we apply to the screening and eligibility of our own workforce, and these recent allegations clearly violate the expectations for compliant conduct outlined in our service agreements and vendor policies."