Meat+Poultry - March 2023 - 10

BUSINESS NOTES
Tyson Foods acquires
Williams Sausage Co.
Associations
unite against
ASF
Tyson Foods Inc. announced on Feb. 21,
the acquisition of Union City, Tenn.-based
Williams Sausage Co., a processor of
fresh and fully cooked sausage, bacon,
sandwiches and other food products for
the retail segment.
The family-owned company, founded
in 1958 by Harold and Hazel Williams,
employed approximately 500 workers,
and in 2017 built a second facility in Obion
County, Tenn., adding a distribution center,
maintenance center, offices and a new
sandwich production line. Tyson did not
disclose the terms of the deal, which is
subject to approval by regulators.
" The addition of Williams Sausage
Co. aligns with our strategic intent of
expanding our capacity to serve our
customers, " said Stewart Glendinning,
group president of Tyson's Prepared Foods
business unit. " We also look forward
to welcoming Williams' dedicated team
members to the Tyson Foods family. "
Roger Williams, president and chief
executive officer, said Tyson has the
resources to facilitate the company's next
stage of growth.
" There are not many companies to
which we could entrust what we have
built, and we are very pleased that in Tyson
Foods we have found that partner who
understands the heritage and culture of
our family business and will be able to take
it to the next level, " Williams said. " We
believe this to be a very positive move for
our family and our team members that will
ensure the future of all stakeholders. "
PSSI assessed $15M DOJ penalty
for child labor violations
The US Department of Labor's (DOL)
Wage and Hour Division announced that
sanitation company Packers Sanitation
Services Inc. (PSSI) would pay $1.5 million
in civil penalties after the department
found that at least 102 workers from
13 to 17 years of age were cleaning
meatpacking plants. DOL said the minors
were working overnight shifts at 13 meat
processing facilities in eight states. Some
jobs included working with hazardous
chemicals and cleaning meat processing
equipment, including back saws, brisket
saws and head splitters. Investigators said
at least three minors were injured while
working for PSSI.
As part of a settlement agreement,
PSSI agreed to pay a penalty of $15,138 per
minor-aged employee under the Fair Labor
Standards Act, DOL said. The amount is
10 MEAT+POULTRY | 03.23 | www.meatpoultry.com
the maximum civil money penalty allowed
by federal law.
" We are pleased to have finalized this
settlement figure as part of our previously
announced December resolution with
the Department of Labor that ends their
inquiry, " the company said. " We have been
crystal clear from the start: Our company
has a zero-tolerance policy against
employing anyone under the age of 18 and
fully shares the DOL's objective of ensuring
full compliance at all locations.
" As soon as we became aware of the
DOL's allegations, we conducted multiple
additional audits of our employee base,
and hired a third-party law firm to review
and help further strengthen our policies in
this area. We have also conducted multiple
additional trainings for hiring managers,
including on spotting identity theft. "
Pork and agriculture
industry groups united
in a new partnership to
prevent the introduction
of the deadly African
swine fever (ASF) into
the United States.
The US Department
of Agriculture (USDA),
the National Association
of State Departments of
Agriculture (NASDA),
the National Pork Board
(NPB) and the National
Pork Producers Council
(NPPC) announced
their partnership at the
NASDA Winter Policy
Conference in February.
ASF has yet to enter
the United States, but
the nation's stakeholders
have nonetheless been
taking precautions
to prepare for and
prevent the disease. The
partnership connects
pork producers with
federal officials and
enables a response plan
for both preventing ASF
and responding to an
outbreak anywhere in
the United States.
" NPPC is proud to
be a part of the NASDA
initiative to identify
additional opportunities
to advance our industry's
ASF preparedness, " said
Terry Wolters, NPPC
president and owner of
Stoney Creek Farms in
Pipestone, Minn.
For more news,
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Meat+Poultry - March 2023

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