At least 59,000 meatpacking workers were infected with COVID-19 and 269 of them lost their lives, according to a report published by a US House of Representatives panel earlier this week.
The US House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis used internal documents from some of the country's biggest meatpacking compes for the report, which noted the infections and deaths at those compes were around three times higher than previous estimates.
"Instead of addressing the clear indications that workers were contracting the coronavirus at alarming rates due to conditions in meatpacking facilities, meatpacking compes prioritized profits and production over worker safety, continuing to employ practices that led to crowded facilities in which the virus spread easily," the report said.
The situation, it added, maybe worse because the company documents generally don't include COVID-19 cases confirmed by outside testing or self-reported by employees.
In a press release on Wednesday, the North American Meat Institute defended the industry's response to the pandemic.
"Frontline meat and poultry workers were among the first impacted by the pandemic, but publicly available data confirm that comprehensive measures implemented in the sector since spring 2020, including extensive infection prevention and vaccination efforts, have successfully protected the sector's dedicated and diverse workforce as they have continued feeding Americans and keeping our economy working," said Julie Anna Potts, president and CEO of the trade association.
The House report is based on documents from JBS food processing company, Tyson Foods, Smithfield Foods, Cargill and National Beef. Together they control over 80 per cent of the US beef market and over 60 per cent of the pork market nationwide. (/Xinhua)
( With inputs from ANI )
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