Meatpacking in the COVID-19 context: Barriers to disease mitigation, worker justice, and the need for sector reform

India Luxton

Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 2025, vol. 14, issue 3

Abstract: In January 2020, the coronavirus began spreading rapidly across the United States and became an emergent public health crisis. To mitigate the spread of the virus, state, local, and federal gov­ern­ments implemented various disease mitigation strategies including mask mandates, social distanc­ing requirements, and business closures. However, under the Defense Production Act of 1950, meat­packing plants were designated as essential infra­structure and maintained operation throughout the pandemic. Drawing on 39 in-depth interviews, this article analyzes (1) factors that influenced responses to worker safety during COVID-19 in the meatpacking sector; (2) barriers to disease miti­gation and worker justice; and (3) the conse­quences of industry concentration during an unprecedented public health crisis. Research results show that inadequate safety measures implemented by meat­packing firms, particularly in the early months of the pandemic, when com­bined with limited federal oversight, contributed significantly to unsafe work­ing conditions and increased risk of disease trans­mission. These findings highlight the need for reforming worker safety policies, diversification of the sector, and the development of a more robust workers’ compensation system to better protect the health and safety of meatpacking workers.

Keywords: Livestock; Production/Industries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:joafsc:362819

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