ALABAMA—A major chicken supplier for Chick-fil-A has been fined for illegally employing children as young as 13 years old at its Alabama processing facilities. The U.S. Department of Labor has fined Mar-Jac Poultry $385,000 and forced sweeping changes at the company after uncovering dangerous child labor violations.
Mar-Jac Poultry supplies chicken products to several major restaurant chains, with Chick-fil-A being among its largest customers. The company operates multiple processing facilities across the southeastern United States. Federal investigators have increased scrutiny of meatpacking and poultry facilities following reports of widespread employees of underage workers.
According to the investigation report, minors were assigned to operate heavy machinery and work in areas deemed as unsafe under the Fair Labor Standards Act. These duties are outlined by the DOL as illegal due to high hazards, with no exemptions.
A consent judgment entered on May 21, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama imposed the penalties and required Mar-Jac to adopt strict compliance measures. The order mandates age verification for all new hires, prohibits the employment of children under 14, directs mandatory training for managers and contractors, and appoints a third-party monitor to oversee enforcement.
The Department of Labor publicly announced the penalties on July 28, 2025, weeks before the news broke nationally.
Mar-Jac has faced scrutiny before. In 2023, a 16-year-old worker, Duvan Tomas Perez, was killed while cleaning a machine at the company’s Mississippi facility. Advocates argue the repeat violations highlight systemic failures in food supply chains where staffing firms and subcontractors are often used to obscure responsibility.
According to DOL data, child labor cases have risen 31% since 2019, even as the number of cases investigated has dropped. Officials say they are ramping up enforcement and warning companies that violations will bring steep consequences.
A Chick-fil-A spokesperson told Investigate Midwest the chain is “monitoring the situation closely” and expects its suppliers to comply with all labor laws. The restaurant chain has previously stated its commitment to working only with suppliers who maintain ethical labor practices. Labor advocates say fines, while historic in size, may not be enough to change corporate practices.
The Mar-Jac case underscores growing concerns that underage workers are fueling dangerous corners of America’s food industry, and that household names like Chick-fil-A could be linked to illegal child labor through their supply chains.
